Alexis Gets Frosted Read Online Free PDF Page B

Susan! You always tell us about her!” I rolled my eyes.
    My mom smiled. “Well, she comes in handy in a lot of lessons. Anyway, mean people take a lot of energy, and it’s not worth it. And they can make you act mean too, just to protect yourself. That can be a terrible feeling, because then you’re losing yourself. It sounds like that’s what happened yesterday.”
    I winced, thinking of how proud I’d been of my comeback yesterday but how bad it had made me feel later.
    â€œYou know, most of the Olivias in the worldare really just insecure, and their mean streak comes from being hurt.”
    I rolled my eyes again. “Excuses, excuses,” I said. “Everyone is insecure, Mom!”
    She nodded. “Come on, though. Olivia is obviously hurt. And you were mean in what you said about her and skiing. Think of it this way: You’re the one who’s lived here all your life, and you’re the one with the tight-knit group of friends, who really knows yourself and has a strong identity and a good reputation in the school, right? And then you insult her behind her back, questioning her claims about her athletic abilities, all when she’s new to the school and trying to establish herself. How do you think that makes her feel?”
    It was weird to flip the problem on its head like that, but it was true, when you looked at it from the other side. I felt bad now.
    â€œI guess she’s probably hurt,” I said, ashamed.
    My mom sighed. “You did start this, Alexis, and I didn’t raise you to be a mean girl. But I really didn’t raise you to be a victim, which is what Olivia’s retaliation is turning you into. Right?”
    I nodded.
    â€œLook, you don’t want to waste your time feeling bad, or being mean or hiding. Those are allnegative states. You need to apologize to Olivia and to get that out of the way. I think it will clear the air with her, and it will take care of your conscience. No more sleepless nights!” she said.
    I nodded again. Reluctantly. I dreaded apologizing. How soon would I have to do it? I wondered. And where would I do it? And what would I say? Ugh.
    My mom prodded me out of my daydream. “So, you’ll get the ball rolling with an apology and let me know what happens? I support you all the way, sweetheart.” She leaned over and gave me a kiss and a hug. “Now we’d better get to the store to stock up on those ingredients you need for tomorrow.”
    â€œOh right. Hey, Mom,” I said. “What ever happened with Susan? I mean, did she stop being mean to you?”
    Standing in the doorway now, my mom paused. “As you know from other stories, she was awful, and she had a crowd who hung on everything she said. She picked on me. So one day I just couldn’t take it anymore. I screwed up my courage, and I confronted her and told her that I didn’t appreciate it, but that, really, her behavior had no effect on me whatsoever. I asked why I was so fascinating to her that she was spending so much timewatching and commenting on what I was doing.”
    I gasped. “What happened?”
    â€œWell, I guess Susan found me less interesting after that. We stayed away from each other, but she never singled me out again.”
    â€œHuh,” I said.
    â€œSomething to think about,” Mom said. “But don’t think about it too much, Alexis. You are great the way you are. You have wonderful friends, a family who loves you, and one big, bad Olivia shouldn’t get in the way of any of that. You need to act like a duck.”
    I had to smile. It’s one of my mom’s favorite things to say when Dylan or I get ruffled: Act like a duck and let it roll off your back.
    â€œQuack!” I said, and my mom quacked back, and grinned.

    Of course I didn’t see Olivia at all the next day. I’m not sure if she was even at school. But I marched around bravely, my head held high, ready for