Reel Life Starring Us Read Online Free PDF Page A

it. But day two you’re expected to know what’s going on. You don’t have the excuse anymore. You can’t just say, “Oh, it’s my first day,” because it’s not. And it’s lame to go around saying, “Oh, it’s my second day.” By the second day, no one cares. You still feel new, and you still
are
new, but no one wants to help you find your way.
    Right now I’m in homeroom. I’m in the same exact seat I sat in yesterday. All the rest of the kids are in different seats. Some of them aren’t even sitting down, or they’re sitting on the tops of the desks chatting with one another. And I’m just sitting quietly staring at my planner because I don’t reallyknow anyone well enough to chat with. And I don’t want to do that whole introducing myself thing because, again, it’s the second day, not the first.
    Besides, I tried to be chatty in homeroom yesterday. It didn’t get me anywhere.
    Mrs. Welsh comes in. She takes our attendance and then goes on for ten minutes about the fiftieth anniversary and how we need to take our projects seriously.
    I am taking it seriously. Even though I only learned about it yesterday.
    â€œWhat are you doing for the project?” I ask the girl sitting next to me. It’s the only thing I can think to say. She’s wearing all black and trying to hide the fact that she’s playing Tetris on her cell phone.
    â€œI said I’d help with cleanup.”
    â€œYou’re allowed to do that?”
    â€œNo. But I’m already the poorest kid in the school so I might as well be treated like everyone else’s housekeeper.”
    I gasp. Now I really can’t think of anything to say.
    She smiles. “I’m kidding. I just wanted to see how you’d react.”
    â€œOh.” I force a smile.
    â€œI’m on Brainbusters.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œThe trivia team.” She sits back in her chair and puts one foot up on the side of the desk. “I’m Lee, by the way.”
    â€œDina.” I feel like we should shake hands or something. Who is Lee friends with? Definitely not Chelsea Stern and those girls. And I don’t think she and I have much in common, either.
    â€œI know. I saw you yesterday.” The bell rings finally and Lee grabs her backpack with patches halfheartedly sewn on. “Good luck working with Chelsea Stern, by the way. I feel for you.” She looks down at my bag. “Oh, um, sorry about that.”
    It happened again. I was chipped. If it keeps happening, I’m just going to start eating the crumbs. They’re too delicious to waste.
    Lee walks on ahead of me. I try to figure out exactly what she means about Chelsea. I’m not sure if I really even want to know.
    Soon it’s social studies again, which means video time.
    I get to Mr. Valakis’s classroom and take a seat in the middle and wait for class to start. So far there’s no sight of Chelsea.
    â€œIf you’re here early, you can get started,” Mr. Valakis says. He has a much more laid-back tone today, and he’s sitting on the desk. He’s wearing those ultrathick wool socks people wear for hiking in the middle of the winter, even though it’s really not that cold.
    So everyone gets started working, and I just sit herewriting down different ideas for the video: a photo montage with voice-over, a skit about Rockwood Hills Middle School, maybe something totally different altogether like a video about the ways kids around here are giving back to their community? There are so many possibilities.
    â€œDina?” Mr. Valakis asks.
    I look up.
    â€œAre you getting started? Not to put pressure on you, but you and Chelsea are already behind, you know. The event is in a little less than two months.”
    â€œYeah, I’m writing down all the ideas I have.” I smile, but for some reason he doesn’t respond. “I have my camera and