English and Mean Girls

I had English first, which happened to be my favorite subject! I happily skipped into class and said hi to Mrs. Sullivan. As I sat down and glanced at the door, I was disappointed to see the new girl walk in. But hey, I thought, she may be better than she seemed at first glance.

I was wrong. As usual.

Mrs. Sullivan brought the girl to the front of the room, where she said "Class, this is Sara Ursidae. I expect you all to welcome her warmly to Hillford Middle School." Sara looked around the class smiling, but she scowled when she got to me. Seriously, what did I ever do to her? But it got worse.

Every time I raised my hand to answer a question, Sara raised her hand higher and blocked me.

•Note to self: talk to Mrs. S about changing seats.

Finally Sara didn't raise her hand soon enough and Mrs. S called on me.

"Hippopotamonstrosisquippedalaphobia!" I answered triumphantly. But leave it to Sara to ruin my moment.

"Mrs. Sullivan? Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary has not recognized the word hippopotamonstrosisquippedalaphobia, however the longest word they have published is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis which exceeds hippopotamonstrosisquippedalaphobia by 10 letters." she said matter-of-factly.

"Well done both of you!" Mrs. S said. "I'll count on you girls to excel in Spelling class," she beamed. Well, Sara might have some upsides. I raised my eyebrows at her saying Impressive. Possible alliance?

She rolled her eyes at me dismissively. So much for that idea. I just needed to let her be, and she wouldn't attack me, like bees or perhaps a bear. Just let her be.