Dear Hollis

Dear Hollis,

I feel like I’ve been with you since the beginning. You were a troubled child at first who just wanted one thing: a family. The child care agency put you in many different homes but you ran away. You weren’t fond of the old families only because you couldn’t relate to them. Not because they were mean or abused you or anything like that. You’re just a very artsy person and you love to draw, some people just don’t get that. You ran away from so many different families that you lost count, and you didn’t like one of them. Then, you met the Regan’s. They were different from any other family you’d ever been with before. Steven grew to be your best friend, and Izzy and the Old Man weren’t far behind. You loved this family more than you’d ever loved one of your chosen families before. This time was different; you  didn’t want to run away.

You started behaving and you just enjoyed life as much as possible. You spent every day with Steven; laughing, playing, loving life. The Old Man gave you a drawing notebook and colored pencils so you could express yourself by drawing. He knew how much you loved drawing and the whole family wanted to see some of your beautiful drawings. Steven and the Old man always told you about how beautiful the view was from at the top of the mountain. So, of  course, you wanted to draw it. The Old Man also said how dangerous the journey was getting up the mountain though. You desperately wanted to draw the view, so you decided you’d go up the mountain by yourself when no one was home. Well, that didn’t go so well and you ended up crashing down a hill in a truck with Steven. You’ve messed up a few times, but in the end, you turned out to be a great kid that the Regan’s loved to have in their family.

Sincerely,
        Bella Mouradian

Stolen

Author’s Note- I wrote this piece to show my understanding of prediction. While reading this piece, look for word choice.

I’m stuck, all alone with Ty, a guy I don’t even know. The last thing I remember is having coffee with someone I didn’t even know, at an airport. From then on, It’s been mostly a blur. Without me knowing, he took me to the vast desert, where all I can see for miles is red, hot sand. I can tell that he’s trying to make this place like home for me, but it never will be. Every day feels the same;  uncomfortable and I only wish for one thing, to go home. I’ve tried many times but I continue to fail. I’ll try to run, but he grabs me and holds me tight. He has the grip of a cobra: tight and strong. With his arms around me, I feel like there’s no chance of escape.

I kept following the pipe, praying it wouldn’t lead to a smaller space. I looked up but couldn’t see much, only grey shadows from the boulders above me. I squeezed past the rocks, scraping my arms, trying to keep sight of the pipe. Deep down inside of me, I knew this pipe led to somewhere safe. I could start to see sunlight peek out from the end of the trail. My heart started to race as I got my hopes up. I slowly made my way through the two rocks to see the other side. I opened my eyes wide when standing there was a figure I’d seen before. I went speechless and collapsed to the ground. Standing before me, was Ty.

My vision was blurry, but I could remember hearing voices. Different voices, more voices. I listened harder and heard someone talking about New York City. Finally, I was saved; no more being cooped up in a house, no more worrying about my life, and most of all, no more Ty. Wait, now that I think of it, where is Ty? I sat up, franticly looking around the taxi I was unknowingly placed in. He wasn’t in sight. I quickly bust open the door and stumbled out. I spun in circles, looking in all directions. Eyes wide, breathing heavy; that’s when I realized, Ty was gone.

I couldn’t describe my feeling. I was happy I was free of his presence, but I almost missed him. I wasn’t sure why though. He didn’t treat me right. A real man would’ve let me go when I wanted, not squeeze me in their arms until I burst to tears. It’s just that he knew me so well; how did he know me so well? I barely knew him. My head was aching of all these thoughts; I needed to focus on finding my parents. Looking around trying to find any sort of communication, I spotted a phone booth. Bumping into busy New Yorkers, I ran as fast as I could to it. I picked up the phone and quickly dialed.  I heard a ring, then another. I patiently waited to hear my mother’s voice.

“Hello?”

“Mum, is that you?”

“Gemma! I’ve been worried sick about you! Where have you been?”

“I’ll explain everything later. I just need to come home, now!”

“Of course, of course! Oh, and make sure you hurry. One of your old friends stopped by. He said his name was Ty. I don’t know him but it sounds like you two are really close.”

At that moment, my heart sank to my feet. Ty’s waiting for me at my house. The phone slipped from my hand and sprung downward. I could hear my mother’s faint voice, “Gemma, are you there? Gemma?” Right then and there I knew, there was no escaping Ty. He had worked his way into my life and he wasn’t about to leave.

The Perfect Guy

Author’s Note- This piece is to explain what my ideal guy consists of. While reading this piece, pay attention to voice.

Not everyone has the same expectations while looking for that perfect someone. Some girls want a bad boy that breaks the rules, while some girls want a cute church boy. There is no such thing as the right type; everyone likes different things. I have certain standards that will make or break my relationship. So, pay attention and you just might be my future boyfriend.

In order to become my boyfriend, you have to be somewhat attractive. And by attractive, I don’t mean you need to be an Abercrombie model, although that’d be nice! I prefer abs and muscles, but if they are fit and play sports, I’m satisfied. They need to have good style and not just wear basketball shorts a t-shirt every day. I mean come on; girls have to dress up all the time! I like Hollister clothes, skinny jeans and vans or polo shoes. Also if they can work snapbacks, that’d be greatly appreciated. In other words, they need to have swag. I’m going to say this right off the bat… I don’t date short guys. I have that rule only because I’m 5”8 and that would look really awkward if I was with a guy that was per say, 5”2. Of course I want a guy with good looks, but that’s not the only thing I look for.

A player: exactly what I don’t want. I want a guy who is sweet and loving with me. I love when guys are somewhat protective with me too. When I say protective I don’t mean doesn’t let me talk to other guys at all and gets mad when I hang out with my friends a lot. That would be called over protective. I mean, gets jealous when another guy calls me pretty or when another guy tries to touch me and you automatically get defensive. Another thing that really wins me over is when guys want to show me off to their friends. I hate when I’m with them and their all “cutsie” with me, then one of their guy friends shows up and they act like they don’t even know me. Honestly, that gets me fired up! There’s one thing that could be a deal breaker for me, and that’s cuddling. I’m kind of obsessed with it. I just think it’s so cute and if a guy likes it too, I just want to marry him right then and there. I’m a sucker for long hugs and kisses too! I just wish every guy had all of these qualities and was perfect, but good relationships are all about compromise.

I’ve had some issues with over protective boyfriends in the past. Of course, I’m not naming names, but this guy was a real tool. He only thought about himself and never spared my feelings for a second. His best friend was my ex boyfriend. Yeah, I get that that can be kind of awkward, but he took this too far. He would get mad when I “stood to close to him.” Now that seems a little unreasonable. I’ve also been played before. The guy told me he liked me and only acted sweet to me sometimes. He always wanted me to break the rules and hang out with him. Later I found out he didn’t even like me, he just used me. Thank god I found out before we got too far into the relationship. I would’ve really be broken if I would’ve found out later. I’ve learned to not chase after boys and wait for them to come after you. Then, it means they really love and want to be with you. If you go after them, they give you least love and attention possible, most of the time. Not all relationships end up like this, these are just what has happened to me that I don’t want to happen again.

I’ve fallen in love a couple times already and they have been the best experiences. Both times I wound up heartbroken and sobbing to my friends. This time, it’ll be different though. I just need the perfect guy to treat me right and love me with all his heart. I know I ask for a lot, but I just want a boyfriend I really love. I want to love every piece of him and I just want him to be perfect. It’s a bit of an exaggeration to have all these qualities, but if you consist of most of them, then you might be my next boyfriend.

The Break Up

Author’s Note- In this piece, look for voice and word choice.  I’m writing this from my point of view and it’s about a break up.

I clenched the car door handle, waiting for the car to come to a halt. “Wait, where’s my kiss?,” Carter questioned. I sat there and quietly sighed to myself. “Oh sorry, there’s a lot on my mind.” “Well, I guess I’ll walk you to the door now…,” he said reluctantly. We both opened our doors unsure of ourselves and made our way to the front of the house. The tension in air was heavy like a wet wool blanket. He stared at me with a blank look across his face as I tried not to make eye contact. He reached out expecting a hug, but instead watched me recoil with apprehension. I turned, heading towards the door when he stopped me in my tracks. “Bella, what’s wrong? Like, why are you acting so weird?,” he asked looking confused. “Nothing,” I muttered. Standing there in silence, I rushed for the door handle. I whipped it open and hurried up the stairs, leaving the door swaying behind me. Waiting outside, right before that door, was a soon to be single man.

I sit there, in my room, trying to collect my thoughts. Questioning myself whether this is the right move or not. All these thoughts racing through my head; it was like my conscious was speaking to me. “Bella, he’s not right for you. Just look at how he treats you. Now think, do you really want to be with this guy for the rest of your life? Why lead him on? Just break up with him while you have the chance. The perfect guy could be waiting right around the corner.”  I thought about it for a while and realized, that little voice in the back of my head was right. I do deserve better and I’m not going to stand for this any longer.

Ring, ring, ring. “Hello.” “Hey, do you want meet me at Starbuck’s to have a coffee or something?” “Sure, I’m just getting back from football practice so I’ll meet you there in about 20 minutes.” “Alright, see ya there.” “Yup, bye.” Shutting my phone I realized, this is it; no turning back now.

Sitting in the booth, I braced myself for what was about to come. He walked through the door and a chill went down my spine. “Hey, so should we go get some coffee?,” he said anxiously. “Um, actually I called you down here for something else. Here, sit down.” “There’s no easy way to say this… but I don’t think this is working out. Maybe we should break up.” He sat there speechless; wishing this was just a bad dream. We both sat in an awkward silence, when suddenly his phone rang. He answered with a shaky hello. He could feel me listening to his every word. I strained my ears struggling to hear the voice on the other line. I could make out some of the words; but I could hear that it was the voice of a girl. He hung up and I quickly  asked, “who was that?,” suspiciously. Scrambling to answer, he blurted out, “my sister!” We both paused for a moment. Then I realized… he doesn’t have a sister. When I first made my decision to break up with him, I was a little shaky; now, I’m 101% positive this is right. I stood up with revenge raging inside of me. “Have a good life Carter,” I told him. As I said that last word, I grasped my cup of coffee and dumped it on his head. The creamy coffee burned his neck as it dripped down. He sat there in embarrassment as I walked out of the coffee shop and I never spoke to him again.

In the end, I realized it was the right decision. That cheater doesn’t deserve my heart; he doesn’t deserve anything. After I thought about it for a while, I realized I don’t want to spend my time with someone that doesn’t make me happy now I’m with a new guy and his name is Justin. When I’m with him, I feel nothing but happiness and I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else. I tip to anyone going through this same situation; always listen to your heart, it’s your best advice giver. 

Why Did So Many Colonists Die?

Author’s Note- This piece is about Jamestown and why so many colonists died. While reading this piece, look for good organization, mainly in my body paragraphs.

America; it seemed like such a perfect place. The colonists decided to travel all the way from England on December 20^th of 1606. They arrived in May of 1607 with 105 colonists. Many colonists died on the trip over from disease, but the ones who survived had a long troublesome journey ahead of them. They face many big issues; such as, a drought, headstrong Native American’s, and the wrong group of people. All of these things have to do with why this seemed so hard. If they would just start actually working, the outcome might have been different.

                                                                                                                                                 

The new English settlers and the Native American’s that already lived in America had some differences. To be honest, I think they worked out their differences very childish. Instead of compromising or talking it out, they went to the absolute extremes and started fighting and using violence as a problem solver. The English cut off some of the Native American’s heads and other extremities. On the other hand, the Native American’s attacked the English and killed many of them. They both weren’t nice to each other

The Colonists had a lot of problems, but water was one of the biggest. They had many water sources, but it wasn’t clean. Such as, the river water was dirty most of the time because the tides from Chesapeake Bay  backed up the James River water. It stayed there and festered, rather than flushing away and brining in new, clean water. Also, the drinking water was brackish, therefore they couldn’t drink or cook with it. It was salty, like ocean water; drink too much of it and you hallucinate and start going crazy.  In 1607, they had a long period of time where it didn’t rain. This drought prevented them from growing crops to trade with the Native American’s and for having food for themselves.

The trip coming to America was a big deal, so automatically, you think the Colonists were super prepared; that wasn’t the case though. They didn’t bring over the best group of people to start a new life. On the first ship over, there were 47 gentleman, 12 laborers, 4 carpenters, 6 governors and more useless occupations. Some of these, such as the carpenters, could be useful with building. Most of these can’t do much though. The 47 gentleman are used to getting served and having people work for them. The Colonists poor decision on who to bring over on the first ship made a huge impact on the amount of people that died. Most of these people weren’t used to working hard and weren’t prepared for this, so they died from getting diseases and not having fighting abilities.

The whole process of getting everyone over to America, and then later traveling back to Europe, was a lot of work. The ones who survived, are the ones who actually worked and made the smart decision to fend for themselves. On the other hand, there were a lot of “gentleman” who were too lazy work, therefore, they ended up dying. They didn’t stay healthy, so they got diseases; or, they refused to plant crops, so they had nothing to eat. The Native American’s were very headstrong and weren’t afraid to attack the Colonists if needed. The ones who didn’t act fairly with the Native American’s were killed in the attack. This shows that if you want to start a new life, it is a lot of work and you have to be up for the challenge.