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.

Cause/Effect

Author’s Note- I wrote this piece to show my understanding of Cause and Effect. While reading this piece, look for content.

Hollis is a young foster girl that just wants one thing: a family. When her foster care place gives her to the Regan’s, everything changes. The Regan’s were a family of 3: The old man, Izzy, and Steven. Before you know it, Hollis and Steven were the best of friends. Doing everything together, including taking wild adventurous journeys. Hollis always heard Steven and the Old Man talking about the mountain and how the view from the top was indescribable. Drawing was her passion, so she desperately wanted to make her way to the top of the mountain and sketch the beautiful sight. Although, she wanted to go, she knew it was a dangerous adventure. Her heart over ruled her mind in this one; she decided to go.

When Steven, Izzy and the Old Man all left, she packed a bag and made her way up the mountain. It took all her strength to make it to the top, but she did it. Hollis got to the top and was speechless; the view was unbearable. She just couldn’t imagine how majestic it was; she started drawing right away. The sun was setting by the time she was finished drawing. She just wanted to get one last look at the view and she stepped out when she lost her footing and slipped over the side of the mountain. With all her strength she held on to the side and managed to pull herself up. When she slipped over the side, she twisted her ankle and had a limp now. She was nervous about her trip back down and didn’t think she could make it before the rest of the family got home.

 She knew she’d have to start walking if she wanted to even have a chance, so she began her journey. When she was about half way down, her ankle was throbbing and she could barely walk. She fell to her knees and questioned her next move. That’s when she heard the sound of engines coming towards her. She shakily got to her legs and looked ahead. There was a faint light in the distance and she knew, Steven had come for her. Steven whipped the car around and Hollis jumped in. They started going down the hill and next thing you know, they were going 50 mph; next, 60, then 70. Steven tried to stop, but the brakes didn’t work. Panicking; Steven quickly spun the truck around, hoping it would come to a halt.  Instead, it continued to spin and flipped over, rolling down the hill. Hollis and Steven, both trapped inside, frantically thinking of ways to escape. That’s when, it went black. The next thing Hollis remembers is waking up in a hospital with doctors and nurses surrounding her. “Hollis, due to your severe accident, you’ve seemed to have broken your leg.” Hollis could hear the Old Man and Izzy yelling at Steven in the hallway; saying it was his fault. She desperately wished she could say something, but it was too late, they’d already blamed Steven.

Hollis is similar to David Pelzer, in A Child Called “It”. They’re both looking for two simple things, a family and to be loved by that family. Both of them are truly good kids and they don’t ask for much. Sure, they come from different backgrounds and have different scenarios. They have different lives, but they have the same personality and just want to be loved. In the end of both books, they both end up escaping the harsh life of being alone and find people who truly love them. I liked both books, but I personally think that A Child Called “It” was more engaging. So if you like sadder books that warm your heart in the end, either of these are great books!

Conflict/Resolution

Author's Note- This piece is about the conflict/resolution in the story "Big Boy". I wrote this to demonstrate my understanding of conflict/resolution.

David Sedaris, a young boy comes across a big and rather gross problem at a family get-together. It was his family and another family having dinner together. They were eating dinner when David felt the urge to go to the bathroom. He excused himself from the table and headed towards the bathroom. As he got ready to go to the bathroom, he discovered that someone had left him a surprise in the toilet. He tried so hard to think of ways he could get rid of it, because he couldn’t leave it there and have someone else think it was his. Heaven forbid that would happen, so he thought and he thought. Throw it out the window, no. Pick it up, no. Then, someone from the dinner table had gotten up to check on him. They knocked on the door, David panicked, and right then and there was when he found the plunger. He shoved it right in the toilet and started plunging away! Then, here was the real test; would it flush? He pushed the lever down and the water started to spin. Not up this time, the water was going down. The big surprise had broke free and down the toilet it went.

In this story, “Big Boy,” shows an example of a person vs. person conflict. In other words, it was David vs. the gruesome surprise in the toilet.  Also, it was person vs. self, because he could of have left it there and none of this franticness would have occurred. Lastly, there is another person vs. person, and that would be him vs. the person knocking on the door. To be honest, I didn’t really learn any life lessons from this story. I guess I just learned to look for a plunger if this situation ever happens to me. I get that he didn’t want anyone to think it was his, but I think he overreacted just a bit. 

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Author's Note- This is a retelling of the book A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer. I wrote this to demonstrate my understanding of the reading skill retelling.

Growing up, "It" was never treated with love or care. The ways his mother abused him are unfathomable; you couldn't even begin to imagine how rough his life really was.Throughout this story, you will see how this poor boy has to fight for his life and what terrible obstacles he has to face.

I think this would be a good book for people who like non-fiction books that are full of emotion.

Author's Note- Some people get their feelings out by talking to someone or eating, but for me, it's shoes.

Ever since I was younger I’ve had a thing for shoes. I always walked around in my mom’s high heels and acted like a model. I’ve grown up to love and adore shoes. Shopping is a way for me to express my feelings; it brings happiness to me. Some people think that shopping is a waste of money, but it’s almost addictive. You see something you like and intend to have it. Looking my best has always been a must for me, especially when it comes to school. I wear outfits that correspond with the shoes and never hesitate to buy a new pair. Wearing stilettos might be an issue for me considering how tall I am, but people will just have to deal with looking up at me. Whether it’s stilettos or flats, I fall in love with every pair I see. The vibrant bright colors and the bold prints overwhelm me. Some people just see them as any ordinary pair of shoes, while I see them as an beautiful work of art.

One Direction

 Author's Note- I wrote about my favorite artist is One Direction and by reading this you will figure out why.

It all started with a singing competition show, The X-Factor. They began as small town dreamers, but they turned into stars. Their first single sold faster than the Beetle’s, and their concert tickets get sold out in a matter of minutes. This is no ordinary band, this is One Direction. This band is made up of 5 boys, Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis, and Niall. They all have their own personalities and star qualities. When they combine their talents together, they make music like no one’s ever heard before. Teenage girls fall head over heels when they hear One Direction on the radio. Every one of their songs has a situation that you could relate to. Whether it’s falling in love or trying to get over someone, they have a song for it. Most bands have at least one bad song, but I don’t think One Direction does, that’s why they’re my favorite band. Also how cute are British accents? I would rate this band 10 out of 10 because they sing like angels sliding down a rainbow and they are gorgeous, what’s not to like about them? They have a song for everyone’s liking, so people shouldn’t judge before they hear them.