Harry
November 1st, 2023
Dawsonaction: hey whats up
hpfpringle: hey
nothing u?
dawsonaction: wanted to know how dianas doing
shes not answering me
hpfpringle: shes ok…
Voice: “I think she’s upset about last night. She must’ve been too angry to realize what she was saying. When we told her, she said she was bluffing.”
dawsonaction: ohh no
now what? R they going to make her come bk to school?
hpfpringle: Idk yet
Howells is being really harsh about it tho
dawsonaction: Voice: “Why don’t they just send her to a different school? They could, like, put her in a different district near us. That way, no one there knows about Amy.”
hpfpringle: Bc she said she wanted to b w u and her other freinds
friends*
dawsonaction: ohh
cant she say she changed her mind?
hpfpringle: its really complicated rn
~~~
November 5th, 2023
hpfpringle: happy sunday!
dawsonaction: Haha thx
Any word on diana btw? Shes still not talking
hpfpringle: Nothing yet, shes still in online school
But I talked to her and she says she might go bc Howells wont b leaving until nxt week
And she cant take her anymore
Tbh none of us like her
dawsonaction: nah that witch is just mean
girl dont know how to do her job, getting payed too much
hpfpringle: agree
but idk if diana should go bk to school
im worryed
dawsonaction: well all b their for her
~~~
Tommy
November 8th, 2023
TommyFieldsBaby: tommyyy i didnt see u at school todayyy
what happened?
tomarthurfield: sry I got sick
TommyFieldsBaby: ur sick?
tomarthurfield: Yea a cold
TommyFieldsBaby: why didnt u tell me?
that foster freak gave it to u right
tomarthurfield: uh no? I just got sick
and i was too tired to text
TommyFieldsBaby: ok whatever
so is diana coming bk to school or what? bc i dont want her here
tomarthurfield: idk shirley i cant do anything about it
TommyFieldsBaby: Voice: “You’re gonna have to say something about it. It’s stupid. She’s probably gonna start cutting herself again because no one wants her here. Everything’s been better without her around. My life has changed, like, so much since she came.”
tomarthurfield: shirley it doesnt matter what i say. she desides what she desides
and since when is this about u?
TommyFieldsBaby: why r u so mean to me??
ive been so suportive and conserned about ur mental health and ur treating me like this??
i need to take care of my own mental health too!
tomarthurfield: Im sorry im sorry
Ill let u know what they say ok?
~~~
November 10th, 2023
TommyFieldsBaby: hi tommy bear
tomarthurfield: Hi shirlbear
TommyFieldsBaby: U feeling better?
tomarthurfield: Yea im coming bk on Monday
And… diana is too
she desided to go
TommyFieldsBaby: WHAT
%#@& NO! SHE WILL LITERALLY RUIN MY LIFE!
tomarthurfield: she got tired of ms howels watching her and she wont leave if diana doesnt go to school
shell still come but she wont b watcging her all the time and shell stop after
watching*
diana wants to b w her friends
TommyFieldsBaby: @!#^ $!&@ $%#@&!
tomarthurfield: Shirley pls
TommyFieldsBaby: @$%#!#^ do something!!!!
Voice: “If you love me, then ‘freaking’ do something! I can’t believe you’re just letting her come back after everything that happened! She was gone! She was out of our lives!”
tomarthurfield: Voice: “‘Our lives’? She lives in my house, Shirley. Look, if she’s happier around her friends at school, then that’s what we have to do. We’re doing the best we can, okay?”
TommyFieldsBaby: forget it
i knew u didnt actually love me
all u care about r ur stupid football games and ur $%#&!^ cheerleaders
tomarthurfield: that’s not true and u know that
its hard for everyone ok?
~~~
Harry
November 12th, 2023
dawsonaction: hey diana told me shes coming to school tomorrow
hpfpringle: yea
dawsonaction: bruhh why didnt u tell me in class?? (angry emoji)
Also u ok? havent seen u around
hpfpringle: Sorry lol I forgot dont b mad (sad emoji)
and tom and i got sick but were fine now.
dawsonaction: (laughing emoji) jk were cool. and sorry u got sick
did she really want to come bk? She sounds exited but idk if shes faking
hpfpringle: she said she wanted to b w u guys
and ms howells wont b watching her all the time if she goes
shell stop coming soon
dawsonaction: good. diana will b better without that @%&$^ in her life
hpfpringle: our life*
dawsonaction: yea
well try and b w her as much as we can ok?
hpfpringle: thanks mildred
dawsonaction: yw!
hpfpringle: I actually meant to ask
*This message was deleted*
dawsonaction: what?
hpfpringle: nothing sorry
~~~
Diana
November 13th, 2023
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Ms. Howells was driving me to school now. She wouldn’t be at my school, but the teachers and staff would ‘keep an eye’ on me.
I couldn’t believe it worked. After the last weekend at home with this woman, I was desperate. I was making up the plan as I went on, but once I saw a window, I’d crash right through before anyone could stop me.
Today, I wore a cute sweatshirt and jeans. I’d fixed up my hair, put on nice makeup, and done my best to seem excited and relieved to go back. As confused as Susan and Davis were, they were gullible enough to believe me. Or maybe they just didn’t know what else to do.
“Diana, Ms. Howells is here!” Susan called from downstairs.
I excitedly came down the stairs, careful not to exaggerate. Susan smiled, but still seemed unsure as I approached the front door. “You’re sure about this, sweetheart?”
“Seriously, Susan, I feel like… being stuck here made everything worse. This’ll help,” I insisted.
“Okay.” She kissed my forehead. “Have fun. And if you ever change your mind, let me know.”
I nodded and went outside, where Ms. Howells was waiting. Tommy and Harry had already gone to the bus. I got inside, keeping up my happy façade. “You have everything?” she asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
She started driving. I could feel my heart kick up to 100, dread and desperation filling me, but I would only have to endure it for a little while. I’d escape, one way or another.
Upon seeing the familiar building, panic set in. I gripped my seat belt and took deep breaths. Soon it would be over. It was just a little while. My heart pounded in my ears.
“Are you okay?” Ms. Howells asked me.
“I’m fine. Just… really excited.”
She eyed me suspiciously, but unlocked the doors. I took off my seat belt and placed my shaky feet on the pavement. My hands clutched my backpack straps and my mouth dried. I grabbed the water bottle from the side pocket and gulped down half.
“I’ll be back at 2:00, sharp. Be here on time.”
“Okay. Bye.” I headed towards the school, fighting against the invisible force pushing against me and begging me to stop.
My schedule was adjusted so I could have my friends in my classes, given that I wanted to be near them so much. Which was partly true, though. I did want to spend time with them. Part of me felt guilty for doing this to them, but my desperation won.
My first class was Geometry… of course it was. But Kate was with me. Thelma was now in my AP Literature class and Blanche was in my U.S. History class instead of Chemistry, where Tony and Alma now were. And thankfully, Ivy wasn’t in any of my classes… except P.E. But that was only on Fridays.
There were some subjects I was having a lot of trouble in, so I was also assigned a tutor to work with at lunch three days a week. I was rejoining the clubs I entered before I left, and joining the track team. If I did a whole bunch of extras, it would be more believable that I was happy, and they’d lay off.
I tucked my new schedule in my pocket and entered the Geometry classroom. I kept my gaze down, fully knowing everyone would be gawking at me. The best subject of gossip for the school had returned.
Briefly, I glanced up to see where Kate was. The girl enthusiastically waved and pointed at the desk next to hers. I quickly went over, smiling brightly, and sat down.
“Hey.” She squeezed my hand. “How are you f-feeling?”
“Weird. But I’m glad to see you.” I smiled again, ignoring the stares from everyone else.
“Just so you kn-know, I’m not that great at Geometry, but I’ll help you if you n-need me to. If I can.”
“Thanks, Kate.” I shuddered at the increasing noise around me, but I stood firm.
The curse had returned. The girl that made everyone miserable by her mere presence was back. The girl that didn’t deserve a chance in this world… the girl that didn’t deserve her friends.
I felt even more scummy now that I was really thinking about this. They had the courtesy to be my friends, to try and make me happy. I didn’t deserve that. I was obviously making them suffer along with me, and for what?
I was so selfish. I should’ve told them not to put my friends in my classes. It would’ve spared them some of the ostracization. What was I thinking? I used them. I was such a horrible person.
“How was everyone’s weekend?” Ms. Farwell put her books on her desk. Murmurs came up from the class.
After reciting the pledge, the rest of the class continued worksheets they were working on last week. Ms. Farwell came up to me and Kate, lowering her voice to speak to me. “Welcome back, Diana.” She took a blank worksheet from under her arm and gave it to me. “Here’s today’s worksheet. They sent over some of your other school’s work, so you won’t have too much make-up work. Did you pick up your Booklet?”
“No, I didn’t, I forgot.”
“Make sure to get it before you go home.” She patted my hand.
“Thanks.”
Blocking everyone else seemed to work. As long as I paid attention when my teachers and friends spoke to me, I’d be just fine. Cooking class was the easiest. I focused completely on the food and not on my classmates, no matter how much they stared.
Tony joined us for lunch, which was fun. He even brought a friend of his to meet me, named Josh. Josh was nice, a bit awkward, but polite. Instead of eating in the cafeteria, we went to a stairwell. It allowed us to chat freely and helped me focus on them.
They didn’t deserve a terrible friend like me. They deserved so much better. Everyone deserved better. I wasn’t worth their time and effort.
They’d be free, though. Once I left, there would be a whole weight off their shoulders.
~~~
“What would warm colors do for you? What would come out of that?” My Graphic Design professor paced around the computer lab, scanning for raised hands. “What comes to your mind when you see orange, red, yellow, all of those?” He stopped at a girl, who had her hand raised. “Yes?”
“I’d say, like, a beach or something. Summer vacation vibes,” she said.
“Good. That’s a hot season, you want to get tanned, go to the beach, that’s good.” He pointed at a boy.
“I was thinking like a hot chocolate bar in the winter. To attract people that want to get out of the cold,” he suggested.
“That’s good! Very creative. What else? Who else?”
I had an idea, but I wasn’t sure about raising my hand… then again, participation was positive, wasn’t it? I raised my hand.
“Diana?”
Everyone turned to look at me. I kept my gaze on the professor, breathing calmly. “I thought about a…” I swallowed. “A fast food restaurant. Like Mick’s. With the fries and burgers.”
“Yeah, very good. Fast food. You see warm colors in them all the time; red, yellow, orange. Very good, Diana. Anyone else?”
I turned my gaze to my lap, relieved. “Good job,” I heard someone whisper.
Startled, I jumped slightly, seeing a girl next to me. “Sorry,” she whispered, “didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You’re good.” I smiled at her.
“I’m Allison, by the way.”
“Diana.” I chuckled. “You probably know that, though.”
She nodded. “It’s good to see you’re back.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m in Book Club, actually. Are you gonna join again?” she asked.
“Yeah, I am. I’m joining a lot of things,” I replied. I hated having to join, but the more clubs, the better.
“Nice. You, um… I’m glad you’re doing good.”
“Thank you.” I felt a touch of warmth from her kindness, but also a bit of guilt. All that kindness would go to waste.
If it was true kindness, anyway. Just because she was being nice didn’t mean she actually cared. It just meant she was being polite.
Why did people waste their time on me? It wouldn’t be worth it in the end. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I shouldn’t have had any friends. It would only hurt them.
“You okay?” Allison eyed me with concern.
Realizing I was frowning, I perked up. “I’m great.”
“You sure?”
I nodded. “Everything is fine.”
~~~
11.13.23
Dear Diary, my first day back at school was so fun! I made a couple new friends, and hung out with my old friends. It felt amazing being with them again. I feel so much happier now!
I’m so glad I decided to go back to school. I feel so hopeful. Everything will be just fine. I’ve never felt so hopeful in my life, honestly.
Ms. Howells asks me about my day every day. I’m so glad she cares. She really is a good person. I was just really ungrateful at first, I guess also depressed because I was locked in the house. But now that I’m in school, I’m able to appreciate her so much more. And Mr. Brian has been checking up on me. He still can’t come over because of the new cases he has, but he texts me often. Ms. Bredlong and Ms. Juno have been coming over. Ms. Juno’s super nice. I like her. Ms. Bredlong is still a I’m spending more time with the family, too. Susan and Davis are so kind. I saw Tommy and Harry at school, and they helped me a lot. I’m seeing Dr. Cawman on Friday.
There are so many people that care about me. How can they How could I not see that? Ms. Bredlong was right. I was making myself miserable and trying to drag others down with me. She told me that all those years ago, and I’ll always remember.
~~~
11.14.23
Dear Diary, I had Chemistry class today. Alma’s an amazing friend, but I wish I had that class just with Tony. He’s so sweet and caring. I got really nervous while pouring a formula, so nervous that my hands were shaking! But he took my hands and guided me through. He’s so amazing…
I’m not ready for a boyfriend yet, but I love dreaming about him. I’m so happy to have him in my life. He really is a great friend. He makes me happy. Almost makes me kind of guilty, knowing he cares so much. After
I also went back to the Book Club, which was nice. Thelma and Alma were there, and my new friend, Allison!
~~~
11.15.23
Dear Diary, ASL class was fun today. A few of the other students pulled a little prank, but it was funny. The teachers were overreacting, really. It was very funny! They tricked me into saying something… well, NSFW. But, hey, that’s how you learn, right? I laughed and everything. The teachers worry way too much!
~~~
11.17.23
Dear Diary, P.E. wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Ivy was actually not that mean. She didn’t talk to me or anything, but she wasn’t mean to me like before. The ones who are still mean to me are her friends, but I don’t care about them. P.E. was actually fun! I beat everyone in a race. I’m surprised I can still run so fast; I haven’t run in a long while. I started jogging only just this week to train for the track team. Tryouts for the team are in three days! I have to work extra hard over the weekend if I want to get in! I can’t wait!
The session with Dr. Cawman went well. She was a bit sus at first about me being so happy, but it really is a huge transformation! I feel like a whole new person with other people I love!
Also, I’m going out with my friends on Saturday, and Tony might bring his sister. I never realized how much I like kids. I guess after all I’ve been through, I have a soft spot. It’s weird. You’d think I’d hate them, especially when they’d torture me in the past. Maybe I’m just weird like that. I’ll never understand But kids are honestly precious, especially little Addie. I can’t wait to see her! She’s an absolute angel!
~~~
11.18.23
Dear Diary, I just got back. It was so much fun! Addie really is such a sweet little girl. And Tony’s just… so dreamy. We had ice cream, watched a movie, and then Thelma and Mildred came back to my house to hang out. It was really fun! What would I do without them? I also went jogging and trained for the tryouts on Monday. Really excited for that!
Dr. Cawman was right. If I looked at everything in a positive way, it makes everything so much better.
~~~
I wrapped my new bandage around my leg tightly. Why didn’t I think of this before? It was so much easier to hide. Now that it was colder, I didn’t really have a reason to wear shorts or skirts. My next doctor’s appointment was soon, but I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.
I could describe my current life in one word: miserable. I could feel everyone getting tired of me. The Fields, my friends, everyone at school. They all wanted me to die, and I knew it.
The girls were probably sick of seeing me. They were sweethearts, but I knew they only treated me this way out of pity. I was a charity case to them. I could hear it through the whispers in the halls. The ‘ghost girl’ would soon become a real ghost.
Everyone hated me, and I didn’t blame them. I hated me, too. I was such a curse. I was a walking disease.
I came out of my hiding spot in the corner of my room. It was a small blind spot, just behind the security camera. As far as everyone was concerned, I was as happy as can be. My life was so improved, and I was going to be just fine. Soon enough, the camera would disappear.
Someone knocked on my door. I flinched, hiding the first aid kit, and scrambled to my desk to finish my homework. “Come in!” I said.
Harry entered with Tommy. “Hey. Whatcha doing?”
“Just homework.” I smiled.
“Are you almost done?”
“Yeah, why?”
“We were gonna play some PS5… you want to join?”
I scoffed jokingly. “You’re letting a girl play with you?”
“Ha-ha,” said Tommy. “We’re playing Omega Battlefield. You know that game?”
“Uh… yeah. I used to play that at the Thomas’s. It’s been a while, though.” I moved on to the last operation on my Geometry sheet.
“It should come back to you.”
“I’ll go as soon as I figure out what the heck this means.” I tapped my pencil on my desk.
“What?” Harry approached, leaning on my desk to see. After a few moments, he pointed at a number. “This is a positive, not a negative,” he said.
“Oh. Thanks.” I erased the minus and replaced it with a plus.
“And this means you have to reverse it. So what’s on the top goes on the bottom, and vice versa.”
I glanced at him, following his tip. I soon found the answer.
“There you go.”
“I didn’t know you were good at math.” I turned off my lamp and stood.
“I’m okay.”
Tommy shook his head. “He’s the only one good at math… besides Amy.”
“Amy was a lot better than me.”
“She was an artist, right?” I asked as we went to the stairs.
“She wanted to be an architect. She even made a scale model of her dream house.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she’d spend hours in the basement building it,” said Tommy. “A girl at school destroyed it.”
“Destroyed it? Why?” We reached the landing.
“She was just mean.” He smiled nostalgically. “Then the guys and I finished the house for her. Took us forever.”
“That’s so sweet,” I said. “Did she like it?”
A pause. “She… didn’t get to see it,” said Harry.
I just had to stick my nose in their business, didn’t I? “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“You’re good.”
We entered the den, where the two older boys waited. “She’s here,” Tommy announced.
“Hey, Diana.” Kyle crunched a chip between his teeth. “Who do you want to play as?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “You guys can pick first.”
“Since we’re five people, you’ll have to take turns with one of us.”
“That’s okay. Actually, you guys play first. It’s been a while, so I need a refresher.”
“Sure. Who’s playing Stormlord?” Kyle asked.
“Me. I won.” Tommy smiled.
“I’ll be Rocketeer,” Harry said. The other boys looked at him. “What?”
“You can’t play Rocketeer,” Jack pointed out.
“I’m just rusty.”
Jack ignored him and chose Rocketeer. Harry glared at him, taking a different character. The screen split into four points of view.
“Tommy, what are you doing?” Jack said, struggling to control Rocketeer’s flight pattern.
“Stormlord… PLUNGE!” Tommy recklessly jumped into a group of enemies and destroyed them with a ground explosion. Harry’s character also died.
“Way to go, Tom!” He punched him in the arm.
“You were in the way!”
One by one, the boys’ characters died. Kyle was the last one standing, playing Armadill. Suddenly, the death screen flashed, a voice announcing, “GAME OVER.”
“WHAT THE-” Kyle gawked at the TV. “What happened?!”
“You died,” Tommy said flatly.
“Someone cheated!”
“No one cheated, Ky,” said Harry.
Tommy rolled his eyes. “Forget it. It’s everyone else’s fault but his.”
I chuckled. “I can try now.”
“Take Harry’s controller.”
“Why me?”
“Because you can’t play,” Jack laughed.
I picked my character, Vella. She was always my favorite as a kid. The game started and I kept my eyes glued on the bottom right-hand corner.
It was a bit shaky at first. Relearning the controls was pretty hard. But as I went on, I got the hang of her lasso and spinning spear.
“Nice one, Diana,” said Tommy.
“I’m mostly just pushing buttons,” I said.
“You’re doing good. Ooh, look out.” Kyle shot an enemy before I could get killed.
Our team finished third place at the end of the round. Kyle reached over and high-fived me. Harry snatched the controller away from me and sat back down on the sofa. “Forget it. I’m choosing Calamar,” he said, changing his character. His bottom lip pouted out childishly.
“Aww, poor Harry.” I teased.
“Shut up.”
I sat on the sofa arm, waiting for the next turn. “Thanks for letting me play,” I said.
“No problem.” They all shot me smiles. They looked real… but they couldn’t be.
Jack said it himself; I only made their lives worse. They would be better off without me.