What Vanessa Does Next

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Vanessa is indeed in a very bad mood. The truth is, she doesn’t have many friends, even though she tries to be nice and friendly to everyone. Until Mariah came along, she always felt like an alien—which is how she feels about now. 

When her mom gets home and starts yelling at her to start her homework, Vanessa sticks her head under the pillow and kicks her feet, furious. Why won’t Mariah pick up?

Without her best friend, all the annoying things in life feel like they’re raining down on her head. Her mom yelling all the time, her dad getting drunk and acting stupid, being the last girl in the whole 8th grade to find a boyfriend, her grades—OMG, her grades. 

Vanessa gets an idea suddenly that seems like the perfect thing to do. Drying her eyes, she walks quickly into the garage and digs deep behind the stacks of Coke and paper plates. Aha—beer! Even if it is warm.

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