A short story about life
by Libby Goodwin, 11, Britain

It's something I really don't understand. All I wanted was to show my friends my new phone and I ended up with about 20 enemies. It all started, I'd say 1 year ago - maybe a year and a half I'm not quite sure, but I had just got a really posh new phone. It had the internet and everything, and it cost about £200 - the reason I got it was because I did a paper round and had saved up for about a year. It was really annoying because I couldn't spend any of my pocket money for months and months. When I got it I was really pleased and my mum said that because I'd bought the phone on my own without her help she would give me £50 to put on it. The next day I showed my friends my phone and I didn't get the response that I had hoped for. Lisa said my mum and dad had probably bought it and that I was just being a show-off. Jessica said I was completely mad to bring it to school because by the time I got home I wouldn't have it anymore. I didn't mind about them two because I knew they didn't mean it, but then Melissa came up to me and slapped me - she was meant to be my best friend and we shared... ...everything. She told me that when we first met we had promised to share everything - except lads! And apparently I wasn't allowed my own phone. She grabbed it out of my hand, threw it onto the ground and trod on it. Then she pushed me over. After linking arms, they all walked off. I didn't believe her - I stood up and immediately fell over again. My leg really hurt, I had bent it back when I fell over and the fact that I was wearing a skirt didn't help. I started to cry, the pain was really getting to me. Bobby - the school geek - came over to me and asked me what was wrong. I quickly tried to pull my skirt down further so he didn't see my knickers and then I told him to just go and get a teacher because I thought I'd broken my leg. Just before he stood up, Jessica, Lisa and Melissa came round the corner. They looked straight at me and began to laugh. And then Bobby did one thing I really didn't want him to do. He walked over to my ex-friends and tried to stick up for me. It was terrible. They started to laugh even harder and began to sing, 'Bobby and Becka, sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Bobby pushing a baby's carriage.'

"Ohhhh. Becka enjoying your smooching session with Bobby the Brat are we?!?" The three of them ran away laughing because by that time Miss had already noticed I was sitting down crying my eyes out. She came over and asked me what was wrong - I told her exactly what had happened. Well not exactly. I didn't say it was Melissa who pushed me, I said it was Bobby. I felt really bad. I know I should have told the truth but I thought that Melissa might be my friend again if I didn't say it was her. Bobby was sitting there being the best friend I ever had. And I go and blame what Melissa did on him. I felt really, really bad. And it just kept getting worse and worse. As soon as Miss had gone to call an ambulance Melissa came over and slapped me AGAIN - this time for not telling the truth and ruining Bobby's life. I don't see why she should care about Bobby everyone, INCLUDING her, hates Bobby, and she had just called him, too his face might I add, 'Bobby the Brat'. So that's it the next day I was in hospital feeling really sick after having to go to theatre the night before - I didn't feel anything because I was asleep but I could barely even talk when I got up. They must have put a tube down my throat or something. I got a cool telly, radio, phone thingy and my mum got me a card so I got 250 credits on my phone - not my mobile, Melissa had smashed that. I asked mum to tell Miss Walnut that I needed to tell her something and she said 'If that's what you want dear' - in that peculiar, 'What a stupid thing to want but I'll do it for you because your ill', type of voice! The day after that I rung Melissa up to tell her that she had broken my leg and lost one of the best friend's she was ever likely to have, then I put the phone down before she had a chance to reply. I was happy for the first time for two days and soon I was going to be able to tell Miss Walnut the truth and hopefully ruin Melissa's life forever - or try to anyway. You might of thought that everything would be hunky dory by now but there was still the tiny matter of my broken leg, and that was about to get worse. The consultant who had seen me two nights before came in to talk to me, he hadn't told my mum yet so I was shocked when he told me this, but, apparently I hadn't only broken my leg but I had broken my foot and three of my toes as well. I was so surprised I nearly fell out of bed and broke my other leg. I rung my mum straight away and she said that her and dad would be over as soon as they could to talk to the doctor. Just as I put the phone down, Miss Walnut came in and said, 'Hello, Rebecca, did you want to tell me something?' And I told her the truth - every bit of it this time. I said that Bobby was helping me not hurting me and that Melissa had pushed me. She said, although she was abit confused, that she would sort it out and asked me if I wanted her to ask anyone from school to come and visit me, I asked her if she could ask Bobby but, in private, not in front of everyone, it would just make my situation with Melissa even worse. But then I suppose, who cares about Melissa, I know for sure that I don't.

I woke up the next day and to my surprise, sitting at the end of the bed was, Melissa. I was so surprised I suddenly sat up but then sat straight back down again - I wasn't supposed to move my leg,
'What do you want?' I muttered.
 "I wanted to say I'm sorry. You probably won't want to be my friend anymore. But I've left you a present at the end of your bed." Before I could reply she was up and gone. I looked down to the end of my bed, there was a card and a present wrapped in gold paper. I reached for the card. Inside it read, 'I hope you appreciate this as much as I appreciate your privacy. I shouldn't have gotten so angry when you got your phone. I hope you can forgive me.' I put the card up with the rest of them then grabbed the neatly wrapped gift. I opened it and a note fell out. It said, 'remember I was saving up and I got to £300 well I've only got £100 now.' In the package was - A BRAND NEW MOBILE PHONE! It was the same as the one I had bought my self. I couldn't believe it. The girl who a few days earlier was calling me a bitch had decided that she liked me! Or maybe she wanted me to give her sympathy, make out that it was her who got the worst in this twisted ordeal - well if that's the cause then there is no chance. For what it's worth - why do I say that? For what it's worth, you should never get too close to people. But then, oh, I haven't told you about when Bobby came round have I! Well he came round and thanked me for telling the truth. He also didn't look like he looked at school? He looked - well, drop dead gorgeous! Oh my god! Bobby the weird, geeky, rat boy was gorgeous. So now!!! So here I am 12 years old! With a drop dead gorgeous boy-friend, (hint hint!) And a brand new group of friends who don't push you down when your happy! And as for the phone Mel gave me. I gave it her back and saved up for a new even better one. Just before I go I'd like to tell you what happened afew days ago. I was walking to school with my new phone and my headmistress rung me. I haven't told you this but my life long ambition is to be a world class dancer. Well in a recent play - apparently, there had been a talent scout, from a special dancing academy in America, in the audience! And I had got a chance to go for an audition! So you'd better watch out. I might be the one every reads about in all the articles about world class dancers!

The End!