Her Multi-Colored Scarf

“Minnesota, here we come,” I shouted as we got onto the plane. My family and I were leaving Alabama just for change. I’m not so sure what I felt then but I think I was happy. Alabama was too boring and I had no good friends there. But if I had the chance to go back, I would. After what happened at my new school in Minnesota, anybody would…

Chapter 1

“Andrea, come get some breakfast,” my mother shouted to me.

“I’m not hungry,” I said.

“Well then, Lauren can eat your pancakes.”

“I want pancakes.”

“But you’re not even hungry, your sister can have them,” my mother replied.

“FINE,” I yelled.

Mothers can be so difficult.

I went upstairs to go get my things ready for school. My mom, sister and I went shopping for school supplies yesterday. That was fun. I hope the other kids will like me. They usually don’t. I have moved to three other states before and I have never found a best friend. Maybe this time it will be different.

I have to walk to school, I didn’t in Alabama. It’s so cold and I only have a sweater. There are some other kids walking too. They are looking at me. Why? Do I have a booger hanging out of my nose or something? Well maybe it’s just because they have never seen me before but I check again for a booger, just to be sure.

It’s kind of hard to find the counselor’s office when you don’t know where it is. I found that out today. I had to go there because that’s where I get my schedule for school. I got a detention today because I was late to class, I even told her that I was new. She still didn’t care. Mom isn’t going to be happy when she hears about that.

My last class of the day is English. That’s where I met Shelby. She was sitting by herself wearing a colorful scarf. It was black with strands of green, red, yellow, and purple. She said that her mom made it for her when she was little. Before her mom became a drug addict and dropped Shelby off at an adoption place.

Shelby seemed different then all the other students at the school. They all seemed to care about what everyone thought and dressed the same. Shelby, though, stood out. Whatever they wore, she wore the exact opposite. She was interesting so I decided to talk to her.

“Hi, I’m Andrea. Do you want to be partners?”

“Sure, I’m Shelby. So you’re the new kid?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s cool,” she said.

We didn’t talk much after that but I think she likes me. I am glad I have a friend.

We became closer friends throughout the weeks and I finally I got enough courage to ask her why she always wore that scarf.

“Shelby, why do you always wear that scarf?”

“Well… it’s my escape if I need it.”

I decided to not keep asking although I had no clue what she meant. I now wish I never did know.

Chapter 2

Everyone in all my classes knew me, but they didn’t want to be by me, talk to me, or have anything to do with me, because I was friends with Shelby. When they first started avoiding me I thought that I should stop hanging out with her and try to make friends with someone else, but Shelby was a true friend and didn’t care who I was friends with, just as long as I was friends with her.

I always wondered why no one wanted anything to do with Shelby, she is nice, friendly, and fun to be with. Who wouldn’t want to be her friend? Maybe something happened before I came to this school, but wouldn’t I have heard the other kids talk about it or tell me? This was way too confusing for me. I had to ask her.

“Shelby… why don’t the other kids want to be by you, I mean, why am I your only friend, um, I don’t know how to say this but why are you so unpopular?”

She stared at me for a whole minute. (Yeah, it was pretty awkward.)

“Well, um,” she started to reply, “something happened before you came, something big.”

“Okay…, what happened?” I asked.

“My mom.”

“What about your mom?”

“She came to school one day last year and shot my best friend. Then she threatened to kill anyone who was my friend.”

I was in shock, thoughts raced through my head; Am I in danger? Is she in jail? Why didn’t Shelby warn me?

“My mom died a couple of weeks after that, drug overdose, but the other kids didn’t care, they were scared of me, no matter what I did, what I told them, they wouldn’t believe me. After months of trying to convince them, I gave up.” Shelby explained.

“So what happened to your dad?”

“Well, I never knew him, I was a one-night-stand baby.”

I felt so bad for her. I had a mom and dad who loved me and she didn’t.

Chapter 3

"Ring-ring ring," the telephone rang. It was 2:00 in the morning. i wondered who could be calling this early. It was Shelby. She said that her adopted parents had kicked her out. I said she could stay with me, but she wouldn't come over. I kept trying to convince her to come, but it didn't work. So I ended the conversation with, "Fine, be a stupid, stubborn idoit, I'm going to bed." The next day I regretted saying that so I looked for her at school so I could apolijize. The teacher called me over and told me that Shelby had hung herself last night. I was in total shock. I didn't know what to do. All I could do was blame myself. I was susposed to be supportive and caring to my best friend. I finally understood what she meant by saying her scarf would be her escape, but I wish I didn't...