Some people think I’m strange. I know for a fact I’m strange. For, like, the one time I decided to go outside in a pretty dress, of course I met this cute boy from school. He’s like really popular for no reason. I mean, I guess I like him a LITTLE. 

     I don't know if I wanna keep wearing that dress. I want to wear my dad's old black shirt with the skull and roses. 

     I'm sorry, Dear Diary, I have to keep it short. Dad's birthday is tomorrow and Mama is giving me all her chores. I think I might just run away to Kevin’s house for the weekend. At least he doesn't care what I wear as long as I play Atari with him. You know, Kevin's kind of a jerk to Sammy. I'm not sure whether to tell someone. 

     Charlene sighed, putting her diary and pen away. No, she thought, I’m not gonna run away. It’s just a few chores. It’s not the end of the world.

     She had some time before her mama came up to check on her. Plucking a book from her shelf, she ran her fingers over the top of the pages until she found the bookmark. "Okay, good," she murmured to herself. "The Historical Impact of the Stuarts."

    After she had seen James at the flower shop, she had been thinking. What did James mean, 'his mother didn't pay'? She supposed it was only a rumor that his mom had bribed the owner.

     Though, she couldn't help but notice the way James had said it. "Maybe he was just being silly, but I swear those roses got redder," she pondered. "And I doubt it was the Ever-Glow…"