Right in our world, there is a land you will only see if you look closely: tiny people live in fruit, and their fruit. This is their story.
Rae watched the sunset in their small apartment while Mom and Dad argued. The gooey raspberry substance made a good cushion, as she had been sitting there for hours. Rae sighed. Ever since Mom came back, things had been hard, there was more arguing and fighting. Rae finished watching the sunset that looked pink from the raspberry.
“Dinner,” yelled Mom.
Rae sighed again. She was just glad to have Mom back. Mom’s new raspberry had an infestation of mold. Mom had only come back a few months ago. She’s so mean. Is that why? Rae wondered.
“Raspberry quiche is my favorite!!!” Rupe said.
“What’s wrong?” said Rae.
Her parents looked at each offer.
“Your mother and I have decided we’re going to move to a body,” said Dad. She liked her little room even if she did have to share it with Rupe. Rupe said he really did not want to move. She thought of running to her room, but the house suddenly had a strange emptiness to it. Rupe was not sad about moving, though.
“Cool!” their Dad said. “Rupe is super happy and outgoing.”
A few days later, Rae finally had the courage to tell Willa and Grace that she was moving. She felt like her world was turning upside down. Everything was now packed up in little pink boxes that said, “Rheina Raspberry” or “Rupert Raspberry” or “Rupert Senior Raspberry” or “Rochelle Raspberry.” Before she knew it, it was time for Rae and her family to move.
Rae and her family climbed out onto the raspberry carton. Rae was still giving her parents the silent treatment. It was 2am. It was cold and scary, but Rae felt determined. She was so scared, having to take A bus and C bus. They had to jump over the ledge when Sam, the grocery store cat walked by. She was not happy to be there with few other families and a guide.
“1,2,3! JUMP!” he yelled.
She jumped.
2:45 a.m.
Rae was tired. So tired that everything sounded like mumbling. She caught snatches of a conversations: I’m telling you. Caaaaa Siiick. Those hoodlums will pay! A high fever…
But most of all, Rae heard a young woman sing to her baby, only because she was next to her, as she was singing quietly, “If all of my misery was swept by a wave, I wouldn’t have to hide in a cave, my love, my only sweetheart.”
Just then Rae noticed that the woman, certainly quite young, had no baby, or child for that matter was with her. She must be crazy, thought Rae…
“All OFF! Last stop!” said the conductor, Hank.
“Rae, honey, wake up,” said Mom.
“Uuughhh,” said Rae.
Five hours later, the man at the Fruit Service Immigrant Center said, “Here are your seed costumes! You have to wear them when you board your raspberry! So if the humans see you, you will be safe.”
“WHAT?!” said Rae. It was a big white suit with a big white middle. It was the ugliest thing Rae had ever seen. She would never wear that. Her friend Grace would have said, “It would not have gone with her complexion.” She tried that–it didn’t work.
The man said, “Sorry kiddo.”
She was wearing a white undershirt. They went to their raspberry. It wasn’t like theirs–it was fatter, and you had to board the fruit that you were born with. “Now you are stuck with raspberries.”
She was disgusted. She was over ripe. Rae was so nervous, she didn’t want to get bitten. She didn’t want to get her leg bitten off like Willa’s dad. The carton was pretty, but she was so embarrassed about having to be in that costume, she tried to hide under the raspberry gel, but it did not work. She sat down. Her little brother Rupe was busy laughing. He thought he looked amazing in his suit. Mom and Dad looked so proud of him. “Thank you, Rupe, for being responsible and wearing it, even if you don’t want to,” said Dad with a glance at Rae.
“Grace and Willa would never be caught dead with that,” Rae said.
“WE’RE GOIN’ IN!!!” was heard all over.
Gosh, thought Rae, my neighbors were quieter than that. WERE quieter than that. WERE hit her like a pang in the chest. They were never going back, and she didn’t know what came ahead…
She woke to a sudden jolt to the shoulder. “Rae!!! Wake up, we’re going in!!!” said Mom.
“Rae, it’s time to gooo!!!” whined Rupe.
“OKAY! OKAY!” said Rae. She and Rupe got their bags and joined their parents at the edge of the gel. Instinctively, she crouched.
“Rae, hold on to your luggage,” said Mom.
“How do you know so much about this?” said Rae.
“I study,” said Mom. Just then, they felt themselves being lifted up.
“AAAHHH!!!” screamed Rae. Rae noticed she wasn’t the only one screaming–the whole Raspberry seemed to be shrieking in terror. Rae screamed along with them.
“BE QUIET,” came a voice that seemed to be coming from Rae’s stomach. “BE QUIET OR THEY WILL HEAR A MURMURING FROM THEIR FOOD!”
“Oh!” gasped Rae.
“Dont worry,” said Mom, “Everyone heard that. It came from the suit, that is what Mayor Fruitsy says.”
Rae had never been more scared in her life. “Mom and Dad, that was so close!!!” Chomp…Rae was aware of being put in the mouth. She vaguely saw Rupe. She saw teeth. She saw a person directing people, sitting on top of the uvula. She dived, like Mom and Dad had taught her. Mom and Dad…what happened? Chomp…oops, so close to my leg. She was just starting to get her courage back, when…she fell.
She was just falling down the tongue, and fast! She wanted to scream but bit her lip instead. Ooohhh! Cushiony! She tripped and fell onto a bridge. Clonk! Clonk! Her two pink bags fell on her head. ”Ooff!” she said.
“All in all, not such a smooth landing,” smirked a girl about her age, and then walked away. All Rae saw was long blond hair…
They said, “What’s wrong?”
“That girl was mean!” She looked up at her, pained with tears in her eyes. This is not the future she wanted.
“Rae, we moved here for a new start…we needed to sort things out,” said Mom.
“RUPE!” yelled Dad.
“NO!” said Rae. She didn’t know why she didn’t want the girl to see her crying. Just then, Rupe arrived. But something was wrong. Rupe was clutching his hand and crying. His luggage fell on him too, but he didn’t seem to notice. Dad knew instantly what was wrong. “Rochelle! Take Rae to our house!” says Dad. “Our NEW house. I need to take Rupe to the emergency room. I know my way around here better than we did when we lived in our raspberry.” And with that, Dad and Rupe were gone.
To Rae, it looked like they had just disappeared from the ground. But she found out later that there was actually a series of tubes that once you stamped your foot in a certain place, and tapped in your ID, a bunch of manholes that led to the tubes that were all around the body that would take Dad and Rupe to the hospital. Along the sides of the greenish river, Rae noticed little beach houses. They were more like huts with a straw roof. They were small, but Mom said that it would fit them and they would live there.
They walked inside the hut and Rae noticed it was alright. Just no raspberry furniture. But she could get used to it and she had her own room. Just then, Dad popped out of the ground with Rupe.
“OH MY GOSH!!!! screamed Mom and Rae. “Whathappendtorupeisheokaywhatsup!” said Mom.
“He’s ok, it was just a graze. I’ll tell you later, Ro,” said Dad, using Mom’s nickname that meant something was wrong.
That night, Rae could not sleep in her new bed. To her it was uncomfortable, and made her sneeze. After the 10000000000th sneeze, she crept downstairs so she could ask Mom to make Mom’s special raspberry, but stopped when she heard her name.
“…AND dragging Rae to start over with a new brother, too!!!” She crouched under the stairs listening.
“Rupe…dead?” thought Rae. “Is that why he was in Mom and Dad’s bed?” She didn’t like Rupe but she didn’t hate him. Now she felt so guilty and tired that she lay down in bed, cried all night and didn’t sleep at all. Maybe that was why she was so grumpy the next day…
Rae had unpacked but something was still nagging at her. Raspberries tend to be real worrywarts. The first day of school was drawing nearer, but on the promising side, Dad was going to take them to his work on the brain.
Rae wrote this:
Some bad things in my life: Mom and Dad are fighting more, school starts soon!!! There is something wrong with my brother, my Dad bought him a device that he has to bring with him everywhere. Even at dinner or the bathroom. That is what Mom and Dad are fighting about now, but if it beeps when he has to go to work, it means something is wrong. I don’t like this…
Rae decided, right there on the very first day of school, to change “Rae” to “Rheina,” her given name. But then she changed it back to “Raina,” because it was better, and in her favorite book, that was the main character’s name.
Then realized she just liked Rae better.
When she arrived at the school, she looked at the class. It was so plain. She wished she’d gotten to go to the private raspberry school. Back when they lived in their old raspberry, there were two options. Go to a private school for just raspberries, or a school of mixed fruits. They were called Can Schools and Private Can Schools. She had originally gone to a private one, but after Mom moved out the first time when she was five, she switched to a Mixed Can School, and met Willa and Grace. Rae’s mother had moved out twice. The first time Rae’s mother came back because she had felt bad that she had taken her one-year-old son and not her five-year-old daughter. Rae was still mad at her about that. But she didn’t say anything, because it was too awkward. There are just some things you couldn’t tell her.
She pushed open the door, and…
“Here is the calculus of the numbers 2 4 6 8.” Oops. It was also Rae’s first time in middle school. She had gone to elementary school back in Raspberry Ville, but now the fifth grade school was a middle school. She had no idea what the teacher was talking about, but that didn’t really matter, because the teacher stopped right where she was as soon as she heard the door creak. “And here is our new student, Rheina Raspberry! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself, Rheina?”
Rae just stood there, so the teacher gave her a prompt. “Where are you from?”
Finally Rae got her courage. “Raspberry Ville,” she whispered.
“Great! Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about?” the teacher repeated, with that same amount of sarcasm they often use.
“Yes,” Rae said, repeated in a louder voice. “My name is Rae, not Rheina.”
The teacher looked for her for a moment and sat down. She told her to sit down next to a boy. He must have been a raspberry, Rae thought, because he has curly hair, like mine, but a darker shade of pink. The teacher was saying, “Richard, would you like to give Rae a tour?” Richard nodded.
First he showed her the bathroom, (awkward, because he was a boy and could not go in). Then he started talking: “my sister Riley is just like you, a girl with a love of nail projects. But I also have a brother named Roger, oh, and a baby named Reggie, another named Robbie, and everyone calls me Rich.”
Then he was silent. When they got back to class, the both of them were blushing, Rae from the lies she had told, and Richie from, well, everything.
“Good, now join Beryl, over there, Beryl, raise your hand!”
A pretty girl with blue hair tied into a bun and purple glasses raised her hand. “Yes, Miss Kiwi?” said Beryl.
She looks wimpy, thought Rae. She sat down next to Beryl and they worked on the math. However, the girl next to Beryl sneered and glared at Rae.
“Don’t mind her, that’s just Liviah. She’s mean.”
By the end of the lesson, they were talking about movies and recess. When the bell rang, Beryl asked Rae if she wanted to hang out with Beryl’s friends. Rae was happy to have this invitation so fast.
Just then, about five million girls came up. They all started telling Rae their names. All Rae heard was, “I’m Stella Strawberry,” and “I am Limona Lime,” and “I am Carina Cranberry,” and much more…everyone except for Liviah Lemon. Just then, Beryl pulled her away.
“Here, my friend,” she said. “Those are the twins Ollie and Ophelia Orange.”
“Hii!!!” said the girl named Lucy. “Let’s do a makeover on you, your lips are so dry.”
Rae touched the lips Mom always told her to put cream on, just as Stella said, “Oh my gosh, Luce, you are being so mean to this poor girl Rea, remember your first day?”
“Actually, its Rae,” said Rae softly, not wanting to upset one girl that was nice to her.
“Ahh! So sorry!” she said .
“S’okay,” said Rae. Just then, Liviah walked in.
“Hey Rae, you’re not okay, your Dad is dumb, your Mom should be dead, and I bet you wet the bed”.
Then she pushed Rae hard smack dab onto the ground. Her new friends helped her up, whispering words of comfort.
Recess ended. School was okay, classes were good, middle school was fine. That is what she told her mother, but here is a diary entry she wrote:
Dear Diary,
I hate this! The kids are okay, but it is so awful. I hate how the teachers are so boring and drone on. I hate that awful Liviah, she is so mean! Some of the kids are mean, and some are quiet, like Bart Blackberry in science, or Lola Lime. But it is so…bland, not like a mixed can should be.
Love,
R
Rae was excited about school. By the end of the week, she had forgotten that her father would take her and Rupe to the brain. He reminded her at dinner on Friday, but was interrupted by yet another phone call.
Her mother said, “Maybe that will give you a chance to see how busy your father is.” Then she cleared the dishes. Rae now relied more and more on her diary.
Dear Diary,
So nervous for the brain! Rupe seems to be feeling better, but he looks like he is running a 120 degree fever. I’m feeling sleepy, even though it is only 7:00. And today that Liviah pushed me against the lockers and spread the rumor that I wet the bed. One of my friends believed it! Aaaahhh!!
-R
On the day of the brain, Rae found a note scrawled for her by her mother. It read:
Rae’s father woke him up. At the gym–left out your clothes. Help Rupe get dressed–don’t forget he’s coming, too. Daddy is making breakfast.
Love, Mom
Rae looked at the clock. 6:00 a.m.! “Yeah, that’s when I get up,” said Dad.
He handed her a microwave waffle, still frozen. She gestured to it, and Dad shrugged.
“It’ll warm up while we walk.”
Mumbling something about too warm weather, he went to get his shoes. Then Rae remembered: Rupe! She woke him up, and they both got dressed, Rupe in a suit, and Rae in a frilly dress. They left, walked two blocks, and took a different subway.
They walked some more uphill, and Dad had to carry Rae and Rupe across some icky mud.
“Thank you, my lovely prince,” Rae said, and kissed him on the cheek. Rupe smiled.
When they finally got to the brain, both kids were tired, and Rupe had some mud trailing off his suit. Dad slapped a card in front big brass doors. A robotic voice said, “Hello, and welcome to the brain,” and after a brief pause, “Mr. R. Rasberry. Thank you for coming to work today.” Then it began to play the fruit national anthem. Oh say can you see, by the fruitily light…
Rae’s father opened the doors by punching in a code. The brain was full of light and energy. It was circular, and there was a rope to hold so you could not go in the sections. At each section, there was a door. Everything was bursting with activity. “Hiya, Brendon!” Dad said to a worker. “Brenny, these are my kids, Rae and Rupe.” Brendon barely nodded. Dad motioned to his head and made the crazy sign, which Rae thought was rude, as even crazy people have feelings too.
Their father had asked Rae to take Rupe to the fancy bathroom. (She made him go in the ladies room). But as they were walking back, Rae saw a familiar face: Brendon. “Hi, Brendon!” she called. He dismissed Rupe and Rae waving by just walking straight ahead. Rae shivered.
The rest of the brain was cool, but all Rae could think about was Brendon, and his distant yet cold look. Brendon was a blackberry. He looked like he used to have black hair, but thinning, and turning gray and white, like a grandfather. However, unlike a grandfather, there was no telltale twinkle in his cold, blue-gray, and, in this light, black eyes. So you can imagine just how happy Rae was to see her mother, out of the marble bathroom and long empty-spaced brain. Rae practically collapsed into her bed, meaning to think about Brendon, but she was so tired, she was asleep before the name Brendon ever entered her brain.
“Dinner, Rae? Are you feeling well?” her concerned mother said as she entered her room.
“Huh?” Rae was shaken awake by her mother’s voice. “I guess so.”
She joined her family at dinner, though not her father, as he had yet another business call. She hastily ate her dinner, even though it tasted bland and gross to her. “Now I’ve got a special surprise,” her mother said. “Raspberry pie!”
“Yay!!! cried Rupe.
“Hooray,” said Rae weakley.
“I hope you’re up to eating it,” her mother began, and to Rae’s horror, started to give a long speech about the importance of listening to your body, and only eating if you feel like it, even if it does look so good. But then somehow, the raspberries bubbling away smelled sugar-sweet, and sickly gross, and suddenly she just hated the color pink, and well…being a raspberry! And then everything went black.
She woke up with an apple doctor peering over her. “Yep, a touch of colitisofruito,” said the doctor, whose nametag read Dr. Antonio Apple, also bearing the slogan: “An Apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Her mother peered down on Rae, as the doctor began a long and dull conclusion.
“It must have been moving to a new place with new germs, or direct human contact.” He shuddered. “She will be fine in a few days. Just take this Rasberrio antibiotics. Stay home from school for a week though.“ Rae signed and fell asleep.
When she woke up, her head, throat, and stomach hurt. There was a pamphlet on her desk. It read:
Are you suffering from fruit month long mono?
Tips: Watch TV
Sleep
Raid the fridge
Have a long relaxing bubble bath
Read a book
Rest
Feel better!!!
Rae groaned and went back to sleep.
When her mother came home, Rae was sitting up, face flushed with fever. She called, “Mama!” and she came pestering Rae with a billion questions “Areyouokay? Whathappened? Howareyoufeeling? Doyouwantsomethingtoeat? Todrink?”
“Oh, Mama, right before I fainted, I thought the pie smelled gross, and I well, hated being a raspberry,” blurted Rae.
“Oh, baby!” she said. “You were sick, and I know you love being who you are. Just remember that, no matter what. Be who you are.”
Two weeks later, Rae felt fine, but as she put it to an email to her BFF’s, Rae was right. There was a huge storm coming. Outside, the wind blew hard. “”Rae, can you stay home alone?”
“Yeah,” said Rae, wearing trackpants and a sweatshirt.
“BYE,” Mom yelled. Rae flipped on the TV.
“Huge storm warning.” FLICK.
“We think it is caused by the baseballitusuioras germs, but can’t be sure.” FLICK.
“Dora, lets go explora.” FLICK.
Rae turned the TV off. How boring. She fell asleep.
It must have been dismissal time thought Rae, looking at the clock which read 2:45. “Wow,” thought Rae. “I have been asleep for hours! What woke me up?” she wondered.
Outside, the wind howled, and a branch smashed against the window. Despite what her mother said about not going near the window during a storm, Rae peered out, and saw rain, branches, and Mom and Rupe!!!??? Rae ran outside, trodding on fallen bits of tree, but despite her thousands of splinters on her sensitive raspberry feet, ran to her mother and brother.
“Mooom, Ruuupe!” she yelled.
“Rae!!!” yelled Mom. “Open the door!”
Rae ran back into the house and flung open the door. Mom and Rupe rushed in. She was holding an unconscious Rupe in her hands. Rae slammed the door. Mom put Rupe on the table, and poured some liquid onto his body. “He’ll be fine,” said Mom.
Rae looked doubtfully at her little brother. “Oh Rupe!” cried Rae. “Oh Mom! I heard you and Dad talking…and I don’t want a new brother! And why does Rupe look so sick?!”
“Oh, baby,” her mother said, “Your Dad’s specific job in the brain is called a brother. WE were thinking of divorce again…” She paused, seeing Rae’s horrified expression. “But now we won’t, hon. Rupe is like this because, well, the boys at school beat him up.”
“What!!!” cried Rae.
Before her mother could answer, Rupe sat up and groggily stared around.
“Mama!” he sobbed.
“Oh Rupie,” Mom said. “Come on! Off to beddy byes.” She scooped him up and carried him upstairs. Rae sat on the sofa, hoping that everything would be normal by tomorrow.
Three days later, the Raspberries were eating dinner, raspberry glazed pork chops with creamed raspberries, when Dad got another call, but this time on his regular cell. He walked off to answer it. Rae heard:
Dad: Hello? This is Rupert Raspberry.
Other Person: Hi…
Dad: Oh, hey Brendon. What’s up?
Brendon: Listen. My place is flooded, and I have a new home, but I need to crash somewhere tomorrow.
Dad: Hey–that’s too bad. How about you come over to our place?
Brendon: Um…
Dad: My family won’t mind.
Brendon: Family? Well, okay.
Dad: Okay…I have to go.
Brendon: See you tomorrow.
Dad: Bye.
Brendon: Bye.
When he came out, he announced, “Okay, it’s settled then. Tomorrow night, my work pal, Brendon, will be coming over for dinner. He lost his home, but is getting a new one, but needs a place to stay tomorrow.”
Even though she had to pretend she had not heard, Rae’s mother did have an argument.
“Darling, that’s all very wonderful, but what about Rupe? He is still injured, you know.”
“No he isn’t,” said Dad. “All that happened was that a huge branch crushed his foot, giving him welts and a fever.”
Mom sighed, but looked like she was going to say more. Rae quickly excused herself to “use the bathroom,” or actually wait out the fighting.
“AND HOW COULD YOU WITHOUT TELLING ME???!!!”
“…a friend, I owe him huge, come on, Rochie…”
“He couLD BE PSYCHO!!!!!”
“JUST GO PUT THE BABY TO BED, dearest angel!“
Rae tiptoed back to her room, and cried herself to sleep even though it was only 7:42.
The next day was filled with cleaning, Dad (trying) to cook, Rae doing her homework and avoiding people, and Rupe looking pale and sickly. Everyone had perked up, especially Rupe, by dinnertime.
Then Brendon was there.
“Come in! Come in!” Dad pretended that he had a happy, healthy family. Rae wondered if Brendon would fall for it. He looked unhappy. Rae’s mom came through the door.
“Hello. You must be Brendon. I’m Rochelle,” said Mom. Then Rae knew that she should say hello. “Hi…” What should I say? “I’m Rae and this is my little brother Rupe…”
Then they sat down to dinner. Rae ate her gross Dad-made turkey and salad. Rupe gagged it down. No one spoke, so Rae did not tell about how Liviah had taunted, teased, and accused her of crying and hurting her friend, even though Rae didn’t. She was so worried that Liviah would tell her parents, though Brendon’s eyes always softened to the raspberry children, while turned forever steely on the adults.
After dinner, Brendon was ready to leave. Rae’s parents were a bit disappointed that he was leaving, but got him his coat and said goodbye and thank you. Just as Brendon was picking up his coat, something fell out. Rae picked it up. “Brendon?” she said, but her family and Brendon had already gone. She thought, I can always give it to Dad to give it to him. On her bed, the wallet fell open. A picture of two young blackberry children came out, one older girl, one younger boy. Both were happy and laughing. It made Rae happy to see, although the older one looked semi-sad. I didn’t know that Brendon had kids, she thought. She then hid the wallet and the picture in her shirts drawer, underneath her Ming Hui’s ice cream shop shirt, and in her Lizzyhead island sweatshirt pocket. Good, she thought, running off. As she brushed her teeth, she thought about Brendon. Why is he so mysterious? Are those his kids? Why didn’t he tell us? Why do the kids look so familiar? Rae’s head swam with questions. Rae blocked all these thoughts and fell asleep.
The next morning, Rae ran off to school, only to find Liviah standing at the gate.
“I told Mr. Galvin the principal. How dare you be such a bully,” she said in a mock baby voice.
Mr. Galvin came out. ”Rae Raspberry! How dare you bully sweet Liviah. Come.”
Rae couldn’t take it. “I…I…” She ran the five blocks home.
“Mama!” she called, running in.
“Rae! Are you sick?”
Rae told her everything while crying. In Kiwigarten, she’d run out after missing the bus. One phone call to the principal was all it took, and Rae went back to school with her Mom. After the drop off and apologies, the principal told Rae he was busy, but she had to stand up to Liviah. It was recess, and the tables were turned. The whole school was watching. Liviah was being bullied-bullied by Simone, her frenemy, but she realized that Liviah was protecting Bart Blackberry from Simone’s teasing. What happened to the rude girl who would say to her boyfriend before he’d brush her off, “Lemon and lime were meant to be together!” with a sugary sweet voice and lips. Just then, Rae knew…she did not know how it happened, but she recognized the children from the photo: Bart Blackberry and Liviah Lemon. At the same time, her friends Willa Watermelon and Gemma Grape visited. Gemma ran right past her…hmph! Willa also looked hurt, but said that Grace missed her too much.
“Beryl, psst, Beryl,” Rae said. She then told her everything. When she finished, Beryl’s eyes were wide, and her mouth open. She was also just as shocked. This was a very strange playdate, thought Rae. The next day at school, Rae decided to confront Liviah.
“Liviah…I know your secret,” she blurted. Liviah broke away from her group of friends, and then they went to the garden. Liviah grabbed Rae by the shirt.
“How do you know?” her words came out sobbing, her mascara running.
“I got plastic surgery because of the divorce and the fight and the Limes let me stay with them, and now they are trying to be together but I’m too ashamed to come home.”
One hour later, Rae realized that the crazy lady she’d seen on the bus was Lizzi Lime with her daughter from another marriage, Libby Penelope Lemon-Pineapple. Wow, thought Rae. Then, imagine everyone’s shock and surprise as Rae walked in, friends with Liviah.
“You have to go to them today,” said Rae. “Text me.”
And they traded numbers, leaving Rae to explain, “Listen, she had some rough changes in her life. She is very nice, if you get to know her.” No one asked her anything else when Liviah ditched her own friends and sat at their lunch table. Rae felt at peace with the world at last.
Ggrapie: I’m sorry about what I said, I’m your friend…
WW: Me too.
RR: Forgave GTG bye friend calling
Llemon: THEY SAID YES!!! OMG THEY LOVE ME MY NEW NAME IS BELLA BLACKBERRY!!!
RR: that’s AWESOME
BellaB: FYI don’t get plastic surgery it HURTS and sucks 😀
RR: bye miss you Dad and rupe and me are going to a ball game
BellaB: Okay have fun TTYL bye
Rae logged off and went out the door with Dad and Rupe, and the game was immune system VS strep throat. They all cheered for IS, and they won. Rae cheered and almost dropped her hot dog. Rae’s friend Beryl was here, and Rae’s Mom came to take her family home, but then Mom looked flushed and ran up to Dad and kissed him, and from the looks in their eyes, Rae knew they were happy together. Suddenly, Rae felt happy and knew that whatever changed her life, whether divorce, moving, or enemies, Rae could take it on.