"Hey, girls," Corissa said with a squeak in her voice, like usual. I smiled back with a look that said "We don't want you here, so just take your squeaky voice away from us!" but either she didn't notice it or she ignored it. "What do you want this time, Crissy?" asked Alexis. Corissa just sneered at us and shoved me a piece of paper. She pointed to it while I scanned through it. "What's this?" I asked. She looked at me with a grim smile. I hated that. "This is the thing I'm going to beat you at, Nicole Angel Cartland," she said proudly. "I know I'm going to beat you. Even if you say I'm not, I know I am." I glared at her. She'd better watch out if she keeps boasting. And I think Corissa knew that, too. "Well, read through that Miss Perfect, and I'll see you at the theater in two months. Tootles!" And she waved to us behind her shoulder and walked off. "Oh come on, Nikki! Tell us, what's the contest for?" asked Catherine with a slap on my shoulder.
"Uhhhh," I began as I read through the first paragraph of the paper. I frowned. "She's challenging me to a singing contest!" I exclaimed in disgust. "She knows how much I hate embarrassing myself in public! I mean, who doesn't?" I looked at my friends. They all had their mouths practically on the dirty hall floor, but quickly changed their expression. "I'm sure you'll do great, Nikki," reassured Katy. "Besides, all you have to do is sing a little song, right? How hard could that be?" But I knew they knew I would fail to win. I had a horrible voice. Well, I think. Wait a second, no one ever heard me sing before! Then how could my friends be so down? I decided to ask that very question. "You guys never heard me sing, right? I really never heard me sing," I said with a shrug. They looked at each other. Alexis nodded. "I guess so. I know you'll win though, I mean, just listen to Corissa's voice!" We all laughed. The bell for 3rd period rang. We all waved and decided to meet at the pay phone next period. I watched as the hall filled with busy bodies and then everyone vanished. I looked at the rules and regulations in my hand and sighed. 'I'll to read it later,' I thought. I folded it up and slipped it in my pocket and I hurried off to social studies.