Shadowing Practice: I Have Two Sisters No One Knows About - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, my name is Grace.
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Or more accurately, our name is Grace.
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I know this might sound confusing, so please, guys, kick your annoying brother out of the room and focus,
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because you'll need all your brain cells for this.
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You see, Mom was very, very poor.
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She was also young, alone, and completely terrified when she gave birth to us.
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And by us, I mean triplets.
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Three identical girls.
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She gave birth to all three of us alone at home.
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But because she was scared and didn't know any better, she only registered one baby.
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She was terrified that if anyone found out that she had three newborns and no money, they'd take us away.
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So officially, Mom had one daughter, Grace.
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In reality, there were three of us.
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No one outside our house knew the truth, so Mom did everything she could to hide us.
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She even had a secret door built into the basement so we could sneak in and out without anyone seeing.
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We could never go outside together.
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One of us had to leave, come back, and only then could the next one go.
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Yep, such a normal childhood.
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But obviously, we couldn't call each other Grace.
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That would have been way too confusing.
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So we gave each other our own names.
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The oldest, who loved acting like those 90 seconds made her our queen, was called Queen.
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She hated everyone, except cute boys.
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Around them, her attitude magically disappeared.
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But don't let that fool you.
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The girl was still terrifying.
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Mom was scared of her too.
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Queen vaped, carried pocket knives, and treated our house like a military base.
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I only slept for 13 hours.
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You were quiet at first, but of course you couldn't control yourselves.
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You just had to go to the bathroom, cook food, breathe, and exist.
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So I lost one whole hour of sleep because of you idiots.
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I swear, if this ever happens again, I'll kick your butts.
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Except for you, Mom.
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It's okay, honey.
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I understand if you have to.
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Sometimes I do breathe too loudly.
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Then there was the middle one.
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She was a cheerleader and the dumbest, wildest, most reckless person I had ever met.
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So we called her Riot.
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Come on, girls.
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Dinner is ready.
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I make fish.
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Wait.
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Is fish beef or chicken?
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It's fish.
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Okay.
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Support.
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And then there was me, Tito.
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I know, it's a childish name.
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But Queen gave it to me because I loved burritos when I was little, and I used to call them Tito's.
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I was the smart one.
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I spent most of my time on the computer, learning random things no one asked me to learn.
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Honestly, that was the only interesting thing about me.
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My mean, chaotic sisters spent most of their time annoying me
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and dragging me into disasters I never asked to be a part of.
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So, yep, you guys are stuck with the boring one.
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But people change, don't they?
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And trust me, hiding in a basement with Queen and Riot gives you plenty of reasons to change.
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Let me start from the beginning and show you how three people lived one life.
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For school, we split the weekdays between us.
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I went two days, Riot went two days, and Queen went one day because, obviously, she thought school was a waste of time.
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We each had our own style, too.
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Queen wore black clothes, mostly skirts with sharp glasses.
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Riot dressed in bright colors with long rainbow socks and rectangular glasses.
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And I wore cardigans and round nerdy glasses.
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Like, I reminded teachers about homework.
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For exams, we had a system.
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Each of us studied one -third of the material.
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Then, during the test, one of us would ask to go to the bathroom.
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I need to use the bathroom.
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I'm constipated.
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Ew.
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Just go.
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The other two would be secretly waiting and we'd switch places.
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I need to go again.
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Now I have diarrhea.
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Jesus, I don't need updates.
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Just go.
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Then I'd go in last, fix their answers, and save our grade.
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Because unlike Riot, I knew the Civil War did not happen in 2009.
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And unlike Queen, I knew mind your own business was not a valid answer to every question.
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They had no idea.
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And that didn't only happen at school.
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We had to use the same system for basically every part of our lives.
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Like the hairdresser in our neighborhood.
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She was always confused whenever one of us walked in.
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Wait, didn't I wax your eyebrows and lip last week?
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Sweetie, you grow hair like a weed.
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And honestly, I didn't even hate her for that.
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I hated her because she was a straight -up crook who overcharged everyone and somehow always forgot to give change.
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So Queen decided, we needed revenge.
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And whenever Queen said, revenge, it usually meant I was about to suffer.
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One day, we walked into her shop with a bunch of jars of Vaseline
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and olive oil and told her… We had invented a 30 -second hair color mask.
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Riot went in first.
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To our lovely hairdresser, I brought a miracle.
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This mask changes hair color in 30 seconds.
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Just mix in whatever dye you want, put it on their hair, and boom!
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New hair.
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There's no such thing.
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Do you think I'm stupid?
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No. Watch.
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Put it on me and close your eyes for 30 seconds.
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The second she closed her eyes, Riot ran out and Queen walked in wearing the exact same clothes, but with a different hair color.
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No way, that's impossible.
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Are you calling us liars?
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I mean, me?
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Are you calling me a liar?
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Fine, let's try green.
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Then Queen went out and I walked in with the stupid green hair my sisters had forced on me.
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I don't know what kind of witchcraft this is, but I'll take every jar you have.
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So yeah, we made a bunch of money.
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Queen called it justice.
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Riot called it business.
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And I spent the next year looking like a cursed broccoli.
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But even when we had money, Mom was too paranoid to let us have separate phones.
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Three phones means three chances for you girls to mess up and expose yourselves.
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So here, one phone.
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Each of you gets eight hours a day.
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Eight hours?
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Seriously?
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Mom, you know I'm the important one and Tito already has a computer.
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Did you hear me complain?
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Then, Queen hit the picture frame beside her so hard, the glass cracked.
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Mom looked scared for a second and swallowed so loudly, even I heard it.
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Of course not, honey.
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You're very generous.
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You can keep the phone most of the time.
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I just don't want
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Riot or Tito doing something stupid.
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You think I'm stupid?
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Then I'll prove I'm not.
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I can fix that.
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She grabbed the cracked picture frame, pressed both hands against the glass, and smiled.
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The whole thing immediately shattered.
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A second later, Riot looked down at her bleeding fingers, blinked twice, and started crying in pain.
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Actually, I meant Tito.
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She might do something stupid.
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Maybe Tito can have it for just a half hour a day?
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Mom looked at me nervously, silently begging me to go along with it.
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I sighed, gave her a thumbs up, grabbed a broom, and cleaned up the broken glass.
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Of course, Queen still used the phone most of the time.
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Mostly during class.
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And of course, teachers kept catching her.
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Whenever they took it away, Mom sent me to get it back.
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I'd put on my most innocent face and say things like, I'm so sorry, I've learned my lesson,
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I'll never use my phone in class again, blah blah blah.
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And they believed me.
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That was basically my job in the family.
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Riot and Queen caused chaos, and I cleaned it up.
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Until one day, everything changed.
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One afternoon, Riot made me go to her cheerleading practice.
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She said she was exhausted, and if she missed one more practice, she'd get kicked off the team.
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So I thought, fine, one practice.
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How bad could it be?
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Except it wasn't practice.
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It was a real performance before a basketball game.
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I was standing there in Riot's cheer uniform, staring at the crowd.
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Then the head cheerleader, Molly, noticed me.
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Molly was the school's queen bully, and she got away with everything because her dad donated a ton of money,
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and Principal Brackett, the meanest man on earth, basically worshipped her family.
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Oh, Grace, you actually showed up.
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The girls told me what you said about me.
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What did I say?
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That I dance like a peahen in distress every time a peacock walks by.
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What the heck does that even mean?
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Don't act innocent.
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You know our peacock inside joke, and now you're using it against me.
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Since you're so funny, I think you're ready to be the top flyer.
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I had no idea what a top flyer was.
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Unfortunately, I found out three seconds later.
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The music started.
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The crowd screamed.
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And suddenly, six girls were lifting me into the air like I was a sacrifice.
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For one tiny second, I loved it.
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I could see the whole gym, the basketball court, the crowd, the exits I should have used.
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Then I started wobbling, then screaming, then falling.
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I landed right on Molly and heard a crack so loud my soul left my body.
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Everyone froze.
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I didn't know what to do.
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So I grabbed a pom -pom, raised it in the air, and yelled, Go Tigers!
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Someone in the crowd shouted, We're not even the Tigers!
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Get off the court, you idiot!
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My face got so hot, I thought my hair was going to catch on fire.
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So I ran.
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I didn't know where to go, especially with Molly limping right behind me like an angry, broken flamingo.
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I reached the school counselor's office and was about to knock.
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But before my hand touched the door, Molly grabbed me by my ponytail and yanked me back.
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I turned around and saw her head tilting weirdly to one side from the injury, which made her look even scarier.
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Then her minions showed up behind her, and suddenly, I wasn't being confronted.
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I was being jumped.
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I tried to push them away, but there was too many of them.
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Hands grabbed my hair, my arms, my uniform, and for a second, I genuinely thought, Well, this is how I die.
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In Riot's cheer skirt.
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But thank God, before they could fully murder me, the counselor's door flew open.
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Girls, back away from her.
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Now.
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Shoo!
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Before I start calling your parents.
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They finally backed off, still glaring at me like I had personally ruined their bloodline.
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Grace, honey, are you okay?
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Come on in, let's talk.
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I went inside her office, and honestly, it felt like the safest place in the entire school.
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It was quiet, warm, and smelled like tea and peppermint.
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Mrs. Mitch closed the door, sat beside me, and gently held my hand.
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She must have noticed how nervous I was, since it was my first time coming to her office.
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Nervous?
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Yeah.
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First time?
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No, I've been nervous my whole life.
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I realized I had completely misunderstood the question and immediately clapped my hand over my mouth.
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She meant my first time talking to a counselor.
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But Mrs. Mitch just smiled.
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Grace, honey, I think you're carrying a lot.
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One day you're into computers and programming.
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The next day you're cheerleading.
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One day you won't even look at anyone.
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The next day you're flirting with half the basketball team.
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She gave me a soft smile.
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I'm not judging you.
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I'm just confused.
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And I have a feeling you are too.
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So tell me, what's really going on?
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And then, before I could stop myself, I told her everything.
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About mom, about the triplets, about Queen and Riot.
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About how the three of us had been pretending to be one girl our entire lives.
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Mrs. Mitch looked shocked for a second, then quickly pulled herself together.
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Sometimes I wish I could stand up to them, but I feel stupid.
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and weak and powerless?
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Yeah, and small and… Invisible?
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Exactly.
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And maybe a little insecure.
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And anxious, overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, awkward?
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Okay.
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Maybe a little dumb?
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Okay, wow.
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I was going to stop at insecure, but now I feel diagnosed and attacked.
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No, no. I mean you feel dumb.
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Not that you are dumb.
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Too late.
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My brain already saved it.
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I knew Mrs. Mitch was trying to help, even if her help came with emotional damage.
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So I kept talking, and she just listened quietly, nodding without interrupting me once.
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An hour later, I left her office feeling lighter.
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Until it hit me.
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What if she told someone?
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What if mom went to jail?
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What if they took my sisters away.
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Oh, God, I was so dumb.
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Sometimes Queen was right about me.
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I had almost reached the school parking lot when I turned around and ran straight back to Mrs. Mitch's office.
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I was in such a hurry that I didn't look around.
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Then, a black car bumped into me and I dropped to the ground, dizzy and confused.
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When I looked up, I saw the cutest guy I had ever seen staring down at me in total panic.
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An angel?
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Wow, you guys don't waste time, do you?
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Not when it comes to cute girls.
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You okay?
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Oh, I wish my sisters were here to hear this.
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What was that?
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Never mind, you might have a concussion.
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Right now I'm taking you to the nurse, and for the record, I saw what
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Molly and her girls did.
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I was about to step in, but Mrs. Mitch got there first.
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And then somehow you managed to hit me with your car an hour later.
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Clearly my hero timing needs work.
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Now come on, nurse's office.
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Elijah White was the new boy at school.
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He had joined a week ago, and I'd already heard
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Riot talking about him, but I'd never actually met him.
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Principal Brackett saw the entire thing from his car, but instead of helping me,
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he told me to go home because apparently getting hit by a car was my fault too.
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I ignored him, took Elijah's hand and went to the nurse.
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The nurse said I was fine, just bruised and dramatic, which honestly felt offensive but fair.
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Elijah stayed with me for a few minutes and somehow, before I left, I had his number.
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And I walked home smiling.
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But that smile disappeared the second I stepped inside.
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When I opened the door, Queen.. grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the living room.
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Where have you been?
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I needed to go out an hour ago.
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Too bad.
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You missed your hour.
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It's my turn now.
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Oh, really?
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They started arguing, so I cut in.
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Riot, can you please tell me who or what on earth Peacock is?
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Huh?
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What are you even talking about?
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Oh, the Peacock joke.
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It's what we call the new hot guy, Elijah White.
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There's a new hot guy at school, and no one told me.
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Maybe if you bothered showing up.
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You show up more than me, and you're still as dumb as a bag of rocks.
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And just like that, they were fighting again.
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But I drifted off, thinking about Elijah.
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The way he looked at me, the way he helped me, the way he almost killed me with his car.
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Ah, so romantic.
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Then Queen suddenly looked at me.
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Wait, why do you look like you got hit by a car?
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No way I was telling her about Elijah.
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So I told him about Molly and her minions jumping me instead.
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Queen's face darkened.
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No one beats up
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Grace except Grace.
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Then she turned to Riot, who was biting her nails.
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And how many times have I told you not to do that in front of me?
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Riot panicked and shoved even more fingers into her mouth.
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So Queen lunged at her.
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I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
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My hands betrayed me.
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Then, Riot ran for her life.
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The next day, Queen went to school.
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When Molly saw her in the hallway, she smirked and stepped in front of her with her girls.
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Well, well, well.
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Look who we have here. Who?
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Molly blinked.
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Careful.
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I dare you to answer before I pluck your goddamn feathers, you ugly little pea hen.
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How dare you?
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Pretty easily.
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Girls, get her!
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They lunged at Queen.
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She shoved them back like they were shopping carts.
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The girls stumbled into each other shocked.
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Then Queen grabbed
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Molly by both of her stupid little pigtails and yanked her close.
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Don't you ever jump me again when I'm dressed like a nerd, or your next cheer routine is happening in physical therapy.
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Molly's face went pale.
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Then a teacher appeared at the end of the hallway and yelled for her to let go.
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Queen dropped Molly's pigtails and smiled like an angel.
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Of course, we were just talking, Miss Pooplin.
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Later in math class, Queen was sleeping on her desk when someone poked her from behind.
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Leave me alone or I'll pull your eyes out.
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I don't care who you are.
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Wow, yesterday you got hit by a car.
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Today you're threatening people's eyeballs.
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Busy week?
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Queen realized it was Elijah and whipped around so fast he actually leaned back.
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Hey, handsome.
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Wanna go out with me?
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I was just gonna ask for a pencil, but okay.
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That night, Queen came home smiling.
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And Queen never smiles.
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So I knew something was wrong.
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When she fell asleep, I stole the phone and checked her contacts.
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And there it was.
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Elijah's number.
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That was it.
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Queen had stolen my almost boyfriend before he was even my almost boyfriend. That backstabber.
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But I was scared of Queen, so I didn't have the courage to confront her.
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Things went on like that for a while.
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I saw Elijah on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Queen saw him on Fridays.
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He was nice, charming, and the kind of guy who read poetry, painted, and wrote song lyrics,
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which was extremely unfair because I was already trying not to like him.
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But of course, good things don't last forever.
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Because one morning, Riot tried to leave for school wearing heavy, colorful makeup.
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Before she could open the door, Queen threw her pocket knife at it.
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The knife stopped right beside Riot's hand.
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Why do you look like a clown?
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I have a boyfriend to impress.
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I looked so defeated that I covered my face with both hands.
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Holy mother of God!
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What is it, Tito?
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Are you dating him too?
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He's mine!
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I met him first!
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Oh, I was born first.
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So technically, I should be the official child.
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And you two should be suffering in the darkness.
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But look how nice I am, letting you share my life.
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So you two, stop dating Peacock.
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Oh, thank God.
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For a second, I thought you guys were talking about Elijah.
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Queen and I gave her a strange look.
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How can one person be this dumb?
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You know what?
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We should all stop dating him.
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No guy is worth us fighting over him.
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Do you two swear?
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The three of us make.. piece signs with both hands, kiss the signs, and tap them against our foreheads.
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That was our promise sign.
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But of course, I didn't trust those traitors for a second.
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And I was right not to.
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Later that day, Queen was on TikTok when she saw
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Molly's livestream of the cheerleading dance.
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And right there, in the corner of the screen, Riot was flirting with Elijah.
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She is so dead!
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Later, the second
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Riot stepped inside, Queen went straight for her.
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Wait, before you hit me, you should know that he said he liked me.
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Queen stopped inches away from her face.
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Did he say, I like you, Riot?
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Or did he say, I like you, Grace?
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Because we're all Grace, genius.
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So technically, he likes all of us?
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Technically, I'm about to throw you through a wall.
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After a lot of yelling, threatening, and Riot hiding behind
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Mom, Things got even worse when Riot accidentally admitted she had told Elijah where we lived.
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Mom grabbed her chest and whispered, You gave a teenage boy directions to our secret?
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Which finally shut us up long enough to agree on one rule.
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No more dating Elijah.
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We blocked his number and deleted it.
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Later that week, I decided to visit Mrs. Mitch.
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I'd met with her a couple of times after that first day and since she had kept my secret, I started trusting her more.
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I knocked on her office door, then opened it and found Mrs. Mitch looking guilty in front of her laptop.
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I leaned in and saw she was watching an MSA video.
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Before you judge me, there's no age limit.
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These stories help me understand what you people go through.
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Relax, I watch them too.
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Good, if anyone asks, this was research.
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Sure, very professional research.
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So, if you guys are watching this, like, subscribe, and comment.
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Team Tito, Team Queen, or Team Riot.
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And if you pick
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Riot, I'm worried about you.
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During that session, I told Mrs. Mitch all about the Elijah drama.
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Weirdly, it felt like talking to Mom when I was little, back when she opened up to me whenever my sisters weren't around.
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Then, out of nowhere, Alexa started playing Macarena.
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Oh my god, this is the song
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Mom and I used to dance to when I was little!
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I don't know what came over me, but I started dancing.
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Very awkwardly, by the way.
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I was moving my arms like a scarecrow.
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I begged Mrs. Mitch to join me.
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She refused at first, but I kept insisting until she finally stood up and danced with me.
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And let me tell you, that woman danced like a chicken with its head cut off.
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I got so excited that I accidentally kicked Mrs. Mitch in the face.
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She dropped to the floor and winced in pain.
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I apologized about a thousand times, then left her office two minutes later, in complete shame.
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I walked into the hallway and saw Elijah talking to his friends.
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Then one of them suddenly started coughing like crazy.
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Without even panicking, Elijah stepped behind him, did the Heimlich maneuver, and saved him in three seconds.
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His friends crowded around him, thanking him and patting his back.
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And I'm sorry, but it was the hottest thing I had ever seen.
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Then, Elijah noticed me and walked over.
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Hey, you.
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I've been trying to call you for the past few days.
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Everything okay?
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Yeah, mate.
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I mean, buddy.
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Actually, you're not my buddy.
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I mean, you are, technically, because you're not my enemy, but...
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Oh, God, I'm nervous.
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I like how you go from scary to crazy to shy.
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It's like I'm dating three different girls in one.
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Yeah.
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Three in one.
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Elijah invited me for Slurpees, and we talked for a while.
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I kept checking over my shoulder every three seconds, terrified that my sisters were watching.
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Then, Elijah's phone rang.
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Yes, doctor.
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You're taking her to the hospital?
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Okay, I'm coming now.
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His face changed completely.
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Later, I found out his mom had Crohn's disease and needed constant care.
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They're taking her to urgent care.
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I have to go.
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Where's that?
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At the hospital.
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No, I know urgent care is at a hospital.
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I meant, where is the hospital?
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Like, do you want me to come with you?
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Actually, wait, I just remembered mom needs my help with something.
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I'm really sorry.
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Elijah gave me a reassuring nod.
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Then he asked for my new number, and I told him I'd get one soon.
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I liked Elijah a lot.
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Maybe if I got a new phone behind my family's back and talked to him in secret, no one would know.
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So, I decided to convince my sisters to do one more of our totally harmless little scans,
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so I could make enough money to buy an iPhone.
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A few days later, my sisters and I had our next plan ready.
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I knocked on Molly's door, and when she opened it, she immediately rolled her eyes.
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What do you want, idiot?
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I heard about your.. cheer regionals, and I made something that could help.
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Unless it's a new personality for you, I'm not interested.
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It's a serum.
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You put one drop in your competitor's water or juice, and they get dizzy enough to lose.
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No color, no smell, no taste.
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Please, I wasn't born yesterday.
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She started to shut the door, but I stopped her.
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Wait, let me put one drop in your water bottle, Then you decide.
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I grabbed the bottle from her hand and added our serum, which was literally just water.
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Molly lifted the bottle and took a sip.
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That's when Riot stepped out from behind the wall.
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Molly looked down and saw two of us standing there.
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Her face went pale.
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Riot and I moved our lips in perfect sync.
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What?
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Is it working?
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There are two of you.
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Then let's try one more drop.
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I added another drop while Molly kept drinking, and Queen stepped out from the other side.
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Now how many of us do you see?
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Oh my god, how much of this stuff do you have?
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Atta girl.
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And just like that, we sold
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Molly a bunch of plain water for a fortune.
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I finally had enough money to buy a new phone behind my sister's backs.
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A week later, I saw Elijah in class and slipped him my new number.
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Why did you get a new number?
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We were literally texting this morning from your old one.
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Oh my god.
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Unbelievable.
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Of course, it was Queen.
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I got so angry that I decided to skip the rest of school and go home to confront her.
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In my head, I was brave.
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I was powerful.
509
I was finally going to stand up for myself.
510
Then I walked into the living room and saw
511
Queen lying on the couch, casually picking her teeth with the tip of her pocket knife.
512
And just like that, I lost all courage.
513
Queen asked why I was home so early, so I panicked and lied, saying I'd forgotten my math project.
514
Then I grabbed a random notebook from the table and ran back out before she could ask anything else.
515
Weird nerd.
516
Mom, are my seven boiled eggs ready?
517
And don't forget the salt.
518
If you mix it up with sugar again, I'm breaking every single egg in this house.
519
Of course, honey.
520
I'm reading the label very slowly.
521
When I got back to school and reached the classroom door, I peeked through the little window and saw
522
Riot sitting in our seat, giggling and passing notes to Elijah.
523
What was this airhead doing here?
524
She knew Wednesdays were my day.
525
I ran to the bathroom before anyone could see me and expose us.
526
I stayed there until break, and finally, Riot came in to pee.
527
I jumped out from behind her, and she screamed.
528
I slapped a hand over her mouth.
529
Shh!
530
Shut up, you stupid waste of space.
531
What the heck are you doing here?
532
Well, I saw you come home early, so I snuck out while you were talking to Queen.
533
What brought you back?
534
Are you seriously this dumb, or did you escape from a museum of rare brain defects?
535
Oh, so now we're using big words.
536
Fine.
537
Here's a big one.
538
You are Delulu.
539
That's literally short for delusional.
540
Jesus, I'm going to kill you.
541
Riot and I whisper -fought for at least five minutes until we heard someone calling our name from outside.
542
Grace!
543
Grace, answer me!
544
Get out here!
545
I know you scammed me, you broke little liar!
546
Riot and I looked at each other like we'd just seen a ghost.
547
Then Riot started panicking.
548
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, we're doomed!
549
I grabbed Riot by the shoulders and told her to shut the hell up
550
and hide behind the door while I dealt with Molly.
551
Then I stepped out.
552
The second Molly saw me, she clenched her fist and bit her bottom lip so hard I thought she was going to swallow it.
553
Are you pooping?
554
That was it.
555
Molly charged at me.
556
She tackled me to the floor and pulled her fist back.
557
But before she could punch me, someone grabbed her wrist.
558
Knock it off, Molly.
559
Principal's office now!
560
Mrs. Mitch showed up with a bandage on her forehead from my accidental Macarena attack.
561
Molly got off me, still breathing like an angry bull, and stormed away.
562
Thank you for saving me again, Mrs. Mitch.
563
She almost caught us.
564
Just then, Riot popped up from behind the door.
565
Caught us?
566
Who's us?
567
Did you tell Mrs. Mitch about us?
568
I sighed and explained everything as quickly as I could.
569
Mrs. Mitch stared at us for a second, then looked toward the hallway.
570
Okay, we need to move fast before
571
Principal Brackett finds out I yelled at Molly.
572
He told me she was off -limits because her father is one of the school's biggest donors.
573
Greedy jerk.
574
Most of that donation money never even reaches the school, and we still have ceiling leaks in three classrooms.
575
Anyway, we need to get
576
Riot out of here without anyone seeing her.
577
How?
578
Mrs. Mitch.. slowly turned toward the janitor's big rolling trash bin, and Riot's face dropped.
579
You have got to be kidding me.
580
A minute later, Riot was curled up inside the trash bin,
581
whispering threats at both of us while Mrs. Mitch pushed her down the hallway like this was a totally normal school day.
582
Later, I begged
583
Riot not to tell
584
Queen that I had told Mrs. Mitch about us.
585
She agreed, but only if I gave her $1 ,000.
586
That shameless goblin.
587
That night, Queen found out
588
Molly had attacked me again.
589
So she vandalized
590
Molly's house, got caught by Molly's dad, and got arrested.
591
Mom went to the police station to bail her out, but she didn't have enough money.
592
Queen had already spent hers, and Riot said it wasn't her business to pay for someone else's crimes.
593
So, guess who had to use almost all the money she had left?
594
Me.
595
And to make matters worse, the next week, Elijah told me his mom needed emergency surgery.
596
I've saved up enough money from my two jobs, but it's not enough.
597
How much do you need?
598
A hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
599
I almost choked on my own tongue.
600
But then I saw his face.
601
He looked exhausted and scared, like he was trying really hard not to fall apart.
602
So naturally, because I had one secret phone and zero common sense, I said the dumbest thing possible.
603
I'll help you.
604
Grace, what?
605
No, I was just venting.
606
I don't want your money.
607
Also, where would you even get that kind of money?
608
Don't worry about that.
609
I'll figure it out.
610
Grace.
611
I'm doing this because I think I really love you, Elijah.
612
He stared at me for a second, then gently held my face and gave me the softest smile.
613
I love you too.
614
And then he kissed me.
615
For one whole second, everything felt perfect.
616
Which should have been my first warning that I was about to ruin my life.
617
The next morning, I gathered my sisters in the basement and told them everything about Elijah.
618
His mom, the surgery, the money.
619
We had about $80 ,000 saved, but we still needed one more scam to get the rest.
620
$150 ,000?
621
Are you out of your mind?
622
Well, if you hadn't gotten yourself arrested, we'd have at least a third of it.
623
Queen slammed her palm on the table so hard, Riot jumped.
624
I grabbed Queen's arm and pulled her back before she could actually kill her.
625
Queen leaned closer, blew vape smoke right in Riot's face, and spoke very quietly.
626
If you hadn't shown up to school on Tito's day, none of this would have happened, genius.
627
Let's calm down and think of some scam that could help us get that much money.
628
What scam are you thinking, Tito?
629
Yes!
630
I jumped up and hugged her while Queen stayed stiff as a statue, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
631
The plan was simple.
632
We knew about Principal Beckett's shady embezzlement from Mrs. Mitch.
633
She hated him, so I asked her for a favor, and she gave me the info I needed.
634
After the school day ended and everyone left, I went to Principal Brackett's office first and confronted him about the missing school donation money.
635
At first, he laughed in my face.
636
Then I mentioned the private account where the money had gone, and his smile disappeared.
637
He grabbed my arm and told me to shut my mouth.
638
So I did what any brave hero would do.
639
I shoved him just enough to make him shove me back.
640
I stumbled backwards, hit my head lightly on the corner of a chair, and dropped to the floor.
641
Then I closed my eyes and pretended to be dead.
642
Principal Bracket froze, then started shaking me like crazy.
643
Then white fog started sliding under the door.
644
His face went pale.
645
A second later, Queen stepped out from behind the curtain wearing all black,
646
with dark makeup under her eyes and a scarf over her head like the world's angriest ghost.
647
You killed me, Principal Franklin Bucket.
648
How do you know that name?
649
I changed it years ago.
650
Because I am Grace's dark angel.
651
And you, Franklin Bucket, have been very, very bad.
652
Principal Brackett looked like he was about to faint.
653
Then he dropped to his knees and started praying.
654
Holy Mary, Mother of God, please don't let this child drag me to hell.
655
I'm still too young to die.
656
Then Riot climbed out from behind the bookshelf, wearing a white sheet and a crooked paper halo, and poked Principal Brackett from behind.
657
He turned around and trembled on the floor.
658
Who the hell are you?
659
I'm Grace's good angel.
660
You're supposed to say guardian angel.
661
Same department.
662
Principal Brackett started shaking so hard, his lips trembled.
663
What do you want from me?
664
To save your soul, you must return every dollar you stole from the school donation fund.
665
Transfer it to this account.
666
Now.
667
This is insane!
668
So is hell.
669
He tried to run to the door, but we had already copied the key and locked it from the inside.
670
Then he ran to the window and yanked it open.
671
For one second, I thought he was actually going to jump.
672
But then he turned around, breathing hard, and glared at Queen.
673
Wait a minute.
674
No, this is a prank.
675
You think this will work on me?
676
He stepped toward her.
677
Queen didn't even flinch.
678
She shoved him hard in the chest.
679
He stumbled back against the wall, shocked.
680
Then she pulled a pocket knife from her sock and held it close to his cheek.
681
I almost sat up and ruined the whole plan because for one terrifying second, I thought Queen might actually do something stupid.
682
The money.
683
Now.
684
He grabbed his laptop with shaking hands and transferred the money.
685
The second it went through, Queen and Riot disappeared back into the fog, opened the door, and left.
686
A few seconds later, I opened one eye, sat up, and dusted off my shirt.
687
Wow, guess I'm not dead after all.
688
Principal Brackett stared at me, trembling.
689
See you later, Mr. Bucket.
690
But then I walked out before he could faint.
691
The next day, I took the money and gave it to Elijah.
692
He was shocked, speechless, and hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe.
693
Then I excused myself to the bathroom, and Queen showed up instead.
694
She hugged him too, then quickly excused herself to the bathroom.
695
Then Riot showed up, grabbed his face, and kissed him.
696
From around the corner, Queen hissed.
697
That little snake.
698
Elijah looked extremely confused, but happy, so he just smiled and kept thanking me.
699
Grace, I owe you my life.
700
Go save your mama.
701
Elijah's mom's surgery was supposed to happen in two days, but a whole week passed and he still hadn't come back to school.
702
I got so worried that I went to his place, but it was empty.
703
I asked the neighbors
704
and they told me the guy who lived there had only rented the place for a few months
705
and left a couple of days ago.
706
I couldn't believe it.
707
Elijah had lied.
708
He didn't live there and he probably didn't even have a sick mom.
709
He did all of that just to take money from us? From me?
710
My eyes started burning and I didn't know what to do.
711
So I ran straight to Mrs. Mitch.
712
She always knew what to do.
713
But when I got to her office, half of her stuff was packed in boxes.
714
Oh, honey, I resigned.
715
Principal Brackett forced me out because he wants to hire one of his relatives.
716
I'm sorry, sweetheart.
717
Could this get any worse?
718
I sat down and started crying.
719
Then I told her everything.
720
Oh, honey, him being called Peacock should have been your first sign.
721
Wait, I never told you his name was Peacock?
722
Well, sweetheart, I'm the school counselor.
723
I hear things.
724
She turned away and started packing faster.
725
Anyway, Elijah is far away now, getting his mom treatment for her Crohn's.
726
But I never told you his mom had Crohn's.
727
Mrs. Mitch stopped moving.
728
For one second, she looked nervous.
729
Honey, I really don't have time for this.
730
I need to leave, so please.
731
That's when she picked up her car keys and I saw the keychain.
732
It was this weird handmade farmer toy with a big hat.
733
The same keychain Elijah had.
734
Oh my freaking God.
735
Mrs. Mitch was in on it.
736
She had planned this with Elijah.
737
She had listened to me, comforted me, protected my secret, and then used all of it to rob us.
738
She noticed the look on my face, and her sweet smile disappeared.
739
Before you do anything stupid, remember this.
740
I recorded our sessions.
741
If you expose me, I expose your family.
742
Your mother goes to jail, and you and your sisters get separated.
743
So be smart, Tito.
744
I couldn't move.
745
Now get the hell out of my office.
746
I stood up without saying a word and walked out, feeling like my body was moving without me.
747
You did what?
748
That night, I told my sisters everything.
749
Queen grabbed me by the collar, but I didn't even react.
750
Maybe if you two actually listened to me, or cared about me, or respected me even a little.
751
I wouldn't have gone looking for love from a stranger.
752
Just then, Riot slapped me.
753
Are you listening to yourself?
754
You're the smart.. one, the strong one.
755
Since when do smart, strong people need love?
756
For my whole life, I thought I was the weak one, the boring one, the bullied one.
757
But maybe I wasn't.
758
Maybe I was the reasonable sister, the one who kept saving everyone.
759
And somehow, I had never realized my sister saw me that way.
760
Wait, you think I'm smart and strong?
761
Obviously. And pretty?
762
I didn't say pretty.
763
We have the exact same face.
764
Yeah, but Queen is the scary one, I'm the fun one, and you're the responsible one.
765
I'd use a different word than fun.
766
Are you two done with your TED talk, or should I bring snacks?
767
We need to fix this mess before it gets worse.
768
And no one, and I mean no one, steals from Queen.
769
I nodded slowly, like some ancient philosopher who had just discovered wisdom.
770
I have a plan.
771
The next day, I went to Principal Brackett's office.
772
He almost fainted when he saw me.
773
Then he grabbed a cross from his desk and held it up like I was a vampire.
774
What do you want from me?
775
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
776
Relax.
777
I just want Mrs. Mitch's phone number, where she is, and everything you can find on Elijah White.
778
Yes, of course.
779
I'll contact some people.
780
You'll have everything in an hour.
781
A few days later, Mrs. Mitch walked into an abandoned building and found Elijah waiting inside.
782
What are you doing here?
783
Why did you want to meet here?
784
I told you no contact for a few weeks.
785
What are you talking about?
786
You sent me a message to come here.
787
Just then, Queen stepped out from the shadows.
788
Actually, I sent both of you the message.
789
I think we should all talk.
790
They both looked shocked for a second, but Mrs. Mitch pulled herself together fast.
791
Oh, Tito sent you?
792
That weak, dumb little girl?
793
I told her I had the recordings.
794
Yeah, about that.
795
Remember the link you clicked yesterday?
796
Tito hacked your computer and deleted the recordings.
797
And as for the recorder in your car, Riot is outside taking care of it.
798
Mrs. Mitch's face, twisted.
799
Are you crazy?
800
I'll report you.
801
I'll ruin your lives.
802
Please, Queen.
803
She made me do it.
804
She knew I was new, broke, and desperate, and she used that to drag me into her plan.
805
I was just like you.
806
I thought she cared.
807
I liked you guys, and I really cared about Tito.
808
Shut up, you idiot.
809
I don't have time for this.
810
She tried to walk past
811
Queen, but Queen flicked her lighter and tossed it before her next step.
812
The second it hit the floor, fire shot up.
813
Mrs. Mitch screamed and stumbled back.
814
She tried to run the other way, but flames erupted there too.
815
Then another path lit up, cutting her off from the exit.
816
She stood there, trapped and panicking.
817
Are you crazy?
818
We're all going to die!
819
I don't care.
820
At least that would make
821
Mom's life easier.
822
Two daughters are easier to hide than three.
823
Elijah started panicking too and turned on her.
824
This is all your fault.
825
You dragged me into your mess and now we're all gonna die.
826
You knew I was broke.
827
You knew I grew up in foster homes and didn't have anyone.
828
So you acted like you cared, and I was stupid enough to believe you.
829
My sister is outside, Mrs. Mitch.
830
She can save you after you sign these papers.
831
I'll sign whatever you want.
832
Just get me out of here before this place goes up.
833
Queen made her transfer all the money back to Mom's account.
834
Then she shoved a stack of papers in front of her, and Mrs. Mitch signed them without reading.
835
The paper said she was giving us half her belongings, including the huge house she bought with stolen money.
836
We weren't going to take any of it, but if she ever threatened us again, we had our own threat ready.
837
When she finally looked up, disgusted, she glared at Queen.
838
Shame on you, Queen.
839
Tito would never do this.
840
She's too weak and scared.
841
You should be more like her.
842
But then I took off
843
Queen's sharp glasses and put on my round nerdy ones.
844
Mrs. Mitch froze.
845
It's me, Tito.
846
You know, the weak one, the scared one, the one you thought would never fight back.
847
And you still couldn't tell I wasn't queen.
848
You knew there were three of us, Mrs. Mitch.
849
But you built your whole scam around that secret, and you still got fooled by a pair of glasses and some attitude.
850
And you had the nerve to call me dumb, you stupid manipulative fraud.
851
Mrs. Mitch's face collapsed and she started crying.
852
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just get me the hell out of here!
853
I whistled and Queen dropped a rope from above.
854
Mrs. Mitch grabbed it immediately.
855
Then it was Elijah's turn.
856
I'm sorry, Tito.
857
I was weak and helpless, just like you.
858
And she used me.
859
I looked at him for a second.
860
Just go, Elijah.
861
And with that, he left.
862
Then I followed after him.
863
Later that week, someone knocked on the door.
864
Mom opened it, and seconds later, she stormed back in and shut the door.
865
There is a boy outside asking for Tito.
866
He literally said, Can I speak to Grace, Tito?
867
What is going on?
868
It's okay, Mom.
869
I'll handle this.
870
I opened the door, and Elijah was standing there.
871
The moment he saw me, he gave me this nervous little smile.
872
First of all, I can't tell you how sorry I am.
873
And I don't expect you to forgive me.
874
But I feel terrible.
875
And I miss you.
876
I miss the way your left eye twitches before you laugh.
877
The way you scratch your nose before you say something smart.
878
The way you comb your front strands with your fingers before you nod.
879
And the way you play with your ear before you get emotional.
880
Just like now.
881
I immediately moved my hand away from my ear.
882
Okay, that was very specific and beautiful.
883
Also, I brought this bag.
884
He lifted a small duffel bag and handed it to me.
885
This was my share.
886
Mrs. Mitch gave it to me after everything.
887
I didn't spend it.
888
I couldn't.
889
Not after what we did to you.
890
I looked inside and saw stacks of cash.
891
Your family needs it more than I do.
892
And there's something else inside.
893
Underneath the cash, there was something else.
894
A portrait made from hundreds of tiny painted pictures of me.
895
Together, they formed one big peacock.
896
I couldn't help but chuckle.
897
I was planning to give you this, but I never got the chance.
898
I'm not asking us to be together.
899
I'm just asking if we can be friends.
900
I didn't know if I trusted him completely yet.
901
But for once, I wanted to choose for myself.
902
I looked at him.
903
And he looked so cute and charming, just like the first day I met him.
904
Then I pulled him close and hugged him.
905
Are you kidding me?
906
She gets the hot guy and character development?
907
Elijah heard her and chuckled.
908
I laughed too, then hugged him again.
909
So yeah, I learned that being strong doesn't always mean being loud, scary, or fearless.
910
Sometimes it means finally standing up, even when your hands are shaking and for the first time in my life,
911
I didn't feel like the boring one anymore.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “I Have Two Sisters No One Knows About”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: queen, Riot, Elijah. This video has 910 sentences and 7797 words to shadow. The speech runs for 47:39. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| honey noun | /ˈhʌni/ | A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans. |
| panic noun | /ˈpænɪk/ | Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare. |
| shock noun | /ʃɔk/ | A sudden, heavy impact. |
| angel noun | /ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/ | An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. |
| knock verb | /nɑk/ | To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| disappear verb | /dɪsəˈpɪɹ/ | To vanish. |
| hug verb | /hʌɡ/ | To cling closely together. |
| stare verb | /stɛɚ/ | To look fixedly (at something). |
| hallway noun | /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ | A corridor in a building that connects rooms. |
| shove verb | /ʃʌv/ | To push, especially roughly or with force. |
| pocket noun | /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ | A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items. |
| confused adjective | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | unable to think clearly or understand |
| knife noun | /ˈnaɪ̯f/ | A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. | |
| turn around verb | To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount. | |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. | |
| hand over verb | To relinquish control or possession of something to someone. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
| sit up verb | To assume a sitting position from a position lying down. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Wait, didn't I wax your eyebrows and lip last week?
- Do you think I'm stupid?
- Wow, you guys don't waste time, do you?
- You're taking her to the hospital?
- Wait, you think I'm smart and strong?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if this ever happens again, I'll kick · if she missed one more practice, she'd get |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was called · being confronted · being jumped |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've learned · I've been · have you been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | guy who read · serum, which was · guy who lived |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 154 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, shove /ʃʌv/, donation /doʊˈneɪʃən/, sharp /ʃɑɹp/
- Long words — get the stress right: technically /ˈtɛk.nɪˌkəl.i/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like honey, panic, shock.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.