Age:
Middle School
Reading Level: 5.1
Chapter 1
The bus came to a creaking stop in front of Green Valley Middle School. Most kids had risen from their seats before the driver even opened the doors.
Sage McGovern remained seated. She didn’t want to appear too eager.
At the age of 14, she felt that many of her classmates still had a lot of growing up to do.
She hated being treated like “just a kid” and couldn’t wait to leave her middle school days behind.
She imagined high school as a wonderland filled with large friend groups, school dances, and other social gatherings.
She even had plans to try out for the freshman volleyball team!
Sage could feel her thighs sticking to the foamy bus seat. There was one month left before summer break. The temperatures had started to spike.
She looked down at her rust-orange shorts. She chose them because they complemented her light-brown complexion. It was important to look nice.
Chapter 2
Sage and her family moved to Green Valley at the beginning of the last school year. Although she was sad to leave her friends back home, she felt excited about experiencing something new.
She quickly noticed that her new school had many tight-knit groups. Most of her time at Green Valley, she tried to join one specific group.
Avery, Jasmine, Mila, and Taylor were called "the Populars." They were the most well-known girls at school.
Some of them had older siblings already in high school. They each had something special that made everyone see they were cool.
Sage was sure that nobody thought of them as “just kids.” Sage had talked to the Populars several times over the school year. Although she thought that they had all gotten along well enough, she always felt that she just floated on the outside of their group.
She only had a few more months before high school started to make her dreams for the future a reality.
Chapter 3
Once the bus emptied, Sage exited as well. She tossed her long black braids over her shoulder.
Sage had been begging her mom to let her get honey-brown box braids for the past few weeks. She felt confident a striking new look would help her look older. She argued it would play a huge role in her transition to her teen years.
Her mom didn’t seem to buy it just yet.
Sage decided to put aside any thoughts about her hair for now. Today, her class would be opening time capsules left by previous students from 2005.
She welcomed the distraction from the typical school day.
