Well, I know we said we'd update more so we owe you an apology.
We had a death in the family, meaning Simone's computer wasn't really available.
Anyways - what's new with Kylie?
High school is a million times better than middle school. Yes, the classes are hard, but everyone for the most part gets along well. I like the people in my classes and my teachers. I miss seeing my sisters around, but Hannah, Natalie and Emily will be here next year. The next year Erin and Emma will come and then Kit.
The soccer team is doing relatively well. Our record is about even, not bad. I really like the girls on the team. Marching band has also been fun and the football team is UNDEFEATED. Band and choir are gearing up for our first concert.
Things are great with Jake <3 I wish I saw him more but he feels like he couldn't have gone to Heights. Whenever he scores a goal in the soccer games he points to me in the stands and that makes me feel so good.
So, all in all, it's a good time to be Kylie.
Oh, and before I go, our newest family photo -
Back: Emma, Natalie, Kylie, Hannah, Erin; Front: Sarah, Kit, Emily, Molly, Helina
It's getting harder and harder to fit us all in one frame. Of course since we're likely getting another sister at Christmas, then one during spring break, then two this summer..... she plans to stop at 20 of us.
Okay everyone.
I stopped blogging for a while because I was really busy, lost interest and wasn't getting comments, but I've decided to start blogging again.
So, a lot has happened. I last updated after my middle school graduation. Jake told me he loved me that day and - well, things have been pretty good since then. We've been dating since then and I've been SO happy. We went to the Glee concert together on June 14. IT. WAS. AMAZING. My three favorite songs were "Don't Stop Believing," "Somebody to Love" and "Loser Like Me." I wish Finn and Rachel had done a duet, but other than that, it was perfect. Jake and I held hand during "Somebody to Love!"
I went to camp in Virginia for four weeks. It was amazing! A month of swimming, horseback riding, biking, rock climbing, ropes courses, campfires, crafts, canoeing, archery, hiking and more! I loved it so much and made lots of great friends. I want to go back next year.
We got a new sister for Simone's 20th birthday - Emily! She's really pretty and nice, she and Natalie have especially become good friends. She's the same age as Natalie and Hannah.
So, high school. Yeah, it's cool. I wish Jake had come to Heights though. The people I've met there are for the most part really nice. I'm doing soccer and marching band right now, as well as Symphonic Winds and Singers. Our soccer team is 3-2 - not bad :) The first football game was Friday and it was fun performing at the game. I've gotten lots of homework, but I guess that's to be expected.
I'll update again soon :)
~ Kylie
I graduated finally.
Goodbye, Miramar Middle School.
Hello, Heights High School.
Sadly, this also means goodbye, Jake Cirino.
My graduation ceremony was super nice, as predicted. I got to perform with the band and the choir and the student speakers were actually pretty good :)
I was glad when we marched out of the auditorium, then walked through the halls as the sixth and seventh graders applauded.
I hung out with my friends for a little after the ceremony, but really, I wanted to be with my sisters. With Hannah and Natalie and Erin and Emma and Kit and Molly and Angelina and Alice and Helina and Sarah.
This year has had its ups and downs and had I not had my amazing sisters.... I NEVER would have made it.
And I also love my blogging buddies: Lanie, Harper, Emma, Bethie, Brooklyn and the rest of you.
As we were leaving the school, I heard someone calling, "Kylie, Kylie!"
It was Jake.
I stopped and waited for him, as my family continued down the road.
When he arrived, I smiled and said, "Good luck next year."
He looked me in the eye and said, "I love you."
DC was absolutely amazing.
Seriously, it was like the best week of my life. I was so mad when we left today.
We visited all sorts of important landmarks in the country. On Tuesday afternoon when we arrived we went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and it was so cool seeing the money made. In the evening we went to a play at Ford's Theatre and also went to the theatre museum. The play wasn't the best, but the theatre was really nice and the museum was cool.
Wednesday morning - we woke up early and went to - you guessed it - the White House. I still can't believe we got to go there. No, we didn't get to meet Obama (darn), but the rooms we saw were cool. We went into the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room and the State Dining Room.
After lunch we went to the US Capitol Building and got a tour. We got to meet our Congresswoman and both of Ohio's US Senators. We also went to the National Air and Space Museum in the afternoon and it was pretty cool.
On Thursday morning we got a tour of the Pentagon. We went into the room where the planes crashed on 9/11 and it was a little disturbing but it was fun seeing everything else there. In the afternoon we went to the Supreme Court building and then on a tour of the monuments. My favorite monument was World War II.
In the evening we went on a ferryboat ride on the Potomac river and had dinner on it. There was a band singing romantic love songs. I sat with Jake on the boat and we just stared into the river not talking for a while and it didn't feel awkward at all. At one point he put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder. It felt so good.
Whoever dates Jake is REALLY lucky. He's really sweet and he makes me feel good about myself. Lots of my friends are in abusive relationships, and although Jake and I have conflicted feelings, I know he'd never hurt me. Screw that. Whoever's friends with that boy is lucky. I'd be lucky to end up with a boy like him.
Today we didn't do much. We went to the an afternoon Nationals game and we also went on a tour of the Washington Post building. The bus ride back to Cleveland was long so I'm really tired. I'll post pictures tomorrow :)
Tomorrow I leave for the eighth grade trip to DC with my school.
I'm pretty excited.... never been there before :)
I'm personally hoping there will be some Jaylie moments.... I'll let you know when I get back on Friday :)
PS: Oh and Simone wants me to share that she hit 13000 reads on FanFic. If you haven't read her fanfics yet: www.fanfiction.net/~finchelfan728
28 days (not counting weekends or days off) until I'm done with middle school forever.
I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Things have been pretty crazy. It feels like I'm always either preparing for end of the year stuff at the middle school or up at the high school. Taking assessments to see what classes I'll be in, practicing with the band and choir, assessments for sports.... oh yeah, I made Symphony AND Singers. I also got on the soccer, swimming and softball teams :)
It's crazy to think that there's only 28 days of middle school left. Miramar was a culture shock at the beginning of the year, but the high school is so much bigger. There's so many more people. All three middle schools come together at the high school, making nearly 2000 kids.
This is the last month of a phase of my life. High school is a major step between childhood and adulthood. It's when you start becoming more self-reliant, you're expected to do more things on your own.
Next year, Hannah and Natalie will be in eighth grade at Miramar, Erin and Emma will be in seventh grade there and Kit will be in sixth grade there. Molly will be top-of-the-school at Cambridge, a fifth grader. Helina and Sarah will be still be home, luckily. If the talk's true, there will be more additions - we might be getting another sister closer in age with us late in the summer, for Simone's birthday.
Middle school is full of cliques and raging hormones. So why am I having mixed emotions about leaving? From what I've heard, things calm down in high school. There is drama, but at Heights, most people are friends.
Maybe it's because I'll miss Jake so much. I'm still not too thrilled about him going to Loyola. I try not to talk about it because he knows he can't go to Heights. Not after everything that's happened to him at Miramar or now that Graham's going to be there. He's assured me we can still be friends but I really want us to be more than that. I'm not going to say anything though........
I am looking forward to the eighth grade trip to DC in two weeks, the eighth grade Cedar Point trip and the dance. And of course, graduation! Our duet's going to sound even better at graduation than it did at Severance!
My free hour is almost over, so I've got to go now. I will have to update more!
Can I just say that other than the lack of Finchel, I absolutely adored tonight's episode of Glee?
First, I thought it tackled real life issues head on. I've been disappointed in some recent episodes (A Night of Neglect, Comeback, Special Education, etc.) As one who's always been insecure about my looks, it was nice to see how they handled it and how at the end everyone came to accept the things they like least about themselves.
I love the budding friendship between Rachel and Quinn. I always thought those two would make a good pair and this episode had some great moments between them. Loved their duet!
Also thrilled that Kurt is back at McKinley! The ND weren't the same without him. I will miss the Warblers - liked their goodbye song and hope it doesn't hurt Klaine. Loved the Furt hug during the goodbye song.
And as much as I hate Fuinn as a couple with a burning passion, when Lauren put those nasty posters of Quinn (or should I say, Lucy?) all over the school, I loved how sweet Finn was to her. I felt really bad for her - nobody should have their embarrassing past depicted for the world to see.
Although they weren't officially together, I did love the Finchel moments - Finn telling Rachel she's beautiful and taking her to the doctor and feeling so bad about hitting her in the face. Hopefully they'll be back together soon!
So, great episode! If you missed it tonight, watch it tomorrow online. You won't be disappointed.
"I want to color an orange one first!" Kit shouted.
"No, I want to be the first one to color an orange egg!" Molly yelled.
*sigh* Those two have been fighting almost nonstop lately. This morning we were coloring Easter eggs and they started lashing out at each other almost RIGHT AWAY.
The annoying thing is, then they're best friends after five minutes.
They both agreed to do orange.
The rest of us each did a separate color.
So, these were how it turned out: Molly and Kit both took orange ones, then it was blue for Natalie, pink for Erin, green for Emma, purple for Hannah and yellow for me.
Simone hid the eggs so we could do a photoshoot for an early Easter youtube video, but we'll have our real hunt tomorrow.
AND we'll FINALLY get to eat candy again!!!
Here's the video of us hunting for the eggs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJTLLmBU258&feature=channel_video_title
Movie Maker STILL isn't working so she had to record it on her camera from her computer, so the quality isn't that good.
An early Happy Easter!!!
Natalie's exact words regarding Jake and me on the way home from school today.
Jake and I brought down the house with our duet at Severance last week. Lots of people assumed we were a couple.
The next day at school I asked him if he considered us a couple. He said he has strong feelings for me, stronger than he's ever had for a girl, but he doesn't think he can get into relationships right now. He's stressed out about starting at Loyola. Graham's still giving him crap. His family's been through a lot lately. He "needs time to sort out my life" before he can have a girlfriend again.
I guess we're like Finn and Rachel from Glee, as our friends say. We always have feelings for each other, even when we're with other people, but we don't always know what to do with them.
But we're meant to be together. At least that's what I think.
Hopefully he'll be ready to be my boyfriend soon.
I asked him if he thinks we'll eventually be together. His response?
"If we didn't still have feelings for each other after everything we've been through, no. But since we do, yes."
I asked him if he thinks he'll end up dating a girl at Loyola's sister school next year.
His response?
"I don't want to date other girls, Kylie. Only you. I'll just let you know when I'm ready."
Finally, we had the big concert.
The one we spent ALL YEAR getting ready for.
The one we spent over 200 hours practicing for (yes, I calculated).
The one people spent hours arguing about solos for.
The one the district spent over $25,000 on.
The one that took place at the home of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Anyways, it was tonight.
It opened with a performance by an alumni band, then the gospel choir, then the jazz band. Then came the elementary honor choir. They sang three songs and I watched them, to see Molly and Kit.
Next came the middle school honor band. Which included me (clarinet), Hannah (flute), Natalie (violin), Erin (viola) and Emma (French horn). I think we did well on our three pieces. Despite everything, I managed to hang on to first clarinet chair.
After the middle school honor band came the middle school honor choir. Can I say I've never been more nervous in my entire life before Jake and I opened with our duet? Right before we started he smiled at me and said, "Break a leg!" I looked back at him and said, "You too!"
Turned out we killed it! The crowd was on its feet. He offered me his hand when we went back to join the rest of the choir.
Our other two songs went well, and the high school orchestra and choir were AMAZING! I can't believe next year I'll be with those groups....
Anyways - what a night! Pretty special!
This weekend was Lil Sibs weekend at Simone's school. So Simone's brother Gianni and her cousins Allie and Julie came down. As you can expect, the room was pretty full.
The fun part was that Allie brought her Nellie, Nicki and Elizabeth down :) So we hung out with them. They hadn't met Erin and Emma yet so we hung out with them. We went off on our own while Simone hung out with her brother and cousins. We had lots of fun! In the morning we went to an animal show in one of the dorms and did some sand art there. We had lunch at the rec center and in the afternoon we played on the inflatables there and went swimming. We also hung out in Simone's room and watched some Glee. Right before dinner we tie dyed t-shirts and then had dinner in one of the dining halls. After dinner we went bowling, went to see "Tangled" and watched some more Glee. It was a little noisy at night, so we're kind of tired, but everyone went home.
(Oh, and Simone's very proud of the fact that she's turned her brother and cousins into Gleeks and Finchel shippers. She does everything in her power to make everyone she knows into an Evan Lysacek fan and a Finchel shipper.)
Tomorrow is the big concert - I'm a little nervous but super excited!
Let me just tell you that last night was, by far, the best night of my life.
Stars On Ice was fantastic. Better than it was in Chicago. Not just because I went with Jake (yes, I still do love Simone, Hannah, Erin and Emma).
Jake and I went down almost right after school and took the train. (As we did on what I consider our first date.....)
The meet and greet arrival was similar to how it was in Chicago - a bunch of people crowded in the lobby. It was chaotic. I didn't expect this one to be as crowded because Chicago is so much bigger than Cleveland. I just hoped this one wouldn't be a dud like the Chicago one.
After Jake and I got our passes I was literally shaking. I was scared. Jake asked me if I was okay. I told him I was fine. He said he knew I wasn't. I told him I was just nervous. He told me I'd be okay.
We were led to the area to watch skaters warm up. One by one, they entered the ice for their warmups. Michael Weiss. Katerina Gordeeva. Todd Eldredge. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. Jamie Sale and David Pelltier. Sasha Cohen. RYAN BRADLEY!! And FINALLY - EVAN LYSACEK!!!!
"Oh my God!" I gasped. "Jake, just look at them! Both of them!"
"Sorry Kylie, I don't play for that team," Jake said.
The warmup ended and the skaters went backstage. The staff member told us that anytime, they'd be bringing out our meet and greet skaters.
"Hopefully this will be money well spent," I said to Jake. "The meet and greet in Chicago was a rip off."
"I know, you've told me that," Jake said with a laugh.
The staff member came out again. "We're ready for you guys now," she said. "Line up here."
When we got in line, I could swear I was hyperventilating. "Are you okay?" the person behind me asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Okay, because your boyfriend probably won't want to stick with you if you get this excited over other guys," she said.
Jake and I both laughed at that. Little does she know, we aren't official yet....
Finally, we got to the meet and greet room. Where EVAN LYSACEK and RYAN BRADLEY were at the meet and greet table. I screamed silently.
Jake smiled at me and said, "I hope you're happy."
"Oh, believe me, I am," I said.
The line kept moving and finally, Jake and I reached the table. "Hi, I'm Jake," Jake said. "This is Kylie. She's a little overexcited."
"Hi, Jake. Hi Kylie," Evan said with a big smile.
"Hi Evan. Hi Ryan," I managed to squeak. I handed Evan the SKATING magazine covering his Olympic win and I handed Ryan the SKATING magazine covering his Nationals win.
"I can tell you're a loyal fan if you have these," Evan said.
"Oh, she is," Jake said. "I just have the program." He put his program on the table.
"So, you're Kylie, right?" Ryan said. "K-Y-L-I-E?"
"Yeah," I said. I took pictures of them signing my stuff.
"Kylie, calm down," Jake said.
"She's fine," Ryan said, handing me my magazine. I looked at it: "To Kylie - love and best wishes! Ryan Bradley."
Then Evan handed me the magazine: "All the best Kylie! XX Evan Lysacek."
"Thank you both!" I said.
"Thank YOU!" Evan said. "Will we be taking pictures, too?"
"Yup," I said.
"You can go first," Jake said.
"Thanks," I said. I stood between Evan and Ryan and put one arm around each of them. I think it was the biggest I ever smiled.
After Jake took his picture, I gave Evan and Ryan each a hug and thanked them.
"Thank you, both of you," Evan said.
"It was great to meet you guys," Ryan said. "Enjoy the show."
"Was that great or what?" I said.
"Pretty awesome," Jake said.
The show flew by and all the skating was fantastic. The night ended WAY too soon though.
Well, I know I haven't written in a while. After being in the hospital and having that traumatic experience, I really haven't had the time to write. I'm doing better, still getting my strength back - we're just glad it wasn't worse. Still on painkillers, but I didn't need surgery.
I'm on spring break, which has been nice. I got together with Jake today and practiced our duet. Then we went to lunch on Coventry at a cool Thai place.
I guess I'm getting used to the idea that Jake's going to Loyola. I'm not happy about it, but I am getting used to it. He's assured me that we can still hang out on weekends and that I can go to soccer games, swim meets, baseball games and concerts.
I finally called things off with Ricky. It turns out things didn't go as hard as I thought they would. He had feelings for someone else too, so the relationship didn't end too hard. I offered to stay friends, but he said why bother, because we weren't friends before.
Spring break's been pretty quiet so far other than hanging out with Jake. Emma, Erin, Natalie, Hannah and I are going to the Indians opening day on Friday with some friends and we're really excited about that.
In other news - Jake and I are going to the Glee concert when it comes to Cleveland in June. I'm VERY excited. Well, everyone thinks of us as a real life Finn and Rachel :)
I'm tired, just wanted to update so you don't think I'm gone. I'll update again soon - and only six days until Stars On Ice!
PS: Oh, and Simone INSISTED that I announce that she hit 5700 reads on FanFic. She wants to get to 10000 before the end of the school year. We think she's crazy.
I've never been happier in my life to be home :)
Luckily for me, I've gotten permission to miss the rest of the week to recover. Actually, the physical wounds aren't as bad as the psychological scare. Yes, I'm still sore but I always have visions in my head of another car coming to hit me.
I've been scared to leave the house, scared whenever a car goes down the street.
Say whatever you want. I know I might be going overboard.
Anyways, let me say I have the best sisters in the world. They've been bringing me my homework every day and I'm somehow managing to keep up. Hannah, Natalie and I played Apples to Apples when I got home last night, and after they got home from school today, I made some bracelets with Emma and Erin. Molly and Kit and I watched some cartoons this morning.
Unfortunately I'm missing lots of practice for the concert, but Jake's agreed to meet over spring break to practice our duet and I can still play my clarinet.
I rolled over, not even sure where I was. I just felt a hand gripping mine, that released it as soon as I moved.
Now I realized I was in the hospital. At least I survived being hit by a car, right? I mean, I had a headache and my back was stiff, but I WAS alive.
I still felt a hand on my back. I looked and saw.
It was Jake.
"Hey," I said.
"Thank God you're okay," Jake said. "I've already lost three family members this year. I couldn't lose you too."
"I'm fine," I said. "A little achy, but I'm fine."
The doctor came in. "Hello, I need to ask you a few questions," he said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"What's your name?"
"Kylie."
"How old are you?"
"Thirteen."
"What state are we in?"
"Ohio."
"What year is it?"
"2011."
He held up a flashlight. "Follow this," he said.
I followed.
"Good job. Now, who's that young man?"
"That's Jake."
"Who is Jake?"
"He's one of my best friends."
"Lay off her," Jake said. "Clearly, she's fine."
"I can tell," the doctor said. "But we are going to keep her here overnight, just in case."
After he left, Jake said to me, "Do you feel okay?"
"As okay as I can," I said. "I really appreciate you coming here. Especially with Ricky out of town."
"When are you going to realize Ricky doesn't care about you in the way that I do?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, who's sitting with you in the hospital room?"
"That's not fair, Jake. Ricky's in Boston with the band."
"Yeah, but Kylie, look. I know you. I know how awesome you are. I clearly like you for who you are and I have some strange feeling Ricky's using you."
"Jake, I might have spinal surgery to worry about. Can we not argue? Should I get surgery?"
"I don't know. Wait until the x-rays come back."
Of course, now all I can think to myself is "WHAT AM I THINKING?" This is the guy I love. This is who sits by my side in the hospital after one of the scariest experiences of my life. This is who sees me better than anyone. So why am I dating another guy, a guy who's two years older? I guess it was because I was mad about Jake going to Loyola.
I try to change the pace of things. "Jake, have I missed anything at school?
"Yeah, actually. Today in choir we had to pick a song to express our feelings to someone and mine is for you."
"Okay, what about?"
"How I'm sorry about your accident and I care about you and I'll never let anyone hurt you again. And I'll always support you."
What did that translate to? "I want to be your boyfriend." He didn't say that but that was what I concluded.
Well, my sisters have had quite a first week at Miramar.
True, I don't see them that often, but what do you expect? They're in sixth grade and I'm in eighth.
Yesterday at school we had an intruder drill.... I'm sure this was a big culture shock to Erin and Emma, going from the sheltered InnerStar U to the real-world, diverse Miramar.
And there was a fight in the cafeteria during sixth grade lunch and the clock fell down.... fun fun fun.
Of course, the best part for me was after school on Wednesday, when I was being stupid and not watching where I was going and crossing the street and then a car hit me.
The ambulance arrived and I was hoisted on. Then I passed out.
I'll update tomorrow on what happened.... because I'm writing this you know I'm okay. My head still hurts so I'm not going to say more right now.
Well, this afternoon, Simone, Emma, Erin, Hannah and I got back from Chicago. We had a great time there, but it's nice to be back in Ohio.
So far our family is meshing well! Hannah and I got time to bond with Emma and Erin in Chicago and Natalie, Kit, Molly and the babies were waiting oh-so-patiently for us at home.
We've spent the afternoon hanging out and having sister bonding time. Then we all had a pizza dinner tomorrow.
In Chicago, we went to the AGP Friday almost as soon as we got there and picked up Erin and Emma. We also got the Pet Show outfit, Molly's Polka Dot outfit, Kit's Floral Print dress and the 2-in-1 swimsuit. (Though I don't know if we can call it Molly's Polka Dot outfit because Emma's obsessed with it.)
We went briefly on Saturday but Simone spent most of the day doing sightseeing. We went to the ice show on Saturday night but we were pretty tired. The skating was good, especially Evan. The bad news was the meet and greet was rushed and none of our favorites were there. But we still had fun!
This morning we drove back to Ohio and were reunited with our sisters. Overall a fun weekend!
Tomorrow Erin and Emma start at Miramar.... I wonder if they're up to it?
Today Simone woke us up early. How could we forget why? Today was the big day! We were off to Chicago to get Erin and Emma!
Hannah and I said our goodbyes to Natalie, Molly, Kit and the babies and headed downstairs and into the car with Simone.
Unfortunately for us, it was snowy. VERY snowy.
The good news? We still made it to Chicago in about six and a half hours.
Simone was tired, so we rested at the hotel for a while and then headed over to the American Girl Place!!
The first thing we did when we get there was get some new outfits. We picked out the 2-in-1 swimsuit (I'm wearing the bikini in the picture), the Pet Show outfit (which Erin's wearing), Molly's Polka Dot outfit (which Emma's wearing) and Kit's Floral Print dress (which Hannah's wearing).
Then, we went upstairs to get Erin and Emma!
It was so great to get to see them!
I'll write more tomorrow, but I'm tired, so I should get to bed. I will write more tomorrow, but let me tell you, Erin, Emma, Hannah and I are having lots of fun together!
Guys confuse me.
I know what I want more than anything is to date Jake.
We've barely spoken since I started dating Ricky. I'm not even that into him, so I don't know why I'm doing it.
But today, Jake came up to me at school. "It feels like we never talk anymore," he said.
"I know, right?" I said.
"So, how've you been?" Jake asked.
"Fine," I said.
"How's your boyfriend?"
"He's fine, I guess."
"What do you mean, he's fine?"
"I don't know..."
"Kylie, are you not really into him?"
"Well - not really."
"Then you should just break up with him. I've had three girlfriends and that was why I broke up with the first one. I just wasn't into her."
"I'm not really into him, Jake. But I think I should give him a chance."
"Kylie, you guys have been together for what? Two, three weeks now? If you were going to be into him, it would've happened by now."
"How long did it take you to get into Rachel?"
"I was into her before we started dating. But I broke up with her, remember?"
"Yeah. Do you still love her?"
"No. It just wasn't there anymore. I really.... I think I'm into someone else now."
"Really, who?"
"Don't worry about it!" Jake put his arm around me.
"So, ready for Loyola?" I asked.
"I'm a little nervous."
"Why? You were so excited."
"I know. I liked the idea, but now that it's actually happening..."
"Jake, clearly it isn't working out for you here at Miramar. You told me you feel like no one appreciates you."
"I think you appreciate me, don't you?"
"Well, of course!"
"Kylie, I really think I'm starting to like you..."
"Jake, you're going to Loyola. And I kind of have a boyfriend."
"But you just said you don't think you're that into him!"
"I still have to be loyal to him!"
"Well, don't think I'm giving up on you, Kylie."
"What did you just say?"
"Oh, nothing."
An issue has been brought to our minds. And by the way, it's not just Kylie today, it's a post from all of us and Simone.
I, Kylie, auditioned for the AGMA and didn't get in. I'm okay with that. Simone is a novice photographer and doesn't have the strongest software on her computer, so we didn't expect to get in.
Even when we found out we didn't get in, we knew we would cheer on our friends who DID get in. Everyone who tried out was awesome and there were over 100 other people who didn't get in. So we didn't feel bad.
However, one person, who Simone considered to be a friend in the past, did not get in and began bullying the co-hosts and some girls who got in. It got so bad that two VERY valuable members of the YouTube community wanted to quit.
What we want to say is not to let the haters get you down. All of our friends on here are such special people. It was in the AG community that Simone met two of her best friends. And many other special people.
If someone is mean to you, simply block them. They aren't worth your time. There are lots of other people who appreciate you. You are so much more talented and more special than them.
We love our friends in the AG community!
Simone, Kylie, Hannah, Natalie, Kit, Molly, Helina and Sarah
Hey everyone!
This is Simone tonight, not Kylie.
I recently discovered FanFiction. I created an account on FanFiction.net and my first FanFic piece is in process. I only have four chapters up so far, but it's coming along and I like it so far :)
I don't really like sharing ANYTHING I do online with people I know offline, but here's the link to read my story. If you'd like to read it: http://www.fanfiction.net/~finchelfan728
Thanks! :)
Okay, Kylie's back. One more thing. NINE MORE DAYS UNTIL WE LEAVE FOR CHICAGO! Me, Hannah and Simone are going and you know who's coming home with us? Erin and Emma!!! We're sooo excited! We'll also be getting some new clothes. Don't worry, I'll tell you ALL about it when we get back :)
Well, today at band practice, Jake's dad came with a big, thick blue and gold envelope with "Congratulations!" written on it.
When Jake opened it, I knew what it meant before he even told me.
He got into Loyola.
AND he got scholarship money for band, choir, soccer, swimming, baseball, academics and financial need, so it will barely cost his family anything.
He's officially a member of the Loyola High School of Cleveland Class of 2015.
And I'm officially devastated.
Not that I didn't know he'd get in. I knew he would. There would have to be a bunch of buffoons on Loyola's admissions committee if he didn't get in.
I know I'm technically dating Ricky, but I don't know what to do. I love Jake and I have for a while. But what if he doesn't love me?
I didn't want to say anything to Jake about my feelings, so I just said, "Congratulations. I hope you have a great time there."
He smiled at me and said, "Thanks. You have a great time at Heights."
Time to do some serious soul-searching. Why do I keep dating other guys when I know Jake is THE ONE?
Today we got up at 6 a.m. (WOO HOO! not) to go to the Northeast Ohio regional Science Olympiad competition. We always have fun, but we never advance to States and the Roxbury (FKA Pinewood) kids always do. (Then the district always gives them a huge showdown....)
We took the bus to the competition with the Mount Vernon kids. So we had to get to Miramar SUPER EARLY, then picked up the Mount Vernon kids, then got to the Case Western Reserve University, where the competition was being held, with middle schoolers all throughout Northeast Ohio.
Jake and I were partners for forensics. Things have been awkward for us during the last few days, so it was not easy being his partner. To add to that, Rachel was one of Roxbury's representatives in the same event.
When I found out that Rachel would be competing against us in this event, I decided I would make sure we did well.
And we did. We won the Forensics event, and Jake smiled at me.
It felt as if we were back on good terms.
I think I did well in my other events, too. Actually, lots of the kids from Miramar did. Maybe we had a shot at States. (The top eight teams go to states.)
Before we were ready, we were sitting in the auditorium, waiting for them to announce who made the state team.
When the referee stepped up to make the announcement, my heart skipped a beat.
Eighth place was Solon Middle School. Seventh place was Brady Middle School. Sixth place was University School. Fifth was Hawken School. Fourth was Shaker Heights Middle School. Third was Beachwood Middle School. Second was Chagrin Falls Middle School.
"Oh my God! Do you think we won?" I whispered.
"And in first place, winning this competition for the first time in the history of the event, the first ever regional champions from the CH-UH school district....."
Could it be?
"Roxbury Middle School!" Of course. The school with the rich kids would win. We were kidding ourselves to think we had a chance.
The Roxbury kids began cheering, jumping up and down and hugging each other.
I think every kid from Miramar was groaning.
"Congratulate them," Mrs. B-W told us. "We do come from the same district and you'll all be together at Heights."
The Roxbury kids were still screaming and two kids were waving the trophy.
"And our alternate team for the state competition - Miramar Middle School."
"Hey, 9th out of over 30 teams. Not bad," Jake said. "Kylie, I really know I should congratulate Rachel, but I don't want to."
"I'll go with you," I said.
"So, how was your date with that guy from the high school?" Jake asked.
"It was fun," I said. The truth was, I didn't really have fun. I don't know if something's there for us.
I started walking over to the Roxbury kids with Jake. The kids were still screaming as if they'd won the Olympics.
"Rachel," Jake said. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, Jake," Rachel said. For the first time ever, she smiled at me and said, "And thanks, Kylie."
What am I doing with myself?
I keep agreeing to date guys I'm not even interested in when the guy I want is right there and available.
I'm just mad at myself.
I don't want to be a stereotypical teenage b****/ slut.
I want to be different.
I wanted to think I was different.
Adolescence is confusing for everyone.
Eventually, I bet I will figure things out.
I want to know what's going on with Jake. He and I need to fall in love.
What is wrong with me?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Well, I took Ricky up on his offer.
I decided to call him and chat. He said he really likes me. To be honest this is a little creepy, but I could at least give him a try.
So we're going to the play at a nearby college on Saturday.
I still feel a twinge of guilt though. What about Jake?
From the first day I met him, I knew Jake was the type of guy I want. It sounds like I'm planning far into the future, but I can see myself marrying Jake and raising kids together. Maybe that's too far into the future. Okay, I can see myself going to prom and high school dances with him. I can see myself cheering him on at his soccer, swimming and baseball games next year and telling the other people in the stands "That's my boyfriend!"
Jake has all the qualities I look for in a boyfriend or a friend. It's not just that he's physically attractive, he is that. But he's smart and he's athletic and he's funny. He seems to know how to make any situation fun. He's really easy to talk to. I can be myself around him and he makes me feel good about myself, even at times when everyone else is making me feel bad.
So why did I agree to go out with Ricky?
Life is so confusing at times.
When I arrived at school today, Jake ran up to me and said, "Kylie! You're dating a sophomore at the high school?"
"Jake, I agreed to go on a date with him! He isn't my boyfriend!"
"Don't I count for anything?"
"You took advantage of me when I liked you. Now someone else likes me. I've known you since October. If you liked me, you would have asked me out!"
"You've got to listen to me!"
"Oh, I have listened to you! I thought you were a nice person. You were my only friend here at Miramar. I guess I was wrong."
"Okay, so I'm going on a date with a boy! I continued to be your friend when you had a girlfriend!"
"That was because the feelings came slowly...." He just ran away.
And I'm just confused.
So, today I had off school. I wanted to hang out with Jake and practice our duet (which always makes me feel over the moon), but he had baseball tryouts at Loyola. So I went to a party the high school swim team was having a party for the end of the season.
I went with several of my friends and had fun. Cannonball contests with the high school kids. Games of Marco Polo and Red Light Green Light. Snacking on pizza, chips and candy.
Then a guy pushed me into the pool.
I screamed when I fell in and looked up and saw a guy laughing. He was tall and busty with shaggy dirty blond hair and blue eyes.
"Gotcha!" he said.
"Oh. You're Ricky Houston. You're the first Sectional champion Heights had in years. 100 Backstroke. You're the concertmaster in the Heights High symphony," I said.
"Yup. And you're Kylie Quantrell. You're going to be singing the opening duet at Severance with Jake Cirino and first clarinet."
"How'd you know?"
"Oh, I keep close tabs on the eighth graders. We try to find the perfect people for our team and let me tell you, I really hope you swim next year!"
"I'm definitely planning on swimming!"
"Great! Hey, wanna get a soda?"
"Sure!"
We end up sitting by the side of the pool chatting and he says, "Hey Kylie, do you have a boyfriend?"
"Uh..... not right now. Not really."
"What about Jake?"
"He's just a close friend."
"Have you ever had one?"
"Well, I took a guy to Winter Formal.... but he and I don't see each other anymore."
"Well.... how do I say this? I've seen you a lot and I like you a lot. Would you like to.... go out sometime?"
"Ricky, I just met you!"
"Come on! You know better than to date that dorky school board member's son!"
"I don't know!"
"Here's my number," he said, handing me a piece of paper. "Call me."
I shoved it into my bag.
"Kylie!"
"I didn't say no."
"Well, the offer's good until further notice."
All I can wonder is - is he another Graham? I really don't know what to do.
My heart belongs to Jake. But if his doesn't belong to me - maybe I should take a chance with someone else.
Jake and I got together earlier today to practice our duet. We went to his house, which is SO much quieter and cleaner than mine. His parents are super nice and stay out of his business and he actually gets along with his brother who's three years younger.
All week I've been waiting for him to tell me that I'm his girlfriend. But there's no way I can tell him about what I heard without revealing that I had snuck down to Loyola to spy on him.
After running through our duet a couple times we decided to sit down and take a break. His dad made hot cocoa for us (we live in Ohio - even though it was warm out earlier this week) and we just chatted.
"We're getting better and better, I think," I said.
"Yeah," he said. "We definitely are."
"So, how did choir tryouts go?" I asked, hoping he'd say what he said at the end of his song.
"I hope they went okay," he said. "I already had my band tryout, and I have my tryouts for all my sports next week."
"I really wish you were coming to Heights."
"I just CAN'T go to Heights, Kylie. I will miss you a lot next year, but we're friends. We can still hang out. Plus Miramar hasn't been good to me. Lots of people have bullied me. It's been a rough year. We've had three family members die within eight months. If I get into Loyola, it might make everything just... right for a while."
"Jake, I have something serious to ask you." I gulped.
"Okay what?"
"Uhhhhhhhh........ do you think you'll seriously get in?"
"That's not what you were going to ask."
"You know me too well."
"Well, what WERE you going to ask?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah, right."
Then Jake's brother and his friend came into the kitchen. "Hi Jake," the friend said. "Is this your new girlfriend?"
"Uhhhhh..... this is Kylie," Jake said. "Kylie, this is Will. He's a friend of Luke's."
"Yeah, that's his new girlfriend," Luke said.
"Jake!" I gasped.
"Kylie, I'm not sure how I feel right now," Jake said when the little boys left. "I don't know if I'm quite ready for a relationship yet.... but I am developing feelings for you."
"It's okay if you're unsure," I said. "I definitely like you a lot, but I don't know if I'm ready for a boyfriend....."
Jake's dad came in. "Kylie, Jake has soccer tryouts at Loyola soon. Want me to drop you off at home?"
"Yeah, that would be great," I said.
As we drove home, I heard these lyrics on the radio: And that was the day that I promised
I’d never sing of love If it does not exist
But darling
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
And I couldn't help think of me and Jake.
Jake came back to school yesterday. At our school we can order flowers for people to be delivered to their first period classes. I ordered some for Jake and he ordered some for me. Hmmm.
"It's good to have you back," I said to him.
"It's nice to be back," he said. "The past week was just miserable."
"Death is always hard," I said.
"That's not all. I broke up with Rachel," Jake said.
"Why?" I asked, trying not to sound happy.
"I just thought the way she acted at my grandma's wake and funeral was really rude and inconsiderate," Jake said. "I mean, you're one of my closest friends. I appreciated having you there. She just was making a show of being a b**** to you and she's been that way to you and I'm really tired of that. I'm allowed to have other friends."
"Oh, of course you are," I said.
"I was getting tired of her anyway," Jake said. "She didn't even treat me that well and I was afraid to break up with her."
"Well, now you're free," I said.
"Yes," he said. "And let me tell you, tomorrow I have tryouts for the choir at my first choice high school. The song I'm singing will certainly NOT be dedicated to her."
"Are you going there for sure?" I asked.
"If I'm accepted, most likely. I'm still waiting to hear back, but I still have to try out for band, choir, soccer, swimming and baseball, even before I find out. And they give out sports and music scholarships, so if I try out before acceptance letters, I have a better chance of getting one."
"I'll really miss you next year." (And what high school gives out sports and music scholarships?)
"I'll miss you too. I'd say come with me, but the school's all boys."
"So, what song are you singing for your choir tryout? And are you dedicating it to someone else instead?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet."
I had a feeling there was another girl he would sing for at his tryout. And I made up my mind then and there - today, I would go spy on him.
I talked Katy and Maddie into going with me. Since the strings were practicing today, we just told our families that we were going to observe the string practice. I told Natalie what I was REALLY doing though and told her not to tell the family.
We took the train downtown and then caught another bus to the high school. When we reached the address, Maddie said, "Kylie, are you SURE this is it? This doesn't look like a high school. It looks like..... I don't even know what this looks like. A small college campus."
"It costs like $20000 a year," Katy said.
"This is it," I said, pointing at the sign: LOYOLA HIGH SCHOOL OF CLEVELAND: HOME OF THE WILDCATS.
"Holy. Crap," Katy said.
The campus was CRAZY. There were three buildings. The center building: "ACADEMICS." On the left of the courtyard was "ATHLETIC CENTER." On the right was the smallest building, "RESOURCES." The courtyard was paved with marble, with a flagpole in the center, benches and picnic tables throughout.
"This isn't a high school. This is - I don't even know what this is," Maddie said.
"We've got to find the auditorium and avoid being seen by him," I said. "Let's check the resources building."
We went inside, where there was a FOUNTAIN. With the Christ in the center of it. Wow. Just wow. What type of school is this?
On the wall, the creed of Loyola men was emprinted. "I am a man for others. I am a man of Christ. I am a man of my family. I am a man of my country....."
"Here's the guide," Katy said, reading the sign. "The auditorium is on the first floor, but the balcony entrance is on the second floor. If Kylie doesn't want to be seen, we should go to the balcony."
We each grabbed a map and made our way to the balcony. I looked at the map and was just in shock. What high school has a FITNESS CENTER opened to ALL STUDENTS 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily? They have three gyms, an Olympic pool and natatorium, indoor and outdoor fields and courts..... Their library looks so extravagant from the pictures. The school has an on site market and school spirit store.
And the auditorium while we sat. Red velvet seats. Velvet curtain. Banisters that remind me of those at Severance. The auditorium seats 2000, for all school assemblies.
As the other boys tried out, we read the information on the map and were so stunned. At the high school we'll be going to next year, they have 16 AP classes, sports teams that are among the best in our league (and sometimes even go to states) and a music program (vocal and instrumental) that has won competitions throughout the Midwest. We thought that was cool until now. Here, they have FORTY AP classes (HOW MANY AP CLASSES CAN THERE BE?), sports teams that are NATIONALLY ranked and a music (again, both vocal and instrumental) that has won INTERNATIONAL competitions. Their brags about their graduating seniors are disheartening as well. At Heights, three graduating seniors went to Ivy League schools last year. How many seniors at Loyola went to Ivy League schools last year? Eleven. So far, the Class of 2011 has had five perfect ACT scores, nine perfect SAT scores and fourteen National Merit Scholarship semi finalists.
"This school is nuts!" Katy said. "They're TRYING to make others feel inadequate! Who else puts all those brags on the back of a map?"
"I know!" Maddie said. "'We are proud of having a diverse community where seven percent of our students are minority races...' That's not diverse!"
I looked at the photo of four boys in the uniform. I must think, Jake will look good in it if he ends up coming here. Khaki slacks, navy suit jacket, white shirt and blue and gold striped tie. And then, finally, we heard what I'd been waiting for.
"Hello, my name is Jake Cirino. I'm from Miramar Middle School in Cleveland Heights, and I'll be singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith."
"Very nice song choice. Let's hear it," the choir director said.
I've always loved this song. As I listened to Jake, I couldn't help but think this song was about us. As we should be.
At the end, the director said, "Very nice, Jake."
But Jake had something else to say: "I dedicate this song to my girlfriend, Kylie."
"Kylie's a very lucky girl," the director said.
OH MY GOD!
Now I didn't mind that he was possibly going to this extravagant school. Or that he was in denial for so long.
JAKE CALLED ME HIS GIRLFRIEND! TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHOIR AT THE SCHOOL OF HIS DREAMS!
The weekend of March 12, we are going to Chicago for an ice show.
And since we're going to Chicago, we're going to make a side trip to the American Girl Place!
I'm so excited! I can't wait to see all my InnerStar U friends.
Simone's going to get us some new clothes. BUT the best part is....
ERIN AND EMMA WILL BE COMING HOME WITH US!!!!!!! THEY WILL BECOME PART OF OUR FAMILY!!!!
We're all so excited they'll be our sisters. Hannah and Natalie and I really liked them at InnerStar U so we're super excited Simone's going to adopt them.
Here's a picture of Erin:
(She's a JLY 35.)
And here's a picture of Emma:
(She's a JLY 39.)
Aren't they pretty? I'm so excited!!
The last few days have been just that. Chaos.
Jake's grandmother died Wednesday morning and he wasn't in school all week. I feel so bad for him and his whole family, especially his mom (it was her mother and her father already died). His whole family is very close, his mom has three siblings and he has two cousins on that side, so it's a particularly small side. (He has five cousins on his dad's side.)
I wasn't sure about going to the wake and funeral, but after talking with my sisters and some friends, I decided I'd feel bad not going. I mean, it's nothing to do with Jake. It just seems like whenever I come into sight, Rachel starts a huge argument. Then I get emotional. The last thing Jake needs at his grandmother's wake and funeral is two girls getting in a cat fight.
I decided to call Rachel the day before (the wake was yesterday, the funeral was today) to tell her that we should act civilish toward one another. The first thing she said was (with a snap) "Why are you even going?"
"He's one of my best friends," I said. "He's been like a brother this year."
"Psssh," Rachel said. "I know you're just trying to get him."
"Rachel, just treat me with respect while we're there," I said. "I'm not going as a potential girlfriend. I'm going as a friend."
"Don't go," Rachel snapped and hung up the phone.
Guess she's hopeless. I decided to go anyway, hoping nothing would happen.
When we arrived at the funeral home, I didn't see Rachel. When we went inside, I did see her, and she gave me a nasty look.
I looked away. If she did anything, it wouldn't look good to Jake.
I signed the guestbook and went in to give Jake and his family my condolences. The four grandsons were standing close to the coffin.
"Jake..." I began.
"Kylie!" Jake said, giving me a hug. "Thanks so much for coming."
"Oh, it's no problem," I said. "I'm so very sorry. And I'm sorry for you guys too," I said to his brother and cousins.
"Thanks," Jake said. "This is my brother Luke, and my cousins, Jason and Adam."
"Good to meet you guys," I said. "Jake, is your mom here? I want to give her my sympathy."
"Yeah, I'll take you to her," Jake said. He lead me to his mother. "Mom, this is Kylie," Jake said.
"Of course I know who this is," Jake's mom said. "Thank you for coming, Kylie."
"I'm very, very sorry, Mrs. Cirino," I said.
"Well, thank you," she said. "And thanks for being here for Jake. There aren't very many nice kids at Miramar."
"Oh, your son's a great guy," I said.
I started to leave, but Rachel grabbed my arm. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Jake because I don't want to upset him, but you shouldn't have come," she snapped.
"I have had it with you," I said quietly but angrily.
Rachel followed me into the cookie room and Jake came in.
"Honestly, Rachel," Jake said, clearly noticing what was going on. "Can't you just calm down and stop giving her crap at least today? I'm allowed to be friends with other girls, you know."
"Jake, she's trying to steal you!" Rachel said.
"Well, if you make a difficult time even more difficult for me, I may be on the market," Jake said. "You'd better not give her any more crap. She's one of my best friends."
"Whatever," Rachel said.
At the funeral today, Rachel didn't talk to me, but kept glaring at me. I can not believe her. Jake didn't notice and I didn't want to tell him, but what type of girlfriend acts this way when her boyfriend's in the midst of a family tragedy?
"Oh, boy, you stand by me..."
"I'm forever yours.... faithfully!"
Jake and I finished our duet that we'll do for the opening at the big concert. Now we rehearse twice a week. It's getting closer and closer every day.... as of yesterday, nine more weeks. Holy crap. Where does time go?
"That's getting very good, you two," Mrs. Rosenberg said. "Just keep working hard and it'll sound great on the big night."
"Jake!"
Everyone turned to see Jake's dad standing in the hall. "Jake, get your coat. We've got to go."
"Go where?" Jake asked.
"We'll talk about it when we get there," Jake's dad said. "Mom and Luke are waiting for us."
"Are they okay?" Jake asks.
"Yes, they're both fine," Jake's dad said. "We've just got to go."
Jake grabs his coat and is dragged out by his dad.
"I hope everything's okay," I whisper to Ava.
"Kylie, back in position," Mrs. Rosenberg said. "We finished the duet. Now we've got to get to our group numbers."
Rehearsal crawled by. What was going on with Jake?
After rehearsal, there was a text from Hannah: "Johnny texted me to say Jake's had some sort of family emergency. He's at the hospital downtown."
I texted her back: "I'm going to go be there for him. Tell Simone I'm going to get a snack or something."
I don't even wait for Hannah to text back. I caught the bus to the hospital. Went to the ER and looked at the sign-in book. "Matt and Jake Cirino, Floor 1, Wing E."
That was enough. I was going to the waiting room of Wing E.
Sitting in the waiting room was Rachel, reading a magazine. "Rachel, what's going on?" I asked.
"Jake asked me to come," Rachel said. "After all, I happen to be his girlfriend."
"Well, I happen to be his - friend," I said. "What is going on here?"
"If you knew Jake in the way I do, you'd see this coming," Rachel said.
"Rachel, just tell me what this is all about," I said.
"Jake's grandmother has had lung cancer for about six months now," Rachel said. "She had a massive heart attack. I don't know - "
"Oh my God," I said. "Poor Jake. Poor Luke. Their poor parents."
"Kylie, this isn't your place," Rachel said. "Face it. Jake loves ME. It's the girlfriend's job to come to be with the boyfriend in a moment of crisis. You and Jake sing duets together. You go to Snow Days together. You go see Evan Lysacek together. But face it, you'll never have him."
"Fine then," I said. "I'm going home."
"Good idea," Rachel said. "Stay off my man."
As I started to leave, I heard running a familiar voice break into sobs. I turn around. Jake was now kneeling in front of Rachel, crying. She had one arm around him and was stroking his hair.
She made a face at me and I just took off.
Well, I don't know how she did it, but Simone convinced me to be her first ever model for the AGMA.
I'm a little nervous but from everything I've heard it's a LOT of fun :) Simone doesn't have much experience with making videos, but I'm happy with how the photos turned out :)
Here are some of the photos we're using for my audition (the first three are new!):
I don't know if I'll get in because lots of amazing people are trying out, but no matter what, I will definitely be watching! Good luck to anyone else trying out!
Before I post this survey, if you want to ask Simone anything, here's her formspring: www.formspring.me/americangirl728
And here's a fun survey:
*BASICS*
1. Full name: Kylie Nicole Q*******
2. Age: 13
3. Hair color: Brown
4. Eyes color: Blue
5. Grade: 8
6. Family: My guardian Simone, my sisters Hannah, Natalie, Kit, Molly, Angelina, Alice, Helina and Sarah, and Simone's parents and brother
7. Pets: none :( Hopefully we'll get some soon!
8. Height: 5' 4"
9. Best Friends: Roxy, Brooklyn, Mia, Lanie
10. Hometown: Cleveland Heights, Ohio
*FAVORITES*
11. Sport: Ice Skating, Swimming
12. Book: My Sister's Keeper
13. Color: Turquoise!
14. Animal: Guinea Pigs!
15. Movie: My Sister's Keeper
16. Music: country
17. Food: pasta
18. Drink: water
19. TV Show: Glee
20. Thing(s) to do: Hang out with friends and sisters
*PICK ONE*
21. Music or movies: Hmmm, tough decision, BOTH!
22. Democrats or Republicans: Democrats
23. Blue or pink: Blue
24. New York or California: New York
25. Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus: I HATE JUSTIN BIEBER - Miley Cyrus
26. Food or drink: Depends on what it is
27. Summer or winter: right now I think summer, but when it's hot out I'll probably say winter
28. Team sports or solo sports: solo
29. Harry Potter or Twilight: HARRY POTTER!
30. Coke or Pepsi: Coke
*DO YOU*
31. Believe in God: not sure
32. Support abortion: depends on the case
33. Have a crush (if so, who?): I'm sure you all know!
34. Smoke: no
35. Have a driver's liscence: no, I'm only 13
36. Watch TV: more than I should.....
37. Play any instruments: yes!
38. Want to go to Harvard: sure
39. Want to get married: yes
40. Get any magazines: yes
*ARE YOU*
41. Hungry: no - I just finished dinner
42. Bored: not now, but I was before I started this
43. A Girl Scout/ Boy Scout/ Cub Scout: Girl Scout
44. Christian/ Jewish/ Muslim/ Buddhist: Catholic
45. A serious student: yes
46. A serious athlete: yes
47. Jealous of someone: yes
48. Happy with your life: overall
49. More of a leader or follower: depends on the situation
50. Rich: no, but I'm not poor either
*WHO*
51. Do you expect to repost this first: whoever's in the mood - haha
52. Do you least expect to repost this: whoever doesn't see it
53. Is the "hottest" person to you: Jake
54. Is the worst person ever, to you: Hitler or Bin Laden
55. Would you like to have lunch with: Evan Lysacek
56. Would you hate to be stuck in a room with: Graham!
57. Annoys you the most: some people at school
58. Do you fight with the most: I don't argue that much with anyone
59. Would you like to kiss: Jake
60. Do you think looks good of the opposite sex: lots and lots of guys :)
*HAVE YOU EVER*
61. Been to Africa: no
62. Been on a date: yes
63. Touched alcohol: no
64. Met a celebrity: yes
65. Been away from parents for more than overnight: yes
66. Gotten grounded: no
67. Cried in public: yes
68. Gotten homesick: yes
69. Had a temper tantrum: everyone has.....
70. Skipped a homework assignment on purpose: maybe..... okay yes :)
*LEAST FAVORITES*
71. Sport: cheerleading
72. Book: my science textbook
73. Color: black
74. Animal: don't really have one
75. Movie: inappropriate ones
76. Music: rap
77. Food: that gross stew we had for Thanksgiving
78. Drink: Mountain Dew
79. TV show: Family Guy
80. Thing to do: homework
*TOP 5*
81. Friends: my sister Hannah, Roxy, Brooklyn, Mia and Lanie
82. Favorite memories: coming home for the first time, meeting Jake, going to Chicago, seeing Evan, Christmas
83. Grossest things: latrines at camp, liver, stew, makeup, tuna
84. Things you hate: annoying people, liars, having trouble sleeping, being sick, weather that's too hot or too cold
85. Biggest accomplishments: getting the clarinet solo, getting the duet, getting a 4.0 for my first semester of eighth grade, tricking Graham, my writing
86. Hot people: Jake, Evan Lysacek, Ryan Bradley, Jeremy Abbott, Adam Rippon
87. Worst people: Hitler, Bin Laden, Hussein, Bush, Cheney
88. Family members: all my sisters
89. Dreams: to meet Evan Lysacek, to date Jake, to do well in high school, to eventually have a good family, to eventually get a good job
90. People you admire: Barack Obama, Evan Lysacek, John Kerry, a girl I know who had cancer, the school board president
*WHAT*
91. Are you wearing now: a sweatsuit
92. Do you collect: programs from events I go to
93. Are you listening to now: Simone's iPod
94. Is on your shelf: photos, books, CDs
95. Color is your bedroom wall: light blue
96. Credit cards do you have: none
97. Are you thinking about now: my answers
98. Do you think of people who seem to hate everything: not highly
99. Are you most afraid of: probably high school
100. Did you think of this survey: it was fun :-)
It was five in the morning and the phone rang. Four times. I figured nobody was going to answer it so I just went and got it.
"Good morning. All schools in the district are closed due to inclement weather."
"YES!" I said to myself, before heading back to bed.
At ten in the morning I was slapped in the face with a pillow. I looked up, and there was Kit. "Kylie, get up already!" she said. "We got a snow day!"
"I know, I'm the one who answered the phone," I said.
"Well, we're pretty much locked inside," Kit said. "Just look out there."
And I looked. It was like a BLIZZARD. NOBODY was outside.
So I figured I'd just go downstairs. Natalie was practicing her violin, Molly was dancing on the dance pad and Hannah was reading a magazine.
"Look who finally got up," Molly said with a giggle.
"Yes I did," I told her.
"About time," Molly said. "What were you dreaming about? Jake?"
"Why are you even asking?" Kit said. "OF COURSE she was dreaming about Jake!"
"Guys, don't worry about it," I said.
"We just know," Kit said. Then she and Molly began singing a love song.
"Guys, stop it," I said.
"Kylie and Jake sitting in a tree. K - I - S - S - I - N - G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!" Molly and Kit scream.
"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Natalie asked.
"Don't bother, Natalie," I said. "Let them be little. When they're older, they'll have guys they're absolutely crazy about, too."
I went upstairs to my room, but Hannah followed me.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said. "But I can't remember the last time I had feelings this strong for someone. Sometimes I still wish we were still little and things like guys weren't such a big issue."
"I know Jake likes you," Hannah said. "And eventually, he will follow his heart."
Now all our favorite skaters (from left, ice dance team Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, Evan Lysacek, Ryan Bradley and Alissa Czisny) have won at least National title! Here is Simone's take from her blog:
Other than the absence of Evan Lysacek (who was sadly missed by me) a pretty exciting US Championships. In all four disciplines, the skater (or couple) I was cheering for won.
Here’s my take on the event:
MEN:
My second favorite male skater (and the second hottest skater) of all time, Ryan Bradley, won the gold! I was so excited….. when his numbers came up, I started screaming and jumping around. He’s almost as good and cute as Evan! I really hope he gets to do Stars On Ice this year. His short program was BREATHTAKING. He made a few small mistakes at the beginning of his free skate, but in my mind there was no doubt he deserved the gold. I know he’ll represent the USA well at World Championships in March.
The silver medalist, Richard Dornbush, and the bronze medalist, Ross Miner, were both very young and impressive. I’d never seen either of them before, but I think they’re both good hopes for US Men’s Figure Skating. The thing is though, since they were top three, they made the world team, and I don’t know how high they’ll place at Worlds and that could lose the US spots at Worlds in 2012 (see next paragraph).
Last year’s champion, Jeremy Abbott, was in second after the short program, but fell to fourth in the free skate. Another young rising star, Adam Rippon, had a disastrous short program and a great free skate, but only managed to move up to fifth overall. I thought that with Evan out of the mix, Ryan, Jeremy and Adam would be the strongest world team for the USA. Even though Jeremy and Adam were fourth and fifth, I was thinking at least one of them would get a place on the world team. We’ll have to see what happens. In the mean time though, congrats again to Ryan on his win! I’m so happy he finally got it!
LADIES:
Again, one of my favorite skaters won, this time Alissa Czisny. I met her at Stars On Ice last spring and she was really sweet. In the past she’s had problems with consistency, but she was really great here. She’s a really artistic skater and her jumps are getting better and better. I think that coaching change was just what she needed.
Rachael Flatt, who was second, had a great skate, much better than usual, she’s really becoming more graceful. Mirai Nagasu, who was third, is getting better, but she hasn’t quite grown on me yet. The girl who was fourth, Agnes Zawadzski (IDK if I spelled her last name right), is really good except for one fall. I can see her becoming a great skater in the future. One of the other girls I really like, Ashley Wagner, had a rough competition. Lots of the others I like (Sasha Cohen, Emily Hughes, Jenny Kirk, Kimmie Meissner, etc.) have been gone a while.
PAIRS:
Never really been a fan of Pairs, but I LOVED the team who won yesterday, Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin. They skated a really beautiful program to “Ave Maria” in memory of his mother who died last year. It was really great and emotinal. I think they WILL become a force to be reckoned with in international skating.
The winning team was the only one I really liked. I thought bronze medalists Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett should have beaten silver medalists Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig but the short program counts for something. And I also thought fourth place finishers Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker have potential (and he’s cute).
DANCE:
I definitely missed my all-time favorite dance team, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, who retired after the Olympics last year. I met Tanith and Ben at SOI last year and they were super nice. The team who won this year though, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, are easily the best ice dancing team around these days. The title was theirs before the competition began, but they were doing a great job and they always have great music.
You always get a peek in the future the year after the Olympics, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Maia and Alex Shibutani, the silver medalists. I can just tell they’ll be the next great US Dance Team. I liked the fourth place finishers, Madison and Keifer Hubbell, a lot as well. The bronze medalists, Madison Chock and Greg Zuherlin, had hideous outfits but their skating wasn’t bad.
Oh yeah.
This morning at school Jake surprised me. He handed me an envelope and in it were two tickets to Stars On Ice on April 3 AND a printout from the SOI website. That said that he and I were going to the meet and greet.
And you know who's headlining Stars On Ice? The one, the only...... Evan Lysacek.
I was already excited about going to see him in March but now I get to go TWICE! AND I get to go WITH JAKE!!!
"Jake, this is so much!" I said. "When do you want me to pay you?"
"You don't have to," Jake said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"I'm 100% sure," Jake said.
Unfortunately, some controversy is striking about me and Jake.
Today at Honors Band rehearsal Rachel's friend Danielle came up to Jake and said, "Jake, who do you like, Kylie or Rachel?"
"What do you mean?" Jake asked.
"I mean how you danced with Kylie at Winter Formal, then you two went downtown all day on Sunday, now you're singing a Finn/ Rachel duet at the big concert, now you're going to see Evan Lysacek together," Danielle said. "That sounds like boyfriend and girlfriend to me."
"Kylie's a VERY good friend of mine," Jake said.
"It seems like she's a little more than that," Danielle said.
"I am allowed to hang out with other girls," Jake said.
"What you and Kylie are doing is BEYOND hanging out, Jake," Rachel said.
"What are you doing here?" I said. "You're a string. This is the WINDS rehearsal."
"Here to punish you for trying to steal my boyfriend!" Rachel snapped. "Jacob Ryan Cirino, I am DEMANDING that you return those tickets."
"They're non-refundable," Jake said.
"Then give Kylie's ticket to me," Rachel said.
"She's the Evan Lysacek fan," Jake said.
"Whatever," Rachel said. "But I'm beginning to think this friendship is going too far."
"It isn't," Jake said uneasily.
Well, after Jake and I danced together in front of the whole school, he called me Sunday morning and asked me if I wanted to hang that Sunday afternoon.
"Just you and me?" I asked.
"Yeah, just you and me," he said.
So we went to the "Snow Days" at Progressive Field downtown. For the winter, the Indians stadium was converted to a winter fun park with tubing, ice skating, a maze, a walk around an area with lot of lit up trees (nice, because I miss Christmas trees), an area to play in the snow and a fire pit.
We even took the train downtown together, just the two of us. The first thing we did was go skating all around the field. (They put an ice skating trail all around the field.) The skates were smelly and the blades were dull, but that didn't bother me. Come on - I got to skate around the radius of the field with the guy of my dreams.
The tube chutes were on top of the bleachers and it was a little scary. At the bottom my tube tipped over and Jake laughed at me. So I decided to get even with him and threw a snowball at him! He threw one back at me and we just kept that up until a grumpy old man said to us, "Get out of the way! And you two are acting WAY younger than you look."
To be honest, I didn't care how stupid we looked. We probably looked even stupider when we were running through the maze calling out to each other, trying to find each other. After we did all the festivities, we just sat at the fire pit drinking hot cocoa and talking.
When I got home, the first thing Natalie said to me was, "I can't believe you spent the whole afternoon outside in this frigid cold weather."
I said, "It was even more fun than Winter Formal!"
Yesterday the show choir had practice and our director was selecting two members to open our performance at the big concert.
Guess who he selected?
Me and Jake.
We're singing "Faithfully" from Glee.
It's the only piece the whole choir won't sing.
I'm overjoyed.
When we were practicing yesterday, Jake put his arm around me at one point. After all, it IS a love song. We might as well do some sort of love gestures.
Today at school, when we were just with the Miramar choir director, she told us she liked how we did so much on our first try, she wants us to sing it at graduation too :)
I think I'm making progress with Jake. He probably just doesn't feel ready to break up with Rachel.
Can I just say Winter Formal was the most fun I've had in a while?
What a night.
As predicted, Graham got to our house late. But we didn't let that bother us. It just gave us time to fill everyone in on the plan.
He didn't bring me a corsage. But I didn't let that bother me. By the end of the night, he wouldn't be my date.
As predicted (again), Graham trash-talked Jake and some other kids at Miramar on the way there. "Good thing I met you, Kylie," he said. "You proved Miramar isn't TOTALLY full of losers."
We pulled into the parking lot and walked into the gym, where the dance was held. Graham took one look around and groaned.
"What's wrong, Graham?" I asked.
"I'd forgotten how many black people there were here," Graham said.
"Can you say racist much?" Natalie's date, Will, said.
"They're no different from you," I said. "They just look different."
"Whatever," Graham said. "Let's go get some refreshments."
"I was thinking the same thing," Hannah said, as she and I exchanged a smile. Our plan was about to start.
When we got to the refreshment table, Graham took a look and said, "These don't look like they were catered by an expensive restaurant."
"Maybe because they weren't," I said.
"Kylie, I should have brought you to a dance at my school instead," Graham said. "Your school is too ghetto."
"Don't say that, Graham," I said.
"Kylie, get me some punch," Graham demanded. Normally I'd tell him to get it himself, but this let Hannah and I carry out part of the plan. And, to make luck better, Jake was coming over.
"Hey, Graham," Jake said.
"Oh, NOW you're talking to me, Jake?" Graham asked. "I thought you were done with me forever."
"I thought it over and I forgive you," Jake said, as Hannah, Natalie and I dropped mints (thanks Roxy!) into Graham's punch, as their dates looked on giggling.
"Here's your punch, Graham," I said.
He took a sip. "This tastes weird," he said.
AND THEN IT EXPLODED ALL OVER HIM!!!
"OH MY GOD!" Graham shouted. "I KNEW what a crappy school this was."
"I don't know, nothing's wrong with mine," I said.
"Whatever," Graham said. "Come on Kylie, let's dance, that is if you're not embarrassed to be seen on the floor with me."
"Oh, I'm not," I said, knowing that the next phase of our plan was already underway.
"Come on," I said, taking Graham's hand and heading toward the dance floor.
"What's going on?" Graham said. He was stuck to the floor.
Of course I knew what happened. I wasn't going to say though.
"What type of school is this?" Graham screamed.
"You could just take off your shoes," Hannah's date, Johnny, said.
"Ew, that's gross," Graham said.
"Well, what do you want to do, Graham?" I asked.
"Fine, I'll take off my shoes," Graham snapped. He pulled of his shoes - which had gum stuck to the bottom.
He screamed like a toddler.
"Who did that?" he shouted.
"I don't know, but you weren't very well liked when you went here," I said.
"I'm done with this crap," Graham said. "And Kylie, I'm done with you."
He stormed out of the gym.
"We showed him," I said laughing.
"Yes we did!" Hannah said.
"Kylie, I think you got him out of my way for a while," Jake said. "Way to go!"
"Thanks Jake!" I said.
"And Kylie, seeing as you don't have a date anymore.... would you like to share a dance?" Jake asked.
"Yes!" I said. Trying not to give it away that this was what I'd been waiting FOREVER for.
"JAKE!" Rachel snapped.
"Hey, her date walked out on her," Jake said. "She deserves a dance."
And we went to the center of the room and slow-danced for an entire song.
MANY people were looking on :)
Tomorrow's Winter Formal!
I'm actually really excited. Graham called to say he's excited too. I'm sure I'll have a great time - but I don't know if Graham will.....
I can't disclose any details of our plan, but let me say it WILL NOT DISAPPOINT.
We even got Jake in on it.
Full recap will be given within 24 hours of the dance :)
Yup, I got my ears pierced! Here's a closeup of both my ears!
It actually didn't hurt.... I thought it would but it didn't. All five of us went together. Natalie (being the daredevil she is) went first. Then Molly went and she screamed. Kit then decided she was too scared too. But after Hannah and I got ours done she decided she wanted hers too. So now we all have pretty earrings!
I picked out a really nice pair for Winter Formal. And speaking of Winter Formal.... Hannah, my cybertwin Roxy and I have a plan stirred up..... and Jake might help! I can't post details yet though.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The phone rang last night. I was planning on calling Graham and telling him I didn't want to go to the Winter Formal with him after all.
No date is better than a mean one.
But I decided to answer this call.
Guess who it was?
Graham.
"Hello, Graham," I said unenthusiastically.
"Hey, Kylie!" Graham said. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah, thanks," I said.
"Good. Because I wouldn't want you to be sick," Graham said.
"I'm fine," I said. "But Graham, I really didn't like those things you were saying about Jake." Hopefully that would make him just break up with me.
"You know what? You're right," Graham said. "Jake's a nice person and it was wrong of me to say that about him."
I doubt this was a real change of heart. He was probably just saying that to avoid me dumping him.
"So, excited for Winter Formal on Saturday?" Graham said.
"Well, Graham, there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," I said.
"About how excited you are and how much fun you'll have? I was thinking the same thing. Can't wait!" Graham said and hung up the phone.
I groaned. Apparently getting rid of Graham wasn't going to be easy.
I went to my room where Hannah was. Normally I don't like it when my sisters are in my room, but today I didn't mind.
"Hey Hannah, how am I supposed to get rid of Graham?" I asked.
"Just tell him you don't want to go with him anymore," Hannah said.
"I tried, didn't work," I said.
"Then how about we play a prank on him at the dance or something like that?" Hannah said.
"I like the way you think," I said. "Maybe not a prank, but we'll come up with something."
"You know who I think we should get in on it?" Hannah said.
"Who?" I asked.
"Jake."
Not a bad idea. Maybe going to Winter Formal with Graham won't be so miserable after all...... ;)
My phone went off. I took a look. Graham.
"Hey," I said, picking up the phone.
"Hey babe," Graham said. "Want to go out to lunch today?"
"Sure," I said.
To my surprise, it was okay. Simone's never even met Graham.
Graham and I went out to lunch at Mongolian Grill, a stir-fry buffet downtown. He offered to pay, which was a good thing, but I really don't know how much I like him.
"Aren't you glad you're going to Winter Formal with me instead of with that loser Jake?" Graham asked as we were eating.
"I thought Jake was your best friend," I said.
"He was," Graham said. "Up until I switched schools. Then I realized what a goody-goody baby he is."
Jake is not a goody goody, and he is NOT a baby. I was finding myself liking Graham less and less.
"Kylie, are you okay?" Graham asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. Not really though. Graham is making me not okay!
"Good," Graham said, putting his arm around me, "because I would never want to see my girl upset."
I don't consider Graham my boyfriend. Certainly not. I regret asking him to Winter Formal in the first place. Stupid me.
"Graham, I'm really not feeling well," I said. "I think I should get home."
"Okay," Graham said. He called his parents and they took me home.
I don't like Graham. He's mean. Jake is a nice guy and doesn't deserve to be talked about that way.
Somehow, I have to get out of taking Graham to Winter Formal.
Today the school took about a dozen eighth graders to the high school to tour it, have a question and answer session with a counselor, observe a class and have lunch in the cafeteria.
Only the top students went: me, Jake, Matt, Amy, Jessica, Katy, Maddie, Ava, Sara, Abby, Ana and Brandon. The school is so overwhelmingly big. There were so many people sometimes I felt like I couldn't turn around.
Everyone we met there was very nice. The first floor halls were a little too noisy, but I guess you get that anywhere you go. A girl from Miramar named Kelly and a boy from Miramar named Brian gave us our tour. They showed us the main halls, the cafeteria, the band room, the choir room and the recreational facilities. The school has a really nice pool and the gyms are nice too. We got to meet the band and choir directors and the athletic administrator.
We were paired up to observe a class. Guess who I got partnered with? Jake. Of course. A month ago I would have been overjoyed, but now I'm struggling with my feelings for him. Why did he go anyway? He's so tied up with the idea of going to that all boys Catholic high school downtown.
Anyway, Jake and I observed an Honors Algebra 2 class. There were only two ninth graders in it, but next year I'll be taking Algebra 2 (and so will Jake if he ends up coming here). There were only THREE kids from Miramar in a class of over 20. There was one kid from Mount Vernon, two from a private school, so that meant about FIFTEEN of them were from Pinewood. The Pinewood kids kind of look down on us at Honors Band, Honors Choir and MSSP events but everyone was so nice. They were very welcoming to Jake and me and some kids even invited us to have lunch with them.
So we had lunch with some sophomores from Pinewood. They were so friendly to us and chatted with us. Four of them are on the swim team and they love it. I told them I'll do it next year. Jake said he'll do it too if he comes to Heights. (Yay - I think.) The food in the cafeteria wasn't bad - better than the food at Miramar.
On the way to our question and answer session, Jake asked me how I was liking the high school today. I said I liked it. He said he was glad he got me as his partner because he was nervous and I made him comfortable. Awwww! Does he like me? But if he does, why doesn't he break up with Rachel?
Wait a minute. I can't take action on Jake right now because I'm going to Winter Formal with Graham next weekend......
So, we headed back to Miramar after our meeting with the counselor. It was a little nerve-wracking at times, but I think I'll like Heights next year. I'm going to have to ask Simone if I can visit for a whole day.
Back: Emma, Natalie, Kylie, Hannah, Erin; Front: Sarah, Kit, Emily, Molly, Helina 
Look a little closer...
Yup, I got my ears pierced! Here's a closeup of both my ears!
