K L Denman We’re doing what we usually do after school hanging out in her room She has spent the last twenty minutes talking about the utter cuteness of Omar Bari’s eyes She thinks they are so deep Then she compares them to the amazing wonder of Liam Parks’s biceps Liam does have freakishly large biceps I’ve told Kiara I don’t have time to waste on guys They only cause trouble But does she listen No She is not a listener she’s a talker Her parents regularly threaten her with duct tape They’ve never actually taped her mouth shut but they keep rolls of tape on hand My method to shut her up is to shut myself down I stop making eye contact I don’t give her the smallest Uh-huh It usually works Like now she finally (cid:192)(cid:82)(cid:83)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:69)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:3) at her desk push my glasses into place they’re always sliding down my nose 2
Quiz Queens and get started on my homework Three whole minutes of silence pass Omigod Jane Can you believe this Kiara taps the tablet screen It says my animal spirit totem is the coyote As if Another online personality quiz I ask Yeah And it’s so wrong She tosses back her ponytail I should have got the deer At least they’re pretty Or the wolf Wolves are cooler than coyotes I shake my head I don’t know why you keep doing those things Because they’re fun How are they fun I ask You hardly ever like the results Kiara looks surprised No way Remember the fairy one I did yesterday It said I was a flower fairy and it described me perfectly It said I’m sweet as nectar and love being around happy people Totally accurate 3
K L Denman I sigh Yeah but look what it took to get that Three times doing the quiz and changing your answers until you got the fairy you wanted Just like the (cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:72)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:60)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:3)(cid:192)(cid:76)(cid:83)(cid:83)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3) it said you were a golden retriever because you wanted to be a poodle Or the Disney Princess one that said you’re Cinderella and then Snow White before you got Jasmine Kiara shrugs So You know how they work It’s multiple choice Some times it’s hard to decide which answer to pick Let’s say there’s a picture of a grassy meadow a beach and a full moon I can’t choose which one I like best if I like all of them But I argue aren’t you supposed (cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:3)(cid:74)(cid:82)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:92)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:191)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:34)(cid:180)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:182)(cid:87)(cid:3) believe I say that I’m not big on following instincts Yes Kiara nods But it doesn’t always work 4
Quiz Queens Because I say they don’t work They’re garbage She frowns and smooths the cover on her bed It’s pale purple with big (cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3) (cid:192)(cid:82)(cid:90)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:17)(cid:3) (cid:179)(cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:92)(cid:3) (cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:182)(cid:87)(cid:3) (cid:74)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:69)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:17)(cid:3) They help me get to know myself It’s like Ms Kalkat says Fourteen is an (cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:72)(cid:82)(cid:83)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:191)(cid:74)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:3) they are Ms Kalkat is our teacher for Career and Personal Planning class We’ve been learning about personal growth Thanks to Sherry my mother or no thanks to her I feel done with personal growth already So Kiara throws me a defiant look I’m going to do the spirit-totem quiz over and I’ll prove it Have you even read what it says about the coyote spirit totem I ask No I narrow my eyes Then how do you know it’s wrong 5
