Julia Jones' Diary - Boxed Set - Books 2 to 6

by Kahler, Katrina

  It was worth a try anyway!

  Plans for the term…

  I felt a little nervous about arriving at school on Monday morning and as I entered the classroom, I looked shyly in Blake’s direction. He gave me one of his cheeky grins and waved. Sitting down at my desk, I could not wipe the beaming smile from my face. Millie, who had acknowledged what was going on, just poked me with her elbow and laughed.

  I was so excited for break time so that Blake and I could hang out together. I’d spent Sunday afternoon doing some baking and had packed some extra chocolate muffins in my lunch box. Grinning with anticipation, I pictured the smile on his face as I handed him one.

  Forcing myself to concentrate on the Math that had been put on the board for us to complete, I put my head down and got on with my work until finally the clang of the lunch bell signaled the end of the morning session.

  Impatiently, everyone leapt from their seats, grabbed their lunch boxes from their bags, and headed down the stairs. Millie and I sat with our usual group in our usual spot and I waited eagerly for Blake to join us. Meanwhile, I offered Millie one of the chocolate muffins. Knowing how much she loves them, I always pack extra and her grateful reaction is always worth the effort.

  It made me think once more of how showing your gratitude can bring more of what you’re grateful for into your life. It certainly works that way for Millie with my muffins! She always says the biggest thank you and enjoys them so much, that sometimes I even go to the trouble of baking them just for her. And that’s simply because she’s always so thankful. I guess I’ll have to come up with a new favorite recipe soon though, before she becomes bored with the same old flavor. Although she enjoys these ones so much, she’s convinced that that they’ll always be her favorite.

  Glancing around, I hoped to see Blake heading towards us, but there seemed to be no sign of him. As I sat dejectedly munching on my food, I listened half-heartedly while everyone else chatted about their weekend and the things that they had been up to. Then, just as our break time was drawing to an end, I caught sight of him coming around a corner. Much to my surprise however, Sara was right behind him, chatting animatedly about something that obviously held the attention of both of them. They certainly appeared to be absorbed in the conversation they were having.

  Blake’s group of friends was sitting in the same area as us and I waited for him to join them but he kept on walking towards the office, Sara right by his side.

  My first thought had been one of suspicion. This is something I find hard to avoid when Sara becomes involved with any of us. But I forced all negative ideas from my mind as I remembered the wonderful afternoon that I had shared with Blake just two days earlier.

  When the bell rang a little while later, I looked down at the uneaten muffin that I had saved for Blake, still sitting wrapped in paper inside my lunch box. As I closed the lid, I decided that I would just give it to him at lunchtime.

  When we returned to our classroom, Millie and I gathered the things we would need for computer lab, which our class was scheduled for right then, and followed the others along the walkway.

  As soon as the door to the computer room was opened, everyone scrambled frantically in their usual manner, hoping to secure a computer next to one of their friends. It was the regular scenario whenever we had computer lab time but Miss Watson was not used to this sort of behavior and a couple of rowdy boys were told to separate.

  Just as we started on the research task we’d been instructed to complete with a partner, Blake and Sara rushed into the room.

  “Sorry we’re late, Miss Watson!” Sara said breathlessly. “Mr. Thompson asked us to deliver a message to all the upper school teachers. Here it is,” She said, passing her a hand written note.

  “Oh, ok, thanks, Sara,” replied Miss Watson as she scanned the message and then proceeded to read it to us.

  “Listen up, guys!” she said. “There’s a regional track tournament coming up in about three weeks’ time and Mr. Thompson would like to enter a girls’ and a boys’ running team. He has requested that anyone who is interested in trying out should go straight to his office when the bell rings for the lunch break. He will hand out notes and explain all the details then.”

  The room was instantly abuzz with excitement as everyone began discussing the upcoming event. There were a number of very good athletes in our grade and it was obvious that there would be a great deal of interest. I looked towards Millie, knowing for sure that she would want to participate. She was a very good runner and I was convinced that she’d be a definite candidate.

  “You should try out too,” she said to me, reading my mind. “It would be so much fun if we both made the team.”

  “I’d love to!” I told her, “But I’m not a great runner like you!”

  “Julia Jones!” she exclaimed mockingly. “What are those words that just came out of your mouth? Where is the positive attitude that you’re always talking to me about? Shame on you!”

  As her laughter subsided, she took on a serious expression. “I’m not joking, Julia. You should at least give it a go!”

  It only took a moment for me to consider what she had said.

  “Do you know what?” I replied firmly. “You’re absolutely right!”

  And as an afterthought, I added, “And Millie! Thanks for reminding me!” I gave her a wink and a grateful grin. Looking at my friend then, I felt really impressed. She had actually taken on board some of the stuff I’d been saying to her about maintaining a positive attitude. And now she was helping to keep me on track!

  “The words that you speak are just as important as the thoughts in your mind, Millie,” is what I had said to her only recently. “Keep your words and thoughts positive, because whatever you think about and talk about is what will come into your life!”

  At the time, I’d thought she had pretty much ignored my rambling. But obviously, she had really taken it in.

  “What a team we are,” I thought to myself as I smiled at her once more.

  “OK, Millie!” I said out loud. “Let’s do it! We’ll go straight to Mr. Thompson at lunchtime and nominate ourselves. I can picture us both on that running team. We’re going to kill it!”

  “Hmphh! I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. Places are limited and only the best runners will be included. So be prepared to be disappointed!” Sara’s mocking tone interrupted us as she strutted past, Blake shuffling along behind her.

  “Here we go Blake!’ she said loudly, making sure that we heard her. “Miss Watson said that we’ll have to pair up for this assignment, so you can have this computer right next to mine.” And she patted the seat, beckoning him to sit beside her.

  Looking uneasily at me, I could see his face turning red with embarrassment as he searched for an alternative spot. Unfortunately…the last available computer was the one that Sara had indicated. And besides that, there was no one else for him to work with.

  Smiling with triumph, Sara glanced my way once more before whispering something in Blake’s ear and then, laughing mischievously, she waited for her computer to start up.

  Doing my best to ignore her, I focused on the task sheet and punched the keys on the keyboard as I searched for the information I needed.

  But out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sara enjoying herself immensely while she worked with Blake on the history assignment we’d been given.

  Well, that’s what they were supposed to be working on but gauging by the smile on her face, I wasn’t too sure. And Blake seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as Sara.

  Trying to focus on the computer screen in front of me, I forced myself not to worry about it and before long I was absorbed in the task. I’m not sure how much Sara and Blake got done though!

  The sign on…

  “Ok, guys,” Mr. Thompson announced, to all the kids sitting on the floor outside his office. “As you’ve already been told, I’d like to enter a girls’ team and a boys’ team for the regional track event that is coming u
p in three weeks’ time. Now, I can only take 4 girls and 4 boys plus 2 reserves for each team. But the problem is that there are several great runners amongst you!”

  We all looked at him expectantly and wondered how he was going to choose. Everyone was pretty excited about this event and there had already been some speculation about who would be chosen.

  We listened avidly as he continued. “So I’ve decided that the fairest way is for you to sign up for training sessions and the final teams will be selected based on not only your running ability but also the level of commitment that’s displayed during the training period.”

  “If you feel that you can commit to training every morning before school, then by all means you’re welcome to try out. But anyone who misses more than two sessions without a valid excuse will be dropped from the squad.”

  “But I can’t come on Thursdays and Fridays because I have tennis lessons,” complained a girl sitting at the back of the group.

  “And I have to catch the bus to school, so I can’t make it in the mornings,” called a boy from my class.

  “I realize that this schedule won’t suit everyone,” Mr. Thompson replied. “But we have limited time to prepare and I only want kids involved who are able to commit. So, if you’re serious about this, add your name to the list, take a permission note home for your parents to sign and I’ll see you here at 8am tomorrow morning.”

  My first thought was that this was just not possible for me. It would mean that I’d have to catch the really early bus and I already struggled with catching my regular bus as it was. But then I caught a glimpse of Sara, giggling in Blake’s ear as she added her name to the sheet being passed around. We made eye contact and she then whispered something more to Blake before making a show of whispering in his ear once again.

  Millie, who had witnessed her blatant flirting, suddenly said to me very quietly, “Just ignore her, Julia! Blake mentioned to Jimmy that you guys are going out together. Now I think somehow, Sara’s found out and she’s probably trying to make you jealous!”

  Hearing that just made me more determined, “If it means I have to get up extra early for the next three weeks, then that’s the way it is!” I said to Millie. “Because I’m going to do everything I can to be on that team!”

  Glancing at Sara once more, I added firmly, “It’s time to be more assertive! There’s no way I’m going to let her affect me the way she has in the past!”

  Drawing in a deep breath, I flicked my hair out of my eyes, threw my shoulders back and strode confidently past her. All the while, she sat waiting and watching my every move.

  “Hey, Julia!” Blake said, smiling happily, completely unaware of what was going on between Sara and I. “I’ve been waiting all day to hang out with you! Let’s go and get some lunch.”

  And without another look back, I signed the sheet, handed it to Mr. Thompson then walked alongside Blake and Millie to the lunch area. And all the while, I could almost feel the heat of Sara’s eyes burning into my back as she stared after us in disgust.

  Managing to push all thoughts of Sara from my mind, I decided to focus on the two most special people in my life right then, remembering that you get what you focus on. And spending time with Millie and Blake was high on my priority list. As I made that decision, I could feel the tension drain out of me and we spent the lunch break chatting about the tournament and how much fun it was going to be for us all to be on the team together.

  Then out of the blue and catching me by complete surprise, Blake suddenly grabbed hold of my hand. He looked towards me, as if to ensure that I was ok with his sudden gesture. I glanced around shyly, a bit uncomfortable about holding hands at school. But then I saw Millie’s discreet wink and all concern melted away.

  There is nothing wrong with holding hands is there?

  After all, we are girlfriend and boyfriend!

  Visions of winning…

  Sitting on the early bus the next morning, I glanced out the window as I considered the events of the previous afternoon. As soon as I had arrived home, I’d raced upstairs to my room and pulled out a piece of paper. On it I had written, the following…

  “I am now on the school running team, competing in the regional event and I have won my race.”

  I then attached my latest goal to my dream board along with a picture that I’d drawn of myself in running gear. I had a huge smile on my face and a winner’s trophy in my hand. Knowing that it was a very large goal, I leaned back on my bed and contemplated the display I had just put together, trying to keep the doubt from creeping into my thoughts. But with a sudden resolve, I remembered that I needed to dream big and as long as I worked towards my goal, then it was definitely possible for me to achieve it.

  After eating dinner and helping to clean up the kitchen, I had decided to have an early night’s sleep. I was determined more than ever I would be on that team but to do that, I was aware of the amount of work ahead of me. However, I knew that by applying effort, along with a positive attitude and belief in my abilities, anything was possible. I then closed my eyes and pictured myself racing down the track, my arms in the air in victory as I crossed the finish line ahead of the other competitors.

  Covered in goose bumps at the thrill of the vision I had created in my mind, I laughed out loud, feeling happy and confident. And then, out of the blue, Blake’s handsome face flashed into my thoughts. As I fell into a blissful sleep, dreams of Blake and running tracks and blue ribbons all rolled into one.

  I think the smile was still on my face when my alarm went off in the morning and I eagerly leapt out of bed, excited about the day ahead.

  When my bus pulled up at the school gates, I raced towards the oval, where we’d been told to meet and I was greeted along the way by Millie, who had just been dropped off at school by her mom.

  Both of us dressed in training gear, we joined the group that was waiting for Mr. Thompson to arrive and soon after, Blake’s smiling face also appeared, trailed closely behind by Sara, who I chose to ignore. I knew that she would soon give up, if she saw she was having no effect on me.

  Then, after doing our warm-up exercises, the girls all took off around the track, jogging at a steady pace. Surprising myself, I found that I was able to actually keep up with some of them and in particular, a girl called Amy Duncan, who is a very good runner. My hopes soared! With regular and consistent training, I could already see my goal becoming a reality.

  The list…

  The days passed by quickly with the early morning starts all blending into one. It felt as though each morning when my alarm went off, I had only just fallen asleep, but my determination to be chosen for the running team motivated me to persist.

  Meanwhile, Blake and I both blitzed our first music session with Mr. Casey, who was extremely impressed with the level we had reached. Beaming with pride, we had high-fived each other, although we knew that it was the effort we’d been putting in that had enabled us to get to that stage. We then decided to arrange another practice session at his house.

  I sat at my desk trying to focus on schoolwork but the buzz of excitement at spending another Saturday afternoon with Blake had prevented me from getting anything done. Suddenly my chain of thought was interrupted by the crackle of the school intercom.

  “This is a message for everyone in the regional running squad.” It was Mr. Thompson speaking and I sat up to take notice. “I will post the details of the final selection on the noticeboard outside my office this afternoon. Please check the list and if you have made the team, make sure you’re at training at 8am in the morning.”

  I glanced at Millie. “That’s us!” I said confidently, completely sure that we had been chosen. And I pictured once more, the vision of myself being the first to cross the finish line in the final race of the tournament.

  Looking in Blake’s direction, I caught his beautiful smile as well as his thumbs up sign. This was followed by a scornful shake of the head from Sara, her blue eyes staring at me as if to say, “There’s
no way you’ll be in that team, Julia!”

  Ignoring her however, I returned my attention to the front of the room and attempted to concentrate on the Geography activity I’d been working on.

  The afternoon session seemed to drag by and when the bell finally sounded, we raced to pack up and get out the door, keen to be the first to see the list on Mr. Thompson’s noticeboard.

  Laughing as we ran, Blake grabbed hold of my hand so that I could keep pace with him. “Come on, Millie!” I called. “If you’re going to be on the running team, you need to be able to run faster than that!” And I reached for her hand, to drag her along with us.

  There was already a small crowd milling around the board by the time we finally reached it and I could hear shrieks of joy as kids realized they had made the team.

  “Not fair!” sighed a boy from a different class to ours as he pushed through the throng, the disappointment evident on his face after finding out that he hadn’t been selected.

  Hurriedly scanning the list, I spotted Blake’s name and could see that he’d been chosen as one of the top four boys. Filled with excitement, I moved my eyes to the list of girls’ names. Millie’s was on top and I squealed loudly. The following names were Amy Mitchell, Sara Hamilton, Becky Whitfield and Jodie Milford as reserve.

  “That can’t be right!” I thought to myself as I quickly scanned the list once more.

  I could feel my stomach drop. My name was not there. But how could it not be there? My head was spinning. It didn’t make any sense to me and I was overcome with shock and despair. This wasn’t meant to happen!

  Turning around slowly, the look of triumph in Sara’s eyes as she stared straight into mine filled me with embarrassment and torment.

  I’d been so sure! And I had told everybody I would be on that team. Millie, Blake and I were supposed to be celebrating right now, but Sara had won out instead.