Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: Nallah the Great

A brass needle was clamped between my front teeth, as I impatiently tugged at the hem of a newly fashioned vest with my bedazzled seam ripper. I quickly returned it to my messy bun, and pushed my barefoot on my sewing machine peddle. The sound of the rapid needle hitting the washed denim drowned out the voice of my Mom yelling up the stairs. Irritated, I stopped midway and screamed back.
“WHAT?”
“Nallah, if you don’t get down here soon, you will be late for school!” My Mom yelled back.
Drat. I had forgotten about today being my first day at Lakeview Academy for Girls. Straightening my slouched back, I finished my project, and hung the new vest on my old yellowing cloth manikin. Standing back to observe my first-day-of-school ensemble, I giggled.
“Those Lakeview girls better step back. Nallah Richardson has arrived.”
Slipping off my silky night gown, and on my coral colored scoop neck blouse, white jean rhinestone embossed vest, and a matching mini. Squeezing my feet into my Calvin Klein size 9 wedges, and pinching my pale cheeks for color, I was all ready to go. Quickly I checked my clear, smooth skin for zits, or stray hairs plummeting down in front of my eyes.
“Bye Mom!” I said eyeing myself one last time in the hall mirror.
“Wait!” My Mom yelled as she scrambled into the hallway with a camera tucked in her hands.
“M-om” I complained, but in truth I was in such a good mood, I wasn’t even going to let this irritate me.
After my Mom had snapped about 20 pictures of me, and had kissed me about 200 times, I made it out of the door. Sloshing through the dew-moistened grass I put a hand on the top of my head, protecting my hair from the uncontrollable and unpredictable wind. Almost as if by magic, the bus appeared before me, my new enemy namely the wind pushing the exhaust into my face. Eyes burning, I walked up the short steps hoping I wouldn’t topple over in my new shoes. Staring at all the new faces, I smiled and waved, like a newly crowned princess overlooking her kingdom. After a couple seconds, I quickly sat down, after the bus drivers rolling eyes were reflected in the rear-view mirror. I fluffed my hair, crossed my legs and waited what seemed like hours before I could see the castle- err school- on the horizon....