The CCWC #1 - Entries!

Hi again! It's Samantha here, and we got some absolutely wonderful entries for the first round of CCWC - Creative Catalog Writing Challenge!

The second challenge isn't in the post (sorry, not a new catalog yet!), so we'll just post all of the amazing entries! Let's start with...... the entries for....

 

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL PHOTOS BELONG TO AMERICAN GIRL, INC.

- the gerbil -

 

ENTRY #1

~ the gerbil ~

Jennifer Leishman

It was finally the last day of school for the students at Eastwood Elementary School! All of the students were hyped up, and ready for summer to begin. The two friends Mattie and Vanessa flounced happily down the stuffy hallway, eager to escape from the madness of yelling kids, slamming lockers, and endless homework. “Hey, Mattie, after school today, I’m going to the pool. Do you want to come?” Vanessa asked her friend. She motioned down to her zebra printed sundress. “I already have my swimsuit on underneath!”

“Sure!” Mattie answered. “I’ll have to go home to change and check with my parents, but I’m sure they’ll let me!” Both of the girls smiled. Briiing!!!

“That was the late bell! We better hurry! Mr. Kirke won’t be happy!” Vanessa stated. The girls giggled as the skipped off to their last class of the year.

Meanwhile, while students were making quite a commotion as their enthusiasm for summer grew and grew, Omelet the gerbil was relaxing in his cage inside of Mr. Kirke’s science classroom, contemplating life. He knew it was vacation time again, telling by the mood of the students. That meant he was going home with. . . somebody. Last year Cindy took him home, and oh did that go well. Omelets sarcasm kicked in whenever he was hungry. With the school being a madhouse, Mr. Kirke had forgotten to feed Omelet during his lunch break. Oh no, the class was starting to swarm in. Why did he have to be a class pet? There are tons of other gerbils out there that would have died for that position!

“Class, class!” Mr. Kirke demanded as the students walked in shrieking and giggling. Mattie and Vanessa gave each other one last smile as the headed off to their seats. “Today, as you know it is our last day of the school year, we will be learning about, drum roll please, NOTHING!” The class cheered. “Today, instead of learning about volcanoes or extreme weather or genetics, we will be learning about how to pack up all of stuff BECAUSE THE SCHOOL YEAR IS OVER!” The class let out another woot. Mr. Kirke looked over at the hamster. “As you know, little Omelet here will need a friend this summer.” The sassy hamster glanced over at the class, and Mattie was sure that she saw him glare at her. “Who will the lucky caretaker be?” Mr. Kirke exaggerated as he shuffled the names in the hat. “And the winner is. . . Mattie! Wait, wait. Is that two pieces of paper I drew? They must of been stuck together! The other winner is. . . Bee!”

“Excuse me, but how are two people supposed to both take Omelet home?” a shy boy named Trito asked Mr. Kirke. He was obviously more worried about the welfare of the gerbil than of any other part of this situation. Omelet forced a smug smile on this face for Trito, thanking him in his own way for sticking up for him. Omelet wasn’t looking forward to being fought over.

“Well,” Mr. Kirke started, “I guess that is up to Mattie and Bee to decide. Now, start cleaning out your desks. Go!”  Vanessa gave Mattie a sympathetic glance as she pulled her notebooks out of the desk. Bee took the first move and headed towards Mattie, swinging her straight brown hair as she went.

“Just let me keep him, and no one will be hurt,” Bee demanded.

“Um, but, Bee, I also wanted him!” Mattie argued.

“Nope. Not going for it.”

“Mr. Kirke told us to work it out. Maybe we could compromise?”

“Compro-what? We are working it out. I’m keeping him.”

Argh! Mattie couldn’t deal with this anymore. Bee definitely lived up to her name. “Well, what if maybe I took him for half of the summer, and brought him over to your house for the other half?”

“What? No way!”

“Do you want the beginning or end of the summer?”

“Full summer.”

“I give up! You keep him!” Mattie stormed off. Vanessa, who was watching the whole debate from the corner of her eye, shook her head.

“Mattie!” Vanessa went over to her friend. “You can’t always give in like that!” Vanessa scolded.

“Yeah, I know, I guess. It’s just that Bee was so stubborn and rude!”

“Yeah, so? C’mon Mattie, I’ll let it go this time, but you really need to stand up for yourself!”

“Yeah, yeah, Vanessa. It’s just, well, it’s just so hard sometimes! Especially when the girls are as mean as stinging Bee over there!”

“I know, Mattie.” Vanessa patted Mattie on the back. “Don’t worry. Just pray to God for the strength to be bold. I’ll pray for you too.”

“Th-thanks, Vanessa.”

“Anytime.” Vanessa planted a huge smile on her face as she heard the last bell of the year ding. “Hey, pool time!” Vanessa smiled. Mattie hugged her friend as they walked out the door.

 

- locker room -

 

ENTRY #2

Soccer Games

CutePolarBear

 “How is your ankle, Maisie?” Tracy, Maisie's best friend on the cheer-leading team, tapped her on the shoulder in the locker room.
 Maisie flexed her ankle, turning it this way and that. “It's not hurting right now. Hopefully it holds well for this game.”
 “If your coach sees you limping on the soccer field, she'll take you out like that.” Tracy snapped her fingers.
 Maisie sighed. “I know. I'll just tape it up, and hope that nobody kicks my shin.” She tugged on one of her red braids.
 Tracy turned around, capturing the attention of another soccer player, Laylie, who had just finished tying her cleats. “Hey, Laylie, have you seen my other pom-pom?”
 “It's right behind you, on top of the locker,” Laylie laughed, her short curls bobbing.
 “Oh, thanks.” Tracy grabbed it, and struck a pose. “Dol-phins, Dol-phins!” she chanted. She then did a backflip, almost hitting Maisie with her foot.
 “You could have done that in a bigger space,” Maisie said, ducking.
 “Sorry. Hey, we should get out and practice on the field. You ready?”
 “Yup, I am.” Maisie tucked a soccer ball under her arm and left the locker room. Tracy and Laylie followed.
 On the field, Maisie practiced dribbling the ball and passing it to her teammates. Coach Jordan called out advice and criticisms many times, and the girls acted accordingly.
 Before the game began, Coach Jordan asked Maisie how her ankle was. “Do you feel well enough to play? Or has your sprain healed?”
 “I feel fine, Coach,” Maisie replied. She hopped on one foot to emphasize her point. “My ankle is healed.”
 “Okay.” Coach didn't look completely convinced, but she waved Maisie to join the other team on the field.
 The Dolphins played hard. Maisie was able to send the soccer ball to Laylie, who sent it flying past the goalie and into the goal.
 Maisie high-fived and hugged her teammate. “Way to go!”
 “You set me up,” Laylie replied, turning to high-five her other teammates.
 The Dolphins went on to score another goal, while letting their opponents score only one. At the post-game celebration, Coach Jordan talked to Maisie.
 “I trust your ankle is still fine after the game? If I had seen you limping, I would have taken you out.”
 Maisie laughed. “Tracy suspected as much. Yeah, it feels fine.” She put her weight on it, demonstrating her words. With a grin she added, “Victory keeps away the pain.”

- classroom -

 

ENTRY #3

Planets

Anna (FromADollsPerspective)

“Today we’re going to be learning about the planets.”
The whole class groaned.
That is, the whole class except me. Ever since I was little I’ve wanted  to be an astronaut. When I was five I asked for a rocket for my birthday.
A small squeal escaped my lips and the whole class turned to look at me. I just shrugged and opened my desk to grab my notebook.
The lesson went by quickly and soon it was over. I grabbed my backpack and turned to leave.
“Rita! Wait!” my teacher called.
I turned around. “Yes?”
“Would you like to be my assistant when I teach astronomy?”
Excitement bubbled up inside of me, and a much larger squeal escaped my lips.
“I’m guessing that’s a yes.” She laughed.
“Of course it is! I’m so excited! I can’t wait! Did you know I want to be an astronaut!? On my fifth birthday I asked for a rocket! When do we start? I’m literally so excited!”
“I can tell,” my teacher observed. “We start next week.”
“Thank you so much!” I turned to leave again.
“One more thing, Rita.” She paused for a second.
“Yes?”
“Good luck becoming an astronaut.”

ENTRY #4

The Science Project

Rebekah (HeadintheClouds)

I panted breathlessly as I hurried down the hall, my eyes flashing. Jonathan Snyder had made me late again. He’d done it three times already: “accidentally” emptying my backpack on the ground. Scattered papers take long to retrieve. The bell was ringing. I thought of Jonathan, now sliding into his chair and smirking, and was blinded with rage.

Papers slid from underneath my arms, floating to the hallway floor. The second bell rang. I gathered as much as I could and began to run.
The classroom door was closed. My hands were full, so I knocked with my foot. My best friend, Emily, got up and opened it with a friendly smile.
Miss Goldstein, our science teacher, was not as pleased. “Grace Kendall?” She looked up from the whiteboard.
I didn’t reply. I shuffled to my desk and was taking out my book when she repeated: “Grace Kendall!”
I jumped. “Yes?”
“Why are you late again?”
That blow was direct. I opened my mouth, but clamped it shut again. I didn’t know why I never told on Jonathan…I had three chances, but never the nerve. “I was…delayed.”
I shot a glance at Jonathan, and his satisfied expression was too much. I crumpled paper between furious fingers and would have lobbed it in his direction had Emily not stayed my arm.
“Please understand, Grace, that we do not allow paper-throwing in this school.” Miss Goldstein stared at me long and hard before returning to writing “Planets” in large blue letters on the whiteboard.
Fifth-grade science is not challenging. When Miss Goldstein expressly targeted me with difficult questions, I answered them all proficiently. But that didn’t ease my mortification. I still couldn’t forget the stares of my classmates. I hated being embarrassed, and above all, I hated disappointing people. But could I help it?
At the end of class, my ears pricked up.
“I know y’all are used to doing science projects at the end of the year, but this time it’s different.” Miss Goldstein smiled. “You’re going to pair up with a partner, and both of you will work together to write a report on anything astronomy! You’ll turn them in next week. And here’s the exciting part: I’m going to pick the most well-written, and that pair gets to read their report in front of the entire school!”
Excitement filled the room, and I was overjoyed. Here was my chance at being the star of the school. Emily and I stared at each other with a brimming hope, and I raised my hand, bouncing up and down.
“Yes, Grace?”
“Can we pick our partner?”
“Actually, no. Here is a bowl containing all the names of the students on my left. The students on my right will close their eyes and choose their partner’s name out of the bowl.”
Emily was downcast, but I still hoped. Maybe I would have the luck to be paired up with a friend…I eagerly stood. “May I pick first?”
“Alright!”
I ran to the front of the classroom and closed my eyes. This would determine everything. I felt the piercing eyes of all my classmates, who were holding their breath. My fingers clasped a slip, and I dearly hoped “Emily” was written upon it. Retrieving my hand, I was almost afraid to look, but Miss Goldstein urged me to.
The minute I saw the name, my heart sank.
“Jonathan Snyder,” I choked. I stumbled to my desk, tears threatening to well up in my starry blue eyes. My hopes were dashed.

***

I had set my thoughts straight. I was going to make the best of the situation. Right after class, I had marched up to Jonathan. “Meet me at the library at 7pm to work on our thing,” I had told him between gritted teeth.
At the library, we just sat there for a moment glaring at each other. Surprisingly, he was the first to drop his gaze. “Hi Grace,” he greeted in an unusually friendly tone.
“Hi,” I returned. “What do you want to do the report on?”
He didn’t respond for a moment, and I tapped my foot impatiently. “I asked you.”
He poked the table nervously and looked up. “Look, Grace, I’m really sorry about everything…”
It was like I had been zapped with a stun gun.
“Honestly, it wasn’t my fault. Billy bribed me,” he said quickly. “He said he’d give me a week’s worth of McDonald’s if I successfully made you late three days. I shouldn’t have listened, I know. He’s a total rip-off, and I told him that. He ran off like a scared rabbit.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream, but I felt somewhat relieved. I’d always known Jonathan wasn’t as bad as he seemed.
“Do you still hate me?”
That was a strange question. “Yes,” I nodded emphatically.
“And why is that? I just told you it wasn’t my fault.”
I huffed. “You don’t pay attention during class, you prank my favorite teacher, you’re rowdy, your breath smells like onions…”
“I have major ADHD,” began Jonathan, “I only do that because she insulted my dad once, I try not to be but it’s my personality, and my mom says eating onions is good for me. All in that order.”
I stared cluelessly, and he smiled sadly.
“See?” he asked. “People hate me for those reasons. But if only they could look beyond and find out the reasons behind the reasons – if you know what I mean – I’d be their friend. It’s all about judging from the inside to the outside.”
I shook my head slowly. That was too much to take in.
“And now, for the report.” Jonathan grinned. “This should be easy. So I had an idea…”
Two weeks later, I was standing on the stage of the school auditorium, amidst blinding lights and deafening applause. But more sweet to me than all that was the bright smile of my newfound friend Jonathan and his cheeky remark.
“I told you!”

 

- the cafeteria -

 

ENTRY #5

Friends

Braylin

“Hey, Emma! Olivia!” I hear Sophia yell from across the cafeteria. “Save a seat for me!” My best friend Emma and I laugh at my goofy twin sister. I wave her over, trying desperately to stifle my rowdy giggles. “Were you wanting to sit with us?” I ask her innocently. Emma smothers more laughter. “Haha.” Sophia says, rolling her eyes. She squeezes in between me and my friends.  “Hey, move over!” my other friend Ava growls. She and all of my other friends begin to smile, then giggle, then full out laughter. Meanwhile, Sophia pretends to pout by herself. “Oh, Soph, you know we were just kidding.” I sigh to my sister. “Yeah, I know. But I REALLY like to pretend pout.” She starts to laugh with everyone else. All of the sudden, Ava scoots over so far, Sophia falls off the bench. “Hey, I warned you.” Ava teases. Guess what happened next? We all began to laugh. Again.

 

ENTRY #6

Food Fight

Reyna

 

I look over to my regular lunch table while I'm waiting to get my lunch. I see Katrina sitting alone, munching on an apple. I try to tell myself to be brave, but it's too much. I can't sit by her! I put the thought aside as I grab the serving spoon in the ground meat tray and plop a spoonful of meat onto my taco. After keying in my lunch code and paying for my lunch, I look around the cafeteria. There are only two empty seats. One is next to Katrina, while the other is across from 'Booger-Picking Brenard.' 

My best option is to sit with Kat. 

I lengthen my chin to feel stronger, but it doesn't work. I pull out the blue chair from underneath the table and sit down cautiously. Katrina barely glances at me while she scrolls through Instagram on her phone. 

I unwrap my silverware and take a clump of crunchy lettuce from my salad. I keep eating and Katrina continues looking through AGIG. 

After awhile I decide that I can't bear the silence anymore and say, "Hey."

Katrina blinks to turn to me, then turns back. She doesn't say a word. 

"Hey." I repeat just a little louder. 

She doesn't say anything. 

I give up, and try to get a sip of my drink. I reach for my milk, but I feel my hand hit Kat's ice cold water bottle. I see it topple onto the table with all of the contents pouring out. 

"Hey!" Kat shouts to me as she gets up. There is water all over her shirt and it's dripping onto her pants. I resist the urge not to giggle, but a small smirk comes out. 

"It's not funny!" Kat says, as she take my milk. She pours it on my hand, which is resting on the table, "See?"

"What!?! Kat that was an accident!" I yell, and I feel eyes move towards us. 

Katrina chuckles and says, "Sure it was! What else was an accident? When you accidentally told me I was annoying?" 

"Yes!" Then I realized how dumb that sounded, "Wait- no! I- well, I didn't mean it!"

"Then why did you say it!?!?!" She rips have of her taco shell and throws it at me. I duck just in time, and it crumbles as it hits the floor.

"Stop it!" I yell as I try to find something on my plate. I take my apple and toss it, but I miss and it hits Blake, who's sitting at the table next to us.

"Ow!!!" He yells, then throws a whole taco at us, making the tomatoes, meat, and cheese fall out onto others. 

I hear someone yell, "FOOD FIGHT!!!"

Mass chaos erupts, with flying food-and other objects- everywhere. I see bananas, spaghetti noodles, clumps of salad, and a bunch of other random foods catapulting into the air. 

Kat and I are standing right in the eye of the hurricane, looking at each other.

"I am so sorry Kat." I say, "Lindsey said that you thought I was fat. That's why I got so mad."

Kat looks at me with wide eyes, "Lindsey? I never said anything like that! Aisling, you aren't fat!"

"You never said.. anything?" I feel my voice quiet down. 

"No!"

"I'm so sorry," I say again, "I never meant what I said. I promise. Can you forgive me?" 

Katrina smiles and says, "I can forgive you, but I don't think Principal Matson will!"

We look around our mess of a lunchroom and laugh. Kat comes closer and brings in a monster hug. 

The food fight goes on for maybe another 10 minutes, and I can't say it was horrible. I saw at least two dozen tacos flying, and double the amount of apples. 

The fight finally tones down when we hear Principal Matson's voice from the loudspeaker, "WE DO NOT PERMIT THIS BEHAVIOR IN OUR DISTRICT," she says, "Any student who decides it's okay to catapult anymore food into the air will be given a two week suspension." 

Then we hear a click, signaling that her message is over. Everyone is silent for a moment. A few people start murmuring to eachother, and soon the whole lunch room has a dull roar. The only odd thing is that there is a whole army of lunch food on the ground.

 Kat and I sneak out into the hall and make it to our lockers. 

"Wanna go to McDonald's after school tonight?" Kat asks, "I have a friend who works there. She can hit us up with two free combos!"

"Yes!" I say excitedly, I finally have my best friend back! 

 

- ballet class -

 

Entry #7

Ballet Class

Katie

Pli'e, and stretch. Arm over the bare, and away. My ballet teacher instructed us as we did ankle stretches at the bare. But it was hard to concentrate on stretches when something so much more exciting was going on. a few weeks ago auditions for Nutcracker were being held at our dance school, and I auditioned to play Clara. I dreamed of being in Nutcracker for so long, and it'd be a dream come true to play Clara. I could just imagine being on stage, the bright lights reflecting off the sequins on my dress, and getting to do my first duet on pointe. "Oh," I thought to myself, "what I'd do to get that part".

"Breanna!" My thoughts were interrupted when I herd my ballet teacher call my name. I quickly stood at attention as my ballet teacher said, " You were behind the beat of the music, you really must focus". In my embarrassment I looked down at my feet and replied "Sorry ma'am". My teacher then called us into the center. As I slowly walked into the center my two best friends who were behind me at bare followed. "Are you ok?" Becky asked me as she pushed back strands of her brown hair that had fallen out of her bun. ""Yeah, just embarrassed," I answered with a shy smile. "Try not to be so nervous," Sam told me. " I know, I know, it's just.... I want this so badly," I told them as we got into our places in the center.

I was standing quietly in my spot when I herd the door of our classroom open. We all froze when we saw the head of our dance school Miss Johnson, walking in with a folder marked "Nutcracker". I knew immediately what it meant. We all stood as straight as possible, with our hands behind our backs and our feet carefully placed in fifth position. "Thank you all for auditioning for Nutcracker this year, you all performed very well... Now we will announcing your parts starting with the lead rolls". She opened the folder and continued. "Clara will be played by".... My heart started beating faster and faster, would she call my name? Then she finally called out "Breanna!" When my name was called Becky and Sam screamed and threw their arms around me, but I was too happy to say anything. I couldn't believe it, this was definitely going to be the best holiday season ever.   

 

 

- P.E. -

Sadly, P.E. didn't get any entries at all!

 

 

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