Nancy N. Rue - Girl Politics: Friends, Cliques, and Really Mean Chicks

Other books in the growing Faithgirlz! library

The Faithgirlz! Bible

NIV Faithgirlz! Backpack Bible

My Faithgirlz! Journal

The Sophie Series

Sophies World (Book One)

Sophies Secret (Book Two)

Sophie Under Pressure (Book Three)

Sophie Steps Up (Book Four)

Sophies First Dance (Book Five)

Sophies Stormy Summer (Book Six)

Sophies Friendship Fiasco (Book Seven)

Sophie and the New Girl (Book Eight)

Sophie Flakes Out (Book Nine)

Sophie Loves Jimmy (Book Ten)

Sophies Drama (Book Eleven)

Sophie Gets Real (Book Tweleve)

Nonfiction

Everybody Tells Me to Be Myself but I Dont Know Who I Am

The Skin Youre In: Discovering True Beauty

Body Talk

No Boys Allowed: Devotions for Girls

Girlz Rock: Devotions for Girls

Chick Chat: Devotions for Girls

Shine On, Girl!: Devotions for Girls

Check out www.faithgirlz.com

ZONDERKIDZ

Girl Politics

Copyright 2007 by Nancy Rue

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

ePub Edition April 2016: ISBN 978-0-310-75523-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rue, Nancy N.

Girl politics : friends, cliques, and really mean chicks / by Nancy Rue.

p. cm (Faithgirlz)

ISBN 978-0-310-71296-1 (softcover)

1. Female friendship Juvenile literature. 2. Friendship Juvenile literature. 3. Bullying in schools Juvenile literature. 4. Christian life Juvenile literature. I. Title.

BF575.F66R84 2007

241.676208342 dc22

2007022891

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Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com

Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

Editor: Barbara Scott

Interior design: Sherri L. Hoffman

Art direction and cover design: Merit Kathan

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Contents

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

E mily Ellen Edwards was having a very strange day.

It started to get weird when she slipped into her usual seat on the school bus. Her best friend Lara Lillo was there, of course. But this morning she barely gave Emily a glance before she zipped her eyes back to someone in the seat in front of them.

It was Katy Cuthbert the girl who practically kept the price tags on her clothes so everyone would know how expensive they were. She even had her nails done in the fifth grade - hello-o! Emily and Lara and the rest of their friends didnt talk to her that much because obviously Katy thought she was way better than they were.

But there she was, hands cupped around Laras ear, whispering into it. Whispering. Like a best friend.

When Katy turned to another Price Tag Girl who slipped in beside her at the next stop, Emily caught Lara by the sleeve and hissed into her other ear.

Whats going on?

Huh?

What was Katy Cutthroat talking to you about?

Nothing, Lara said.

Emily lowered her chin. Hello-o! She was flapping her lips, like, nine hundred miles an hour. She must have been saying something.

Lara rolled her eyes. Something about herself of course.

Okay. That was better.

When they got to school and everyone was in their seats, Emily wrote Lara a note.

Im glad youre my best friend.

Lara wrote back, Totally.

Then why, when it was time to pick their groups for the social studies project, did Lara let Katy drag her into the circle shed made with the other girls who had French manicures?

Come on, Em, Lara said over her shoulder.

Emily followed, feeling like a pitiful puppy.

Katy patted the chair beside her for Lara to sit in. That left no place for Emily. Katy gave Emily a smile like the plastic lips on Mr. Potato Head.

Looks like youll have to find a different group, Katy said.

I could pull up another chair, Emily said.

We have enough people, Katy said.

Emily looked quickly at Lara, but she was staring down at her cuticles. Her cheeks were the color of cranberries.

La-ra, Emily said between tightened teeth.

Sorry, Lara said. She didnt even look up.

Emily stumbled over to her two almost-best friends, who had obviously witnessed the entire scene. They pulled a chair in close to theirs and tugged Emily into it. Kimberlys eyes were blazing. Mary Elizabeths were shooting glares at Lara like little gun barrels.

I cant believe Lara did that to you! Kimberly said in a whisper.

To us, Mary Elizabeth said, not in a whisper.

Kimberly leaned toward Emily. Dont even worry about it, Em. Well have our own group.

And not just for this project. Mary Elizabeth shot a few more eye bullets at Lara. For real. Like, all the time.

Just wait til she tries to sit with us at lunch, Kimberly said. Then shell see how it feels.

Mary Elizabeth nodded. Thats what she gets for ditching us. Right, Em?

Sure, Emily said in a tiny voice. But she wanted to shout, Lara! What just happened? Were best friends!

Her mind spun. This was really strange. It was absolutely weird.

And it hurt like nothing else.

now what?

If you are a girl between the ages of eight and twelve, you have probably faced something like what Emily is going through. Or maybe your situation has been more like Laras, or Kimberly and Mary Elizabeths, or even Katys. If none of those kinds of things have happened to you, they just might. Thats because youre still learning about friendship, which, though fun, can get pretty complicated. This book is here to help you

know what real friendship is like,

fix the mistakes everyone makes from time to time in relationships,