Vocabulary Video/Dread

Annabel  from Just Listen and The narrator from The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Teens.

My names Annabel, I`m 16 years old and I have two sisters, a mom and a dad.  

Just the other day I told my mom I want to quit modeling, she took it pretty hard.

Shes been in her room all day, dad tried to get her out of bed but she wouldn`t budge.

With my older sister Kirsten in New York and my other older sister Whitney being at home and not being allowed to go anywhere by herself since we found out she has anorexia, and my parents are still afraid that if we let her live alone again she`ll go right back into not eating and all of that, ruining all the progress she made. Todays the last day of school, with all that happened this year, between the fighting with my so called “Best friends” and sitting alone at lunch to Whitney almost dying and moving back home. But there`s someone who actually sat next to me at lunch. A boy named Owen, he didn`t say much before, all he really did was sit there and listen to music, he always had his headphones in his ears. He was big, and had a reputation as a loner with anger problems and ended up going anger management classes. One day, my mom let my sister out of the house by herself and she was supposed to pick me up, turns out she was gonna stay out a little longer. What do you expect? She`s always stuck in the house, if you got let off your leash for a day after being in the house all the time wouldn`t you too? My mom called and warned me a head of time and said she could come pick me up, but she was in the middle of something. I said it was okay and she recommended I should ask one of my ‘little friends’ for a ride home. Little did she know a few minutes before she called I got into a confrontation with my so called ‘Best friend’ Sophie. Things were said and then next thing you know Sophie was on the ground and screamed at me to keep away from her boyfriend, when really he started talking to me. After that, I ran away and ended throwing up in the courtyard in front of the school, Owen came over and asked if I was okay and gave me some tissues to wipe my mouth, he went to help me up but my legs were so weak I couldn`t stand up, he brought me over to the place where we eat lunch and sat me down, of course I couldn`t hold myself up and slid to the ground. I sat there for a few minutes before my mom called and between listening to his music, I guess Owen heard some of the stuff I was saying  because when I got off the phone he said “You need a ride?” and led me towards the parking lot. I got some weird looks but from then on we`ve gotten closer and soon after we became boyfriend and girlfriend. He`s going away this summer with his parents so I won`t be seeing him much.

Right now, I`m packing to go see my aunt, uncle and cousins in Ohio, turns out I`m spending the whole summer there. I have 3 cousins, one whos 2 years older than me, another who is  11 years old and one who is a new born actually. We got to the airport around 10am and our plane leaves at 12pm. I was walking around with my mom when she brought up modeling, I quickly dodged it when dad called mom cell and told her our plane just arrived and to hurry back and when we boarded the plane I sat next to Whitney. We didn`t say much but it was better than sitting next to mom and her trying to talk to me about modeling. We arrived around 3:30pm, when we got off the plane, my aunt and uncle were standing there with my cousins. We did the usual everytime we see eachother. Compliments, asking how everyone is and all of that. We arrived at their house. They own a little farm across the street, they have all kinds of animals there. Pigs, cows, horses, even llamas, you name it they have it. I love coming here, but the last time I came here I was probably thirteen just going into 8th grade. My older cousin Sean just going into 10 grade. He`s like an older brother, I can tell him anything. That night we went out to dinner and we saw some old family friends. That night, it was a chrystal clear night and me and sean were outside talking. “So, whats been going on?” Sean said.

“Where do I start? I lost my best friends, I had to sit alone at lunch almost the whole year, Whitney has anorexia, and oh yeah I got raped.” “WHAT!?” he said, standing up in shock. “Yep, my old friend sophie`s boyfriend raped me” “Did you tell the police?” “No, but he tried to get another girl at my school and she told the police and now he`s in jail for second degree rape.” “Wow, I`m so sorry” He said going in to hug me. “I`m okay now, actually Sofie was one of the girls I was fighting with, she thought I was sleeping with him and just completely turned against me, she did that with the other girl too, luckily I got the other friend I was fighting with back, she thought I was mad at her when really I thought she was mad at me.” “I had a fight like that once.” “How did you get through it?” “The fight lasted for a week until we all realized we were wrong. One day were fighting the next day, we`re best friends again” “I wish it was that easy for me.”

Right at that moment my phone buzzed and when I looked down it said Owen`s name across it, I suddenly had a big smile on my face. Sean noticed and started ‘oohing’ and chanting  “ANNABELS GOT A BOYFRIEND!” I started blushing and hit him in the arm and said ‘stop’ he smiled and suddenly got a look on his face like he`s got an idea. “Hey annabel wanna help me with something?” “Like what?” I said. “You know that book my father wrote “The seven habits of highly effective people?” “Yeah, why?” “I`m thinking about writing a teen one, wanna help?”

“Of course!” “Well come on!” We got up and ran inside. I helped him write it throughout the summer and by the time we had to go back home, It was done and ready for my uncles approval, he loved it and guess what, its getting published soon.