The Unbelievable Tale of Lydia Jones

Chapter 1- Tuesday

CHAPTER 1

It was just an ordinary Tuesday. Nothing special about it, other than the fact that it was unseasonably warm for October here in Boston, Massachusetts. I didn't even have to wear a jacket on my way to school that morning, though later on I'd sure wish I had. Maybe then I wouldn't have almost frozen to death in Antarctica. I should back up, though. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Tuesday, October 24th. Exactly one week until my favorite holiday: Halloween. I woke up for another exciting day of being the biggest loser in my 9th grade class and looked out the window, expecting to see rain, but instead was blinded by the sunshine streaming down onto the cobblestone street outside our three-story brownstone.

I know what you're thinking here. Great, just another out of touch Boston rich kid whining about how much her life of privilege sucks.

If only.

My out of work "actress" mother had been riding the coattails of my grandpa's successful business career for the last decade, and just wasted the last of her inheritance on another ridiculously overpriced diamond collar for our labradoodle, Mitsy. Thanks to her terrible money management skills, we'd probably be living out on the streets soon.

Don't even bother asking about my "good-for-nothing deadbeat dad", as mom calls him. He moved to Florida when I was five and I haven't seen him since. Guess he couldn't wait to be rid of my mom and me, because he made a whole new family down there. Good riddance, I say.

Anyways, I threw on my favorite sweater over a pair of leggings and hurried down the two flights of stairs to our kitchen. My mom was sitting on the couch in the living room, drinking coffee and watching tv.

"What's the rush kid?" she asked as I sped past her on my way by.

I grabbed a bagel from the fridge and shoved it in my mouth and then poured my own cup of steaming java from the silver percolator waiting on the counter.

"I told Alex I would meet him before school this morning."

Mom wiggled her eyebrows and gave me a sly smile. "That's the second time this week."

"For the last time, I'm just helping him with a project." I said between chews.

Which was true. Alexandro Garcia and I were just friends. In fact, he was the only kid at school who would even talk to me. I was practically invisible to everyone else. Things had always been that way for me, though. I wasn't pretty enough to be popular, or smart enough to be a mathlete, and my asthma kept me out of sports. The situation had definitely gotten worse when the whole school found out that I was only at our prestigious private school because of a scholarship. It was really only because of my semi-famous grandpa that I'd gotten in at all. The only great thing about my school was the location. Since it was only three blocks away from our townhouse, I could walk there when the weather allowed, and avoid having to take the bus. It was also close to my favorite book shop, where I blew most of my allowance each week.

I kissed my mom on the cheek and headed out the door. The cool morning air was crisp, strong with the scent of falling leaves from the maple tree outside our front door and pumpkin spice latte wafting from our neighbor's window. I breathed in the tantalizing Fall smells and zipped my sweater higher, then double checked my backpack for my inhaler. I found it in its usual spot; the small inside pocket of my bag where I also kept my journal.

Rounding the corner onto Newbury Street, I was surprised to see my usual route around the park closed off with orange cones and caution tape. Up ahead, workers in bright yellow vests were standing in the middle of the intersection, arguing around what looked like a massive pothole. I checked the time on my phone and decided to double back to the next block over. That direction would take longer to get to school but tended to be less congested with morning commuters. My mom would kill me if she found out, but I broke into a sprint to make up for lost time. I'd told Alex I would meet him outside the school at 8:00am, and I was still two blocks away at 7:55.