The Heart Made of Broken Ice

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Kate

I was in disbelief when my dad told me he was taking me to England for summer break. I am excited about meeting up with James, Rose, Lisa, and John. Following my trip to Florida, I will be heading to England. James informed me that his cousins, John and Jake, have plans to visit Florida. I was glad to receive that news. It was already Valentine's Day and my class threw a party. I received numerous Valentine's cards and various presents. Upon arriving home, I noticed that I had received a multitude of gifts in the mail. I got some roses from Alex and James. I love the roses. John got me a silver pen because he knew I liked to write.

I forgot to get gifts for James, John, and Alex, but I'll go shopping this weekend. I had long conversations with Rose and Lisa over the phone.

I made it onto the honor roll again! The art club teacher was proud of my work and my art teacher thought my artwork was improving. On top of that, I won $100.00, which I plan to save for my upcoming trips. I was fortunate enough to see a play about Anne Frank, and the actress did a fantastic job. After the play, I went to the mall to get James, John, and Alex a gift. Later, my dad treated my mom, brother Shawn, and me to a delicious dinner at a restaurant. When I got back home, I received a call from Alex and we talked for 30 minutes. I went to bed after finishing our conversation.

Summer arrived quickly, and in just a week, the art club is going to Florida, which makes me thrilled. I have saved a lot of money for the trip, and Sara is also going to Florida because Ms. Sandra Smith, her aunt, is the art teacher. In addition, the writing club is going to the theater to see the play "Hamlet." I went shopping to get the necessary items for the Florida trip. After shopping, we went swimming, but Sara did not know how to swim, so she went to get some ice cream. I was happy to be out of school because one of the teachers always had a bad mood, and she took her problems out on her students. I told my advisor that I did not want to take her again.

The week passed by quickly and the art club was now heading to Florida. The flight wasn't too long but my ears were hurting when the plane landed. To pass the time, I brought a book to read while Sara listened to music. Mrs. Smith had already arranged hotel rooms for us and we planned to rest before starting our tour. Mrs. Smith had planned the entire day for us and we were going to watch a play about Vincent Van Gogh, whose beautiful paintings I had previously seen in books.

We went horseback riding with John and his cousin Jake at the horse stable. While we were riding, Sara went to the mall to buy some paints as she loves to paint and is a great artist. Unfortunately, the horse I was riding on was going too fast and I fell off, breaking my arm and hips in the process. I was immediately rushed to the hospital where John accompanied me. My parents also rushed to Florida to be with me. The doctor informed my parents that I would have to stay in bed for the entire summer, which was very disappointing as I wouldn't be able to go to England. John stayed with me at the hospital for a week.

My parents and I returned to Mississippi and I informed James via a letter that I would not be able to travel to England due to my accident. Although James took some time to reply, he eventually did and expressed his understanding of my situation. He also wished for my speedy recovery. Meanwhile, Sara visited England and met James, but found him to be impolite and unpleasant. She suggested that I should direct my letters to John instead of James, given that John has been visiting me at the hospital while James has not.

"James is busy with school," I responded.

"John is also busy with school, but he still makes time to visit you at the hospital," Sara replied.

"James has been calling and writing to me," I said.

"I understand that, but please be careful. I know James can be a jerk. I can recognize one when I see one," Sara warned me.