As the girls sat in Marcia's room, they talked about the party. Marcia asked, "I wonder what happened when the glitter bombs went off. Also how long did they wait until they discovered we left?"

"I don't know, but I bet you will hear about it from Sarah. She must be humiliated by now. I hope she was in the room when the glitter fell. That will be a nice mess to clean up." Naomi said.

The girls watched a movie and went to bed. It was a quiet time for them. They wanted to keep the prank secret from their parents. They fell asleep as soon as they lay down.

Marcia woke early Sunday morning as the sun flooded her room. There were no clouds and the sun was very bright. For a day in November, it was warm with not a breath of wind. The girls woke and sat on the floor stretching and flexing. Marcia's mom came to the door and announced that breakfast was ready.

The girls ate. After breakfast, they got dressed. Marcia's mom took Rebecca and Naomi home after they dressed. The girls were quiet, which was unusual.

Marcia's mom noticed it and asked, "Girls, is there something I should know? You are so quiet this morning."

"Uh um, mom there is nothing. We are just quiet from the party and not feeling well."

The girls looked at each other with smirks on their faces. They were not telling anything about what happened. They rode quietly in the back of the car. Naomi was the first to depart from the car. Her mother waited outside the door of the house for her. Her mom hugged her, as they both waved goodbye.

When they arrived at Rebecca's, Marcia and her mom went with Rebecca into the house. Rebecca's mom was Marcia mom's sister. They greeted each other. The girls went to Rebecca's room and played a while. After an hour visit, Marcia and her mom left.

Marcia was curious about Sarah's party after they left. She wanted to know what happened. She would have to wait until school to find out. A few of the girls who were her friends at school were there. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to know.

The rest of Sunday went slowly. There was football on TV. Mom and Marcia worked in the kitchen. Sunday was the day when her mom made a big dinner for after the game. Marcia liked to help make dessert. Marcia sat in the kitchen and watched her mother. Dessert was the furthest thing from her mind.

There was no dessert that night. Marcia just wanted to go to bed and sleep. She had a strange feeling about Monday morning. She did not sleep very well. She tossed and turned all night. When she woke in the morning, she slowly got ready for school. She ate her breakfast slowly too.

She grabbed her backpack and left for school. The day was cloudy and gray, reflecting Marcia's mood. It was not raining, but it felt, as if it would any minute. Marcia dallied along the way to school. In her mind, she hoped bully-boy Ralph was not in school.

As she approached school, there was a large group of girls milling around outside. They were familiar, but Marcia knew they were not from her school. They were from her old school. Her mind asked, "Why are they here? What is going on?"

That was when she saw the person in the middle. Sarah stood on the stairs of the school. She had a determined look on her face. Her brother Ralph stood behind her and saw Marcia approach. He said something to Sarah. She moved down the stairs and walked toward Marcia. The crowd parted as they approached each other.

Marcia stopped and stood defiantly waiting for Sarah. The crowed swirled around the two girls. A low murmur played through the crowd. Ralph walked with Sarah, but stayed behind. Sarah came up to Marcia and gave her an angry stare. Marcia looked at her and felt a little scared.

"You ruined my Halloween Party. The fact you left and we waited for you was one thing. The glitter bombs made the party fall apart. Everyone got glitter all over. It was a big mess. I wanted to find you and hurt you badly. When you were not there, I knew what I had to do."

Marcia stood casually listening. She kept very quiet and still. She watched Sarah's anger rise. She watched, as Sarah moved closer. She felt the hot breath and spittle coming from Sarah's mouth. She stood her ground and let Sarah rant and rave on for a while.

Sarah screamed at Marcia. She watched, as Marcia just stood there. A small smile appeared on Marcia's face, but quickly disappeared. Sarah spewed a shower of spittle onto Marcia. The more she ranted the less Marcia responded. The lack of a reaction drove Sarah over the edge.

Sarah had it with Marcia. She reached out and pushed Marcia's shoulder trying to provoke her. Marcia recovered and stood still. Sarah ripped the backpack off Marcia's shoulder and threw it to the ground. Marcia looked down at it, but her eyes returned to watch Sarah. Sarah's face turned red, as her anger raged.

The crowd chanted, "Hit her, hit her! Let her have it!"

Marcia looked at the crowd and sneered. She knew what they wanted. They wanted Sarah and her to have a fight. Mere words would not be enough to satisfy them. They wanted to see a battle between them. Marcia felt that she would disappoint them. She did not want to fight. Fighting was pointless.

When Marcia sneered at the crowd, Sarah lost it and started to punch Marcia. She punched Marcia's stomach, arms and shoulders. Marcia stood and took each blow. The crowd cheered with each blow. They watched in awe of Sarah, as she punched Marcia. Sarah's anger raged within her. She kicked out at Marcia's legs.

Sarah's hair flew around her head as she swung her fists. Her arms flailed at Marcia. Blow after blow made contact with Marcia. She never moved or fought back. She stood silently with her arms by her side. She took every blow. Her face showed no emotion, no pain or tears.

With all the blows given, Marcia never flinched. Sarah felt frustrated. She had to deliver the final blow. She wanted Marcia to fight back. She lifted her hand, moved it back near her shoulder and swung her hand at Marcia's face. The loud slapping smack sounded louder above the crowd noise.

"OOH," chanted the crowd loudly.

Marcia stood there, her head ringing from the blow. She stood still and let the crowd continue their yelps of surprise. Sarah backed away from Marcia. Her anger dissipated slowly. She backed into her brother. The crowd moved to follow her.

Suddenly, the crowd parted quickly. The principal of the school moved toward the two combatants. He looked at the two girls.

"Sarah, you better leave NOW!" He said, "Take your brother with you."

"Marcia, come with me to my office. I am going to call your mother." He reached down and picked up her backpack. Marcia followed him meekly.

Marcia sat sullenly in the principal's office. Her cheek, where Sarah hit her was bright red and swelling slowly. Her arms and legs hurt, but Marcia refused to yield to the pain. She looked down at her backpack on the floor.

The principal contemplated what to say and decided to say nothing. The fight took place off school property. There was nothing, he could about it. He would just give Marcia the day off. Her mother would have to deal with her.

After the principal separated the two girls, several small groups of girls gathered and talked about the fight. The conclusion was that Sarah won. She beat Marcia down. The worst thing that happened was the crowd thought Marcia was a coward.

Marcia became the target of tales of cowardice in the fight. She did not defend herself. That made her a coward. Girls who were her friends felt she was no good, a person to shun. That was what she would face when she returned.

Her mom arrived at school and quickly went to the office. When she got there, she found Marcia holding an ice pack against her cheek. There were bruises on her arms and legs. There were no cuts or any blood, just bruises.

Her mom thanked the principal. She took Marcia by the hand and dragged her from the office. Not a word came from her mother. It was a languid ride home. Marcia sat in the car barely breathing. Her arms and legs hurt. She held the tears within because she wanted to show strength to her mother.

They got home and into the house. Her mother took her backpack and brought it to her room. Marci sat at the kitchen table, with her head resting face down in her crossed arms. She waited to feel her mother's wrath at her fighting.

Her mom returned to the kitchen. She sat opposite Marcia. "OK, what is going on? Why did Sarah meet you outside school?"

Marcia thought for a moment. She had to tell the truth, lying would not work with her mother. "She was angry at me because we left the party early and made her look foolish. We left while playing hide and seek. I was the seeker. I never told her, we were leaving."

Her mom got up from the table and got an ice pack for her cheek. She examined her arms and legs. The bruises and bumps were minor. They would heal in a few days. They looked ugly, that was all.

Mom continued, "What else did you do? Leaving the party like that would not get someone that angry. You did something else, now come clean, MARCIA."

"Err ... um; it was about two glitter bombs. They went off after we left. I guess the glitter shower caught everyone in its downpour. It was in a big room that had wood floors and no carpet. Sarah was very angry about that. It humiliated her, but made her party exciting like the crickets did last year. It was the fact she did not do it."

"Marcia, how could you? You know how Sarah is. You know she would get even for anything that happened. I guess the feud is over. You are on your best behavior from now until the end of school. If anything happens, you will be punished severely."

"I will mom, I promise."

"Go to your room. You are to stay there until supper, when dad gets home."

Marcia went to her room hanging her head. She walked slowly as if she dragged a huge weight behind her. When she entered her room, she sat on the floor and leaned her back against the side of her bed. If she could, she would slide under her bed and hide. She felt confused. She felt good about the prank and humiliating Sarah, but the beat down she took in front of school made her feel downtrodden and defeated.

Marcia thought, "Why didn't you fight back? What will people say?"

Marcia told herself, "I don't care what people say. I did not fight because it would have made the scene worse. Fighting never accomplished anything. No one ever truly won a fight. The thing was not worth fighting about."

Marcia fell asleep against her bed until supper. She ate supper, went back to her room and slept until morning.

Marcia met Naomi at their lockers in the morning. They looked around and saw classmates pointing in their direction whispering. Marcia saw it and asked Naomi, "What are they saying?"

Naomi looked at Marcia sadly and said, "They are talking about you. They think you are a coward for not fighting Sarah back."

"Oh, I guess that is what they will have to believe. I am not going to fight her, nor am I going to say anything in my defense." Marcia softly said to Naomi. She felt worse now than when her mother talked to her the night before.

Marcia kept the promise she made to her mom. For the rest of the school year she stayed out of trouble. What she did though was to excel in all her studies. She was the top of her class and of the school. She had no friends, but Naomi and Rebecca. That was fine with her. She did not need anyone.

Toward the end of the school year, Marcia talked about what middle school she would attend. Naomi and Rebecca picked a school that was close. Marcia picked it too. They walked by it one day and it looked large and intimidating. They huddled outside and shook a little with fear and excitement.

As school ended, Marcia attended all the school functions. At an award ceremony, they honored her for her academic achievement. Her grades and test scores were the highest ever recorded for the school and the district. It was a surprise to her. The reception of her classmates shocked everyone. Not one student cheered for her.

Marcia left the assembly with her award and threw it in her locker. The principal called her into his office and talked to her. He apologized for the reception. Marcia told him it was OK. He accepted that but congratulated her anyway.

School closed for the summer. Marcia, Naomi and Rebecca hung out together.

About a month after school closed, Marcia got some bad news. Her dad came home from work one night and announced they were moving. He got a promotion and in order to keep the promotion they had to move to a certain style house.

Marcia felt betrayed and spent a week in her room pouting. She did not see her friends or go anywhere. She was sad. When she emerged from her room, Naomi called her. Marcia told her about moving. Naomi was happy, until Marcia told her that it meant she would attend a different middle school.

Naomi, Rebecca and Marcia spent the rest of the summer together, but acted, as if the world was at an end. One highlight of the summer was that Marcia and Naomi introduced Rebecca to the wolf family. The family grew by another pup, which was a girl. Rebecca liked the wolf family and they accepted her.

Summer ended and the girls went to their separate schools. The girls spent time together on weekends and holidays. They talked on the phone almost every day. It was not the same, as being in class together, but they made do with it.

The first year of middle school ended with no trouble. Marcia excelled in her studies again. The number of friends she made at the new school was small. Most of her classmates heard of her reputation as a coward, which caused them to shun her. Her academic achievements also made her unpopular. They treated her as a social pariah.

This treatment bothered Marcia at first, but it left her time to pursue her studies. She spent time in the library reading. She participated in the school Science Fair and won it every year. The more she excelled her friends abandoned her. It did not bother her that her circle of friends dwindled.

Toward the end of middle school, the competition for high schools began. Marcia's reputation for academic excellence brought more private schools to visit her. Several recruiters visited with her parents offering big dreams to Marcia. All this attention surprised her parents. They never dreamed that a private high school fit into their plans.

Marcia told no one what she desired. It did not seem to matter. Her parents would decide her future, not her. She wanted to stay near Naomi and Rebecca. They were her only true friends. Her friends would attend the local public high school. That was where she wanted to go too.

A month before school ended, Marcia's parents narrowed the choice of high schools from twelve to five. The five chosen offered Marcia everything she needed, a place to live, clothes, books and spending money. Each school had their merits. One school stood out from all the rest.

The name of the school was 'the Bard school.' It was exclusive and very private. They provided everything a student needed, which included a place to live, clothes, travel, books and money. However, there were two things the other schools lacked, a guaranteed college education and a European campus life. The Bard school was in Switzerland.

Marcia's parents traveled with her to each of the privates schools except the Bard school. Her parents liked the schools they visited. Papers and promises inundated her parents for Marcia to attend the schools. The decision date was not far off. Marcia acted as if she did not care what school she attended. She never voiced her choice. Her parents never asked what she preferred.

With a month left before school ended, her parents made their decision. They chose the Bard school. They told the other schools no. This caused a barrage of other offers, which promised more. Her parents stayed firm Marcia would attend school and college in Switzerland.

The night her parents told Marcia their decision, she sat at the kitchen table and rested her head in her crossed arms. She thought, "Now my world changes. I leave all my friends. I leave my family. I leave everything I have here. I start a new life in a new country. I give up all I have. What if I don't want it? Has anyone thought about that? What will happen to me?"

When her parents announced her choice, she cried. The Bard school delivered a message to her parents. They required that two weeks after middle school ended, she was to report to school in Switzerland.

The school sent a first-class plane ticket, a Swiss passport with instructions about getting to the school. Her parents looked at all the school supplied for her. They found that her life would start over. Marcia became a new person.