The Legacy of the curse

a P

to move to a new neighborhood after rumors started spreading that my f

. On his first day, he accidentally spilled coffee on the bus das

ormance. During my 9th-grade exams, he stayed up all night helping me study. But

ven took the spoons. It was devastating. And then there was me. On my very first day of first grade, I walked into school feeling excited-until the janitor slipped a

my new

ok a shower and stepped out, wrapped in a towel. I walked over to my closet and stared at it blankly, trying to decide what

and a bit of clay mask-just enough to make m

doing hair. One time, I tried curling it and ended up burning a chunk so badly, I had to

mom and my elder brother, Jack, chatting over breakfast.

" I asked afte

eft for work,"

all, and my mom had gotten a job as a receptionist a

tside and climbed into the Scalp-a sleek car he got for his 18th b

nt of my new school, silently vowing to do

heard someone

me. I ducked fast, squatting down like the ball had suddenly turned

" someon

He looked genuinely concerned. I stood up, nodded quickly, and wal

rd the principal's office-except it hit me: I had no idea wh

when I

verall with a red bodycon top underneath, paired with black sneakers. She was holding a book and had the same s

until I was standi

new here," I said wi

eplied, matching my tone wi

e me a detailed description. She said she would've taken m

her and h

t the office and knocked on the door.

ped in

nd brown, her nose and lips were small and delicate, and she wore bold red lipstick that ma

d warmly

udent," the woman said with a sweet sm

u," I replied, re

s. Sunwell leading the way to my first class. In my hand, I

had been so far-aside from nearly getting hit in the face with a baske

e. Ms. Sunwell introduced me to the teacher, Mrs. Vin

the momen

I know what you're thinking. You expected me to freez

ise-I didn't

tle speech ahead of time. I would tell you what I said...

big blue eyes and shiny black hair. It was Rachel-the g

d to be right next to Rachel. I sat down beside her and gav

asked, "Can someone please tell me the f

no way I was about to become known as Miss K

aised her hand. It was hard to tell at first if he

" Mrs. Vincent

ents are hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, bo

Well done, Cassie," Mrs. Vi

leep, spilled anything on myself, or banged my head into anything. Honestl

ming in my head when I tripped on

ng. My body hit the floor.

: utterly. s

think was please, someone let the ground open

ard a kind voice say, "Hey, I've got some

ding out a fresh outfit. I gave

she said.

ich, thankfully, fit perfectly. When I came out, she wasn't alon

Rita, meet my annoying twin brother, Dani

el said, kissing the bac

guess he didn'

else said, "Oh,

st heard some girl totally face-planted in th

at her. It was Cass

ill laughing. "Oh. You're the girl

" I muttered,

er her breath. "Well then-

her, confused

ne day. That means you're cu

are cursed too?"

d. "And I do remember you. I'

nearly hit you," Cassie added. "Then the cafeteria

d. "Let's go somewhere

dn't noticed when I arrived at school. A qu

own. The

plain why they believed they-

really noticed something was wrong was the day we went to this

her eyes a

? But my parents? Oh no. They ended up arguing-no, ful

hen added, "An

ed?" I

ike hiccups... but mixed with a mini explo

t somehow I started hiccuping, then burped, then just-blah. Right there. In

That sounds.

just the first incident,

ck in middle school. I was performing, and both my parents came

head, cringin

d suddenly tripped on nothing-like, absolutely nothing-a

h," I

that-I messed up my part in the performance, and my class was furious with me.

wly, like the me

here's my mo

ed in a

stumes and entertaining little kids. You know, like clowns

kay

bully me-was throwing a birthday party for her little siste

ed. "No

ut I found out later. At the end of the party, my mom tripped and landed

," I wh

l forum. Everyone found out. It was everywher

th. "So yeah. That's why I

Okay... wow.

c laugh. "Cassie always h

led her eye

e and said, "Alrigh

azy as Cassie's-but it's still... weird. First time I realized something was off was during a school camping trip in

," I mu

ed on the ribbon. Got tangled in it. R

aughing. "You didn'

t I did roast my ponytail. I smell

giggle. "That's awful

he's a chef. Like, a really good one. She got picked to cook at th

he already knew where

, dragging her hand down her face. "She made dessert. All

aw dr

d to convince her she wasn't cursed. Which is funny

walking back toward us, arms full of f

miss the drama,

said, "you still h

"I've got stories. But you'd better ea

a look. "Tell th

e. "Okay, so this was back in fifth grade-the same yea

her face,

"She had her whole ribbon thing, and I was in the big obstacle co

g great. I was ahead, people were cheering, and

aid, already b

t halfway across, the rope snapped. Not kidding-snapped. I flew midair like

ng so hard she ha

ing the whole thing?" D

it on Facebook. Captioned

unions without someone bringin

ng him. "There's no way two kids from the same family