The Writing Competition

 I looked at the poster hanging outside the cafeteria and sighed. There was a writing contest. I sucked at writing but I needed money for a new skateboard and there was a cash prize. I looked around and found my friend Lily. She was the best writer but she had sprained her wrist and wasn't going to compete. “Yep, the prompt is about monkeys” I told her. Lily had decided to make me her pupil since she couldn't compete.

     I ate my carrot, then looked around . Lily was ranting about the perfect paragraph. Before she finished the bell rang. “Welp I better go” I say as I grab my bag. “My place after school” Lily calls after me. Finally the bell rings and I grab my bag. I run out to my bike and peddle to Lily’s house.  When I get there her mom meets me. “Hey hunny, Lily is upstairs.” I smile and thank her.

    Lily was on the bed reading. I walk in without knocking. Lily looks up, “Hey, I came up with an idea for the story” She said putting her book up. I loved reading but writing wasn't my thing. Lily told me her idea and I listened. Eventually my mom came and got me for dinner. After I ate my sandwich I went upstairs to write. 

     I wrote a solid paragraph before stopping. This was Lily's story not mine. I knew I was bad but I wanted to try anyway. I didn't want to take Lily’s idea so I had to come up with a new plan. What was I supposed to do with monkeys! Then I remembered the series I read when I was younger.

    It was a series about birds that lived in villages and had rivalries with other birds. I could personify the monkeys. I started a paragraph then read it and cringed. “Yikes” I thought. I didn't know I was THAT bad.  I started over.

    I wrote slowly so all the words would fit, but when I read the story I still hated it. I made some changes and felt a little better about it. I went downstairs and gave the page to my parents. My mom read it and I watched her face. It looked like she didn’t hate it! Maybe I had a chance after all, but I had to go to bed now so the rest would have to wait. 

     The next day at school I stressed about telling Lily I wasn't going to write the story she wanted me too. I didn't want her to think I just wanted the prize money to myself so I was gonna tell her we could still split. She saw me grab a tray at lunch and there was no avoiding her now. I slowly walked over to her table and sat down.

    “Hey, umm you know the story you- I was gonna w-write?” I stutter when I get nervous and Lily could tell. “It's fine if you wanna do your own thing” She laughed. “I want you to get better at writing and if you need to do that alone then do it alone” She smiled. 

     I felt so much better after I told her, well she kind of told herself. I'm no good at confessions. When school was over I biked over to the DQ in town. I got a soda and started writing.  It was almost five when I got home. I went to my room and read what I had written. “Darnit!” I say aloud. Why can’t I just write! I always have to make modifications. I change up my story and read it again.  Then dinner is ready. My mom ordered pizza and I ate half a box. I was VERY hungry. After that I was VERY tired.

    I watched a movie on my laptop before falling asleep. The next day was Saturday so me and Lily went to the park. We saw a girl selling lemonade and bought some, then we had to stand up because there was only one bench that wasn’t melting slowly in the sun and it was taken. When we finish our drinks we head back to my house and work on my story. There needed to be a thousand words and I only had 718. I was close though.

    Lily decided to spend the night at my house and we stayed up late watching movies and drinking Coke. In the morning I walked with Lily back to her house. Her mom had made cookies and she gave me one. I thanked her and ran home before the chocolate chips could melt. I spent the rest of the day writing and correcting myself. I didn’t mean to stay up late but my mom bought me dinner and before I knew it, it was midnight. I put away my story and changed into pajamas. In the morning I took a shower. On Monday I had to turn in my story and I was incredibly nervous.

    I only needed to write an ending and I would be finished with the entire story! Lily invited me over to finish at her house and I was grateful. Lily was THE best at finishing stories. I grabbed a backpack and put my story in it. My bike was in the yard. I biked to her house and ran up the stairs.

    “AH!” She jumped as I pushed the door open. “Sorry I was excited to get here” I apologized. Lily smiled, “I was beginning to give up on you, all I had to do was get you in a competition and BAM you’d start writing” I blushed. Lily told me what to write and I wrote it down. It might be considered cheating but I was still gonna share the reward.

    I walked into school on Monday like it was the first day of school. I was a nervous wreck. Lily was trying and failing to calm me down. Nothing she said made me feel better though. I didn't want to be stressed and I tried my hardest not to be but at lunch I could barely bring myself to turn it in.

    I went back to Lily and I was practically shaking. She told me to calm down. I didn't even know if I could show up tomorrow, the day they would announce the winner.

    In the morning I told my mom I was sick. I might not have been lying if I went to school. Maybe my Dysgraphia was the reason I was so nervous. Maybe my story would be just as bad as the kids at my old school said they were. I stayed home all day and ate ice cream. Then I took a nap.

    When I woke up Lily was calling me. I picked up the phone. “Hello?” I said weakly. “YOU DID IT!” Lily shouts. If I had been next to her I was pretty sure I would be deaf. I held my phone away from my ear for a minute. Suddenly I heard a knock at the door. I walked over to it and opened it. It was lily. She hugged me and handed me a packet. Inside was enough money for a skateboard including my allowance. I smiled and almost started crying. I had never been good at writing but maybe I wasn't as bad as I thought I was.