25 comments

Middle School Friendship

I'm not sure what to get Nova for Christmas. So, I guess I'm writing out what gifts I might give because why not?

Possible gifts for Nova:

  1. Scrapbook: I already filled up half of the book (I bought it at the dollar store) it’s about 40-something-pages long in total. Christmas is literally in two days. How am I supposed to fill out the rest? But, Nova would definitely appreciate this the most since it has our baby pictures and some letters I wrote about our time together. I can probably finish the rest tomorrow, but it’ll drain a lot of my energy :/ 
  2. A sweater I made: I made a sweater about two weeks ago. It’s fuzzy but not itchy; the perfect combo for Nova. I’m not sure if the size fits her though. I haven’t seen her since elementary school, I've only seen her face from facetime calls and communicate mainly through emails. I made it slightly bigger than my own size. It’s navy blue and off-white, her favorite color combo. I’m sure she’d like it. It’s one of the first major projects I did since I mainly sew plushes and small badges. But I bought fabric from the store and was able to stitch the fabric together. Nova appreciates it when people make their own things. I just know that she’ll love it. I hope. It doesn’t look that bad, but looking at it now I’m worried that she might think it’s too simple since there’s no fancy design. Will she be disappointed when she sees how I’ve spent weeks on this and it’s blander than expected? Maybe I shouldn’t gift this after all. 
  3. Copic markers: Nova loves to sketch stuff, but she doesn’t have any good resources for coloring anything since it’s not a necessity. It’s a shame, I might gift some Copic markers to her since I heard they’re good quality. I’m not sure though, since I haven’t done a lot of research on them. They’re quite expensive. Ack, I’m not sure if she’d really like it though since it’s not a priority, but if she does it’ll be beneficial to her? I emailed her asking about any updates on her drawings; she sent me a few pictures. She was disappointed about how her colored pencils weren’t that good quality.
  4. Sketchbook: She likes drawing and writing. Since first grade, during recess she would always have a notebook and pencil out, writing poems or short stories, and sketching little characters at the corners of the pages when she ran out of ideas. She always complained about how the paper was lined so her illustrations weren’t clear. If I got her a sketchbook, she would be able to write and draw without the lined paper. If I do get this for her, it’ll be one of those small ones you can fit in your pocket. She always comes up with things out of the blue and would sigh in disappointment when she forgot them and missed the opportunity to jot them down. With a small sketchbook, she’d be able to just have it on hand (though I’m not sure if she’d actually bring it with her everywhere).
  5. Annotations on Inside Out and Back Again: I’m not so sure about this one, but in third grade, Nova ranted about how she loved reading books with annotations on it more than brand new ones. She said that it was fun seeing what other people thought about the books and what stood out to them. She also said that it was cheaper and that the thought of a new book made her uneasy. I’m still not sure why that is. Something about the fear of ruining it by creasing the pages and stuff? Well, I chose Inside Out and Back Again because I already have it on me and have already annotated part of the book. If I decide to gift this to her, I’ll go back and annotate it more thoroughly. Nova likes poetry (obviously) so that’s a plus?
  6. Cookbook by mom: In second grade, we’d sit next to each other during lunchtime and trade snacks. Nova loved the omelets that mom made, she asked for the recipe. I gave it to her, and the next day Nova whined about how it didn’t taste the same but appreciated the recipe given. She usually enjoys the meals mom cooks when she comes over to my house, so I might give her a copy of the cookbook she owns. But it probably won’t taste like an exact replica, which makes me worried about gifting this to her.
  7. Fundamentals of Art: As I’ve said, like three times now, Nova is an artist. She mainly enjoys drawing objects and crafting some ideas while quickly scribbling them down. Nova envied those who could draw with much more skill and precision. I told her that she just needed practice, but she said that there was something else with it. They knew basic knowledge of how to draw, and she didn’t. So, this makes it on the list, I found a book titled Fundamentals of Art and this will help improve her skill if she reads it and gains knowledge?? I think? I dunno, I’m not into this kind of stuff like she is, so I don’t really know what I’m doing.
  8. Chemistry kit: She loves experimentation. This might be good since she’ll gain a vaster knowledge of how objects around her works (which Nova is fascinated by). But she isn’t aiming to be a major in science, so I’m not too sure about this one. It seems fun to do, based on the reviews and the description of the item. I haven’t bought it yet, so it’ll take a while before it gets to her.
  9. A personalized gift box with cosmetic items and stickers: It doesn’t feel like it’s personal, even though it is? I’m not sure if that makes sense, but anyone can gift a box with small items and jewelry inside of it. It doesn’t symbolize anything, or maybe I’m just overthinking. Well, anyway, it saves a lot of time and more money than the other gifts, but I’m not too keen on giving this.
  10. Money? Nova doesn’t like receiving money because it feels fake. If I give her money then we’re not really close friends, are we? I don’t like giving out money either, so :/ I wouldn’t want her thinking that I’m looking down on her either. Since she’s from the lower class and it might seem like pity. I’ll send this to her as a last resort if I have to.



After like two hours of thinking, I’m going to give her the scrapbook, sweater, book, and sketchbook. I’ve narrowed it down, and I can’t decide between the four of them. I’ve already have all the items on me, and I’m going to mail them to her. I also sent a letter saying some cheesy stuff. She's probably cringing. Maybe she's overwhelmed with the number of things I sent, it's only four items. Ah geez, I'm getting nervous for no reason.


December 29, 2020 04:32

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25 comments

Ash M
04:34 Dec 29, 2020

This is a different style from what I normally write. It's literally 11:30 PM and I did not edit this at all so- Um I just submitted this because I'm probably going to forget to do it later. It was quite bland and slow-paced (definitely contrasts with my first submission) but it was pretty fun writing it. I'll be back to edit this. Someday. Maybe.

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Raquel Rodriguez
00:40 Dec 30, 2020

You know you can't edit it after it gets approved, right?

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Ash M
21:42 Dec 30, 2020

... well now I know

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Raquel Rodriguez
16:26 Dec 31, 2020

Oh, lol. Yeah, I thought you knew that. Maybe your story hasn't gotten approved yet?

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Ash M
02:50 Jan 06, 2021

Now it has

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Raquel Rodriguez
14:33 Jan 06, 2021

Okay, that's good! But now you can't edit it ;)

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16:52 Jan 03, 2021

First of all-- love the name! Second of all-- this is how I give christmas presents too. Third of all-- you're a good writer! This is so funny and yet believable! Fourth of all-- (follows) You have another follower! :)

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Ash M
03:51 Jan 04, 2021

Thank you so much :D I really appreciate the compliments given :)

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13:45 Jan 04, 2021

You're welcome :)

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Arham Ishraq
00:43 Dec 31, 2020

This sounded like she was talking to somebody about th gifts and not letting them respond lol but I like how it's like that. One thing you could fix is how c h o n k y the explanations are. Also you mention how Nova doesn't like new books but one of the gifts are Fundamentals Of Art. But yeah overall it's cool.

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Ash M
04:21 Dec 31, 2020

... o h y e a h - Ty for commenting :D Um wdym by how "c h o n k y" the explanations are?

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Arham Ishraq
16:47 Dec 31, 2020

They were really bunched together and you ket repeating things like "She likes" or "She loves" or "She might not like" I mean it's fine I just thought you could switch it up a little. Unless thats like part of the mc's personality ig then it's fine.

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Raquel Rodriguez
00:39 Dec 30, 2020

Ashhhhh! I didn't read your story at all (oof sorry about that) but I'm bored and want someone to talk to so hi.

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Izzie Chan
05:15 Dec 29, 2020

hey ashhhhh wow you literally just submitted this half an hour ago, lol anywayssss(1/3) I like the way you approached this prompt! it was Christmas a couple days ago, so it makes sense, haha yeah, you’re right, it’s very different from your first story lol anywayssss(2/3) I love the way you wrote the explanations behind each gift. it really showed the speaker’s personality (they rant. like, a lot. lol) anywayssss(3/3) this was a great story to read, ash! looking forward to more of your stories!!!

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Ash M
17:31 Dec 29, 2020

Hey Izzieeeeeeeeeeeee Wow yes I submitted it at 11:30 last night, lol. Thanks for the feedback, and any advice?

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Izzie Chan
21:43 May 29, 2021

hahaha I'm sorry I never responded I know you can't edit it anymore, but I guess the paragraphs are a bit overwhelming to the reader? You could try to break them up into smaller paragraphs but keep the information under one bullet point.

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Ash M
21:44 May 29, 2021

ur a gardening tool

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Ash M
21:44 May 29, 2021

(it's an inside joke btw)

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Izzie Chan
21:50 May 29, 2021

(yeah dont worry)

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Izzie Chan
21:44 May 29, 2021

love u too bestie

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Sia S
07:35 Jan 01, 2021

Hey Ash! I've heard a lot about you ;) jk, jk, I'm good friends(??) with Raquel and Arham. Soo just wanted to drop by! This was really good! I liked the name, and the indecision of the character, it didn't seem forced and the list was smooth. Good job! -S

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Ash M
15:54 Jan 01, 2021

Hey Sia, I've heard Raquel and Arham chat about how the three of you get along well. Thank you for informing me about what you liked and being specific about it. :)

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Sia S
18:12 Jan 01, 2021

:D

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