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Click here for reading level. This book is part of the Bayview High series. To read a sample chapter of Dear Liz, click here. Enjoy! Other Tea Leaf Press books by H.A. Levigne: The Big Split High Stakes Muscle Bound New Girl Striking Distance Dear LizLiz Gordon stared out the window of her grade ten math class. Her chin rested in her hand. The teacher talked on and on at the front of the classroom. Liz didn't hear a word Mr. O'Grady said. She was looking out the window at the huge, gnarled oak trees in the schoolyard. In half an hour, she would be sitting beneath one of those trees. She could hardly wait to lean against the massive tree trunk with a notebook on her knee. Liz hated math. English was her favorite subject.Someday, Liz was going to be a writer--a journalist. She wanted to interview famous people. Her articles would be printed in all the magazines. Everyone would want to be interviewed by Elizabeth A. Gordon. She closed her eyes and pictured herself as a journalist. There she was, wearing a power suit. Her long brown hair was styled in a French Twist. She twirled a pen in her perfectly polished fingers. She was interviewing Brad Pitt...mmm. He leaned closer to whisper something juicy in her ear. She could smell his spicy cologne... "Elizabeth? Could you share your answer for this problem with the class?" Liz snapped to attention, her daydream forgotten. Mr. O'Grady was standing with his hands on his hips. He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to answer. "Um...I think...uh...could you repeat the question?" Liz stammered. She felt the heat creep up her neck and into her face. Someone giggled on the other side of the room. Mr. O'Grady frowned. "Maybe if you paid more attention in class, you would be able to tell me the value of x," he said. A hand waving in the air caught his eye. "Yes, Jenna?" he said, turning away from Liz. A pretty blond-haired girl smiled knowingly and gave the answer. Liz slid down in her seat, her face burning. Who cared if Jenna Sinclair was pretty, popular, and good at math? Liz suddenly felt plain and dumb. She couldn't wait to get out of high school. It was like one big popularity contest. She always felt like she was losing in a big way. Ever since her best friend, Ellen Chang, moved away, Liz had been spending a lot of time on her own. The Changs had moved back to Taiwan. They were taking care of Ellen's grandmother. She was ninety-seven years old and very sick. Liz and Ellen wrote to each other every week, but it wasn't the same. They hadn't talked on the phone in months. It was too expensive to call Taiwan. Liz really missed Ellen and all the fun they used to have together. It had always been just the two of them. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang. The students scrambled to collect their books. Liz was almost out the door when Mr. O'Grady called her name. "Elizabeth, please stay for a moment." Sighing heavily, Liz sat down in an empty desk. The rest of the students left the classroom. Here it comes, she thought. Liz's glasses slid down her nose and she pushed them back up. They were always falling down, but she couldn't see a thing without them. Her hazel eyes were partly hidden by the thick lenses. Liz glanced up and saw Mark Peterson walk by the open classroom door. A dreamy smile floated across her face. She thought Mark was the best-looking guy at Bayview High. He had deep blue eyes, dark hair and broad shoulders. Her stomach did flip-flops every time she saw him. Mark was in grade eleven. He probably doesn't know I'm alive, she thought. "Elizabeth. I'd like your full attention, please." Mr. O'Grady was watching her. He had a stern look on his face. "You need to spend more time paying attention to the lesson and less time daydreaming. Your grade is starting to slip," he said. He held out a piece of paper. It was a math test. Elizabeth knew before she even looked that she'd failed it. She looked down at the scarred old desk. Her hair fell forward around her face. She avoided Mr. O'Grady's stare. "Sorry," she muttered. "Well, 'sorry' isn't going to help you pass this class," said Mr. O'Grady. "I want you to get a math tutor, Elizabeth. It's the only way your grade will improve." The teacher's voice softened. "Elizabeth, I don't want to see your average drop because you don't like math. Miss Roth tells me you're getting As in your other classes, including her English class." Liz nodded. English was her favorite subject, and Miss Roth was her favorite teacher. She was so easy to talk to. She always seemed to have time after class to listen. Liz wished Miss Roth could teach all of her classes. Still, she hated math, no matter who taught it. Liz glanced at the clock. "Can I please go, sir? My mom is waiting to pick me up." Mr. O'Grady wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Liz. "This is the name of a student in my grade eleven math class," he said. "He should be able to tutor you until the end of the term. Call him to arrange a time and a place to meet. I'll expect a report on your progress next Friday." Liz took the note without looking at it. "Thanks," she said, stuffing it into her backpack. She got up and started to leave. "Elizabeth!" Liz looked back. Mr. O'Grady was waving another piece of paper at her. "You forgot this," he said. Liz took the paper from him. It was her math test. She winced. There was a big red 'F' at the top of the page. "Thanks," she said again. She walked out the door, clutching her failed test in her hand. As Liz walked down the hall to the front doors of the school, she sighed heavily. A math tutor meant spending more time doing something she didn't like. It also meant she would have less time for writing. The halls of Bayview High were full of students. They were rushing off to sports practices or just hanging around in groups. Liz remembered last year, when she and Ellen would meet after school. They would go to each other's house and watch music videos or read magazines. This year, Liz was on her own. She pushed open the heavy doors and went outside to wait for her ride home. |
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