Olive Moore's Essential Feild Guide to Life

I’m Olive.
I’m sixteen, and I’m not stupid. I just can’t write stuff. Things. My English teacher, Ms. Bloch, told me to write this journal so i could be a better writer. I think she just feels sorry for me. She’s one of those new teachers, all gung ho about learning. She says my writing lacks style. I asked her, what style did she mean, and she just handed me this book to write in. fine. I hate English. I’m not stupid though, I’m good at math. It’s easy and it just follows rules. I can follow rules, I told her, but I just can’t make my own.
I think she feels bad because I don’t have any friends. By all accounts, I should hate high school. I don’t though. It’s this panorama of people every day. People I hate, people I wish I knew, the usual players. Everyone pretty much ignores me. Well, that’s not true. Today Mark Cohen-Barnes talked to me.
“Yo Olive, got a piece of notebook paper?” I handed him one, and he said “Thanks homie.”
I’ll tell my mom we ate lunch together.
My mom is really nice. So is my dad. And my little sister, Astor, is my best friend. She’s nine. She’s this cool little kid though. She still plays dress up and make believe, even though she’s a little old, and I love that about her. My parents are these normal, nice people, and they usually don’t know what to do with me. I feel like they wish I would act out, pierce my tongue or come home drunk. At least that’d be more normal than playing dolls all afternoon with my little sister.
Since my life is pretty pathetic, I’m going to write a field guide to West Harlow High School. I like science too, by the way. I’m starting with one of my favorite characters, Taylor Yeardsley. She’s really pretty, pretty enough that she could date anyone, you know? But she doesn’t. She’s really nice, she wears these Oxfords every day and she always looks extremely clean. Her dad is my dentist, and he always tells me what perfect teeth I have. I really do have nice teeth, I think. Pretty straight and stuff. I once saw Taylor there, at the office.
“Hey Olive!” She was hanging out in the waiting room, and I was surprised she knew my name.
“Hi Taylor.” Her dad walked in then, and she jumped up.
“Dad, this is my friend Olive from school.” I was grateful she called me her friend. We hadn’t talked since girl scouts, I don’t think, but it was a nice gesture, right?
“I know Olive, Taylor. She’s the girl with the perfect teeth.” He smiled at me. He’s a nice man, I guess, always really friendly. I think that’s where Taylor gets it. he probably brings her home cool toothbrushes and sugar free treats once in a while.
“See you in math Olive.” She looked back down at her magazine, curling her feet under her.
“Uhm, we’re not in the same math class.”
“Oh.” She looked up again.
“We’re in Bio though, right?”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I meant.”
I told you I was easy to ignore, didn’t I? That’s what I mean, anyway. That’s why this field guide will be good, like Darwin. No one notices me watching them, so I’ll be impartial.
I named one of Astor’s Barbies Taylor, the really pretty one. She’s my favorite doll, I guess.
I really don’t want to turn this in or anything. Ms. Bloch will probably call the school shrink on me. It’s not weird though. I don’t like, worship the doll. I just make her say really nice, encouraging things to all the other dolls. That’s creepy, right? Jesus. I’m going to go to bed now. It’s only nine, but I have nothing else to do. I have gym tomorrow, so I’ll tell you about Mark Cohen-Barnes then. He’s another favorite.