In October, I read Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow. Girl In Pieces is about a girl named Charlie Davis. Charlie is a seventeen year old girl who copes with her feelings by using self-harm. Charlie has a terrible past and is quickly put into a girls home called, Creely. After she realizes that she can no longer afford living at Creely, she finds herself out on the streets. Her best friend died, her mother wants nothing from her, she has no one left, so it leads Charlie to figure out how to live life again without returning to her harmful past. She remembers all her trainings from Creely, so she won’t go back to her self-harm ways, but this new world tries to threaten her recovery. You’d be surprised to read all hardships that are thrown at her.

I loved this book! Girl In Pieces is all about the reality of someone who deals with the exact same things as Charlie Davis. The author did a great job at explaining the emotions and thoughts of what goes on in someone’s mind. There’s multiple themes and lessons that people can relate and learn from. One of my favorite things about this book, is that readers can see the character development. Charlie started off as a timid, afraid girl, who desperately needs someone to love her. At the end of the story, Charlie becomes an independent woman who learned sometimes all you need is yourself. You can definitely tell how much Charlie Davis changes overtime.

After reading this book, my favorite character was Blue. At the start, Blue hated Charlie and was not always the nicest person. Throughout the book, Blue changed and began to become a friend towards Charlie. She was there for Charlie’s bad times and good times and she always was willing to help Charlie. Blue is thoughtful about Charlie’s feelings and genuinely wants to be friends with her. One quote that proves this is when Blue and Charlie start to have a heartfelt moment, Blue decides to share her feelings to Charlie. Page 371, “I’m not that, Charlie. I want to be friends. I think we could help each other. I like you so much.”

My favorite quote from Girl In Pieces is page 355, “Everyone has that moment, I think, the moment when something so… momentous happens that it rips your very being into small pieces. And it takes such a very long time, not to fit them back together, but to assemble them in a new way, not necessarily a better way. More, a way you can live with until you know for certain that this piece should go there, and that one there.” I admire this quite a lot because it has an incredible meaning to it. It’s very true that sometimes things might being going your way until one little thing makes you crumble. Then it takes you quite a long time to recover, but eventually you learn and grow. This theme/quote is carried on throughout the book. You can definitely see how Charlie Davis uses this exact phrase to push herself to recovery. At the end of the book, Charlie refers to the quote and it shows how Charlie picked up her pieces and fit them in a way that she’s certain they go there.

If I could trade places with a famous person for the day, it would be Mia Gonzalez. Mia Gonzalez is a well known soccer player and is extremely smart with the ball. Her ability to make smart plays in soccer gets her into US national camps and she’s able to explore many cities. Not only is she smart in soccer, she’s also academically smart. Mia’s had straight A’s ever since she started school. If you have never heard of Mia Gonzalez, it’s probably because she’s my sister and isn’t exactly worldwide famous but she’s soccer famous. I would love to see what it’s like to be Mia Gonzalez for a day for many reasons. For starters, I’d always wanted to feel what it’s like when everyone in the soccer industry knows your name. I would want to feel what it’s like when going to play a soccer match and there’s scouts watching you. I’d most definitely want to feel what it’s like to be at the top of your league and know exactly what your future is. Mia has had it easy ever since. She’s always been good at soccer and she knows she can easily make the big leagues if she wants to. I want to experience that too. One of the most valuable things Mia has that I desire, is that Mia has her career served on her plate. Hearing coaches talk good about you, hearing parents saying you will go far into your career, going to women national camps, and competing in the Mexico Women Olympics just like Mia. Most importantly, I want to be successful at soccer like Mia. Another reason why I’d like to be Mia Gonzalez, is because she travels everywhere. She’s been to Arizona, Tabasco, Toluca, Virginia, Seattle, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and soon Florida. She’s practically in a new state every month! Mia’s seen the green glorious Seattle, the pretty lights of Nevada, the hot humid air in Tabasco. I would love to experience all the adventures and sights Mia sees. To be able to travel the world and play soccer in different states is something I yearn for. The last reason for why I want to be Mia Gonzalez is that I wish to be intelligent. Mia’s at the top of her classes and her teacher’s know her for being so smart with her words. She makes brilliant stories and her answers are always correct. Mia can easily get into any college of her choice just by her academics. I’ve had some B’s and A’s, but never have I ever been a straight A student. To be able to look at your report card and see nothing but A’s is a fantasy. The reason why I want to have Mia’s brilliant mind, is because with good, sharp grades, you can get anywhere in life. Mia Gonzalez is a fantastic athlete, she takes her education seriously, and she gets to travel places. All of these things are what I have desired for years, I’ve always wanted to be a phenomenal student-athlete and travel the world! Overall, I’d say Mia is an incredible person who has a bright future and to have your future set right in front of you, is what I find so remarkable about Mia Gonzalez.

It would be a dream to have a perfect day and it would go like this. I’d wake up to bright, blazing sun rays through my window and I’d have my favorite breakfast meal on my bedside table. The meal would be chilaquiles with a milkshake. After finishing my delicious breakfast, I’d get dressed in a casual outfit, jeans and a shirt. I’d walk downstairs to the smell of more breakfast. My mom would be there in the kitchen cooking buttermilk pancakes that are golden with a drizzle of strawberry sauce. After I gobble that plate of pancakes, I’d head off to Universal Studios. I would all walk outside to a bright, sunny day and hop into my car. As I drive to the amusement park, I’d stop by a gas station and pick up some snacks. I’d take advantage of the opportunity of getting anything I want by getting Hot Cheetos Puffs, Hi-Chews, and a cold lemonade from Minute Maid. I continue driving and finally arrive to Universal Studios. I walk inside and start to look at all the different shops they provide. I first decide to head over to the Simpson part of the park. I see the Krusty The Clown ride and I’m amazed by the fact that there’s no line. I enjoy the ride and walk out towards the Simpson shop. I buy a couple souvenirs such as, pajamas, mugs, socks, and keychains. Before I walk out of that glamorous store, I’ll buy one of their famous pink Simpson doughnuts. The next part of the park I’ll go to would be the Jurassic Park rides. I’d get onto the water boat with all the jump-scares. There’s not a lot of places for the Jurassic Park area so after that, I’d just head to lunch. I’d get in my car and by that time the sun would already be going down. I’d drive to the nearest Sizzler and I’d enjoy a nice, juicy, well-done piece of steak with a side of potatoes and broccoli. Along with a refreshing, ice cold lemonade. After eating that filling meal, I’d finally head home. I’d get all comfy in my newly bought Simpson pajamas, and I’d relax by watching a movie, World War Z. I’d dump myself a big bowl of cotton candy ice cream and crash out on my sofa. The next day I’d wake up ready to share my whole adventure.

I would want to be twenty years old forever. Twenty would be an exciting age because you get to do all sorts of activities. At that age, I’d already have my driving license so I’d be able to go wherever I want. I could eat out by my self whenever and go hang out with friends all the time. The one place I’d go to would be Luna Grill. Luna Grill is a delicious Mediterranean restaurant. I’d definitely spend all my time there. Not alone, but with my cousins or friends. The one person I’d take constantly would be my brother. He’d be still unable to drive so it’d be cool to take him places. Another reason is that there would be no school! I wouldn’t have to wake up extra early just to get to school. I could stay up late until might night and wake up in the afternoon. Just to avoid getting out of bed, I’d make sure to get an online job. It’d make things much simpler. With my own money, I’d buy reasonable items as well as some unreasonable items. The last reason is that I could get my own house. It might sound odd that I don’t want to stay with my family, but to own my own house with my own personal space is much more enjoyable. I could decorate it the way I want, have my house stocked with snacks all the time, and I could be alone peacefully. My house is always crazy, so to have a whole house just the way I want it, sounds like paradise. Overall, I’d pick twenty as my permanent age forever because of its benefits and I’d love to stay that age for eternity.

At the age of 8 years old, something traumatic occurred to me. It was supposed to be a normal day. I had just won a medal at a soccer tournament called Albion. My team were winning non-stop, so it was no surprise we won yet again. I has just finished taking some pictures with my trophy and medal, and congratulating my teammates. My sister’s championship game was still going on at the moment, so my mom and I decided to head over there to go watch the second half. My mom sat down with my dad and they continued to watch the game. I headed over to the corner of the field and hung out with some younger kids. As the game went on, we built this box made out of sticks that went up to our knees. I stood inside of the box feeling the cool breeze and watching my sister dominate the opposing team. I was interrupted by screams coming from the back of the event. I immediately look towards the other fields and see a herd of people running and screaming, “RUN!” They signal everyone to the exit and I see the whole sideline get up. Without thinking twice, I jump over the sticks and run. I look over and see my sister’s team running as well. I can’t see my sister or my parents, but I continue running. Everyone swarms the exit, creating human traffic. I squeeze through and finally I find my self in the parking lot alone. I see people getting in their cars, people running with their kids, and I suddenly freeze. Thoughts fill my head, but then I feel someone call my name. “Bibi!” I look over and see my teammate and her mom. They decided to watch my sister’s game too and must have saw me running by myself. They grab my hand and we rush over to a large grey truck. We hid behind the tire and the world goes quiet. Not one movement. My teammate asks, “mom what’s going on?” Her mom is quiet and has nothing to say. There is nothing to say. One second we were peacefully watching a game and now we are here hiding behind whatever is going on out there. I think about my parents and how I’d probably never see them, and my sister who I desperately need most in this world. I think about what happened to them and what will happen to me. It was like a nightmare that came to life. I instantly get startled by a man yelling, “BIBI!” I recognize the voice, it’s my dad! I peek out of my hiding spot and feel overjoyed at the sight of my father. I give him a hug and cry for a moment. I feel relieved and saved. We walk back to the field where it all started. My teammate has already left after that. My sister and her whole team come back with dust and dirt all over their shirts. My sister later told me that her team and a pregnant soccer mom had all run up to an abandoned house on a hill. There was sharp metal pieces that cut some of them. Luckily no one was severely hurt. On the other hand, my parents indeed start running, but the paused and didn’t know what they were running from. They were smart and actually walked back to the field and tried to gather some other parents. One of the parents was a police officer and as everyone found their kids, he told us what we should have done next time. Which was to run straight to our parents. We also found out the reason for the whole situation was because of a referee that made a bad call. This caused the parents to start fighting. One of the parents wanted to scare the others so he pulled out his gun from his pocket. Everyone freaked out and ran for their lives. Although he didn’t hurt or shoot anybody, he was still in big trouble. After that day, I slowly recovered from that traumatizing experience and I eventually got over it. To this day, It’s still hard to return to that field and play the tournament Albion. I can still see the crowed exit, I can still hear the screams, and I can feel the relieving hug my dad gave me.