Your name is Melissa Jones. You recently moved from Lincoln, Nebraska to the sunny state of California. It's a big change, but you’re excited to leave all your struggles behind. After your parents’ divorce in Nebraska, you began to isolate yourself from your friends and became depressed. Unfortunately, both your parents are in horrible financial debt, and they refuse to care for you. You had to move with your aunt, Yvonne to California and decided to start taking care of yourself. You knew that, in order to make friends quickly, you needed to pick yourself up and take better care of yourself. Your worst nightmare is being alone, so you desperately want to make new friends. By the first day at your new school, you’ve gotten rid of your acne, you’ve changed up your wardrobe, and you’ve been working out. Still though, your favorite hobby is reading, and your first instinct is to go to the library. At the library, you see another girl, Gertrude, reading your favorite book, The Fault in our Stars, and she starts to talk to you. She moved to California a few years ago from Idaho, so she knows how you feel about being in a new place. At the same time, a girl named Tiffany is waiting in line for a new ID with her Brandy Melville bag.  She seems a little snobby, but you won't judge too quickly!.

Do you decide to talk to the quiet girl in the library (page 4-5), or do you compliment Tiffany (page 6-7)?

You decide to speak to the girl reading the book, and her name is Gertrude. She asks you what book you’re reading, and you say The Joy Luck Club.

“I love that book!”, she says. “Do you want to walk with me to class?”

You guys talk for the rest of the day, and you just happen to be lab partners in AP Bio. However, you do notice that Gertrude is really uncomfortable speaking in class; she can barely be heard when the teacher calls on her to answer a question. She only really talks to you. At lunchtime, she points to a flyer for the football game happening tonight. 

You say, “That sounds like so much fun! We should go and cheer them on.”

Gertrude responds, “Nah, sports are so dumb. I heard that Tiffany’s gonna be there. Tiffany and her friends are always causing trouble at the games. I heard that last year, she snuck onto the field and set fire to the mascot costume. We should just hang out at my place. Plus, I don’t really feel comfortable with big crowds”

Do you decide to go to Gertrude's house (page 8-9) or attend the game without her (12-13)?

You walk up to the line to check out a book and compliment the girl on her top.

“I really like your top!” you say, standing behind her in line.

She looks back at you and smiles, “Thanks! I got it at Brandy.” 

“Brandy?” you ask, confused. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Oh...My...God” the girl exclaims as she flips her hair. “I totally have to take you like right now! I’m Tiffany by the way.”

“Um I’m Melissa” you tell her shyly. “Thank you but I promised my aunt that I would meet her for lunch after school.” 

“Oh no!” Tiffany whines. “Me and my friends are already going to the mall after school! They would totally love you, you’re like so pretty.” 

Do you tell your aunt you can’t make it to lunch and go with Tiffany to the mall with her friends (page 10-11)  or Tell Tiffany you already promised your aunt to lunch but you would love to go next time (page 14-15)?

You choose to hang out with Gertrude. Her house is not far from school, she mentioned to you earlier that she walks to school. You guys walk home together, stopping for dinner at Mission Burrito, and you guys go up to her room. You suggest watching a movie about Nebraska, just to remind you of home, but Gertrude has a different idea. She pulls out her phone and says,

“Those popular girls think they’re so much better than us. I have a video of Tiffany from after last year’s homecoming, and she’s blackout drunk with her two friends. You have more followers, so we should use your account.”

You don’t really feel comfortable posting that on your account because Tiffany’s never really been mean to her, but Gertrude keeps insisting that you won’t get caught. 

Do You : Let Gertrude post the nasty information about the popular kids on your account (page 16-17) Or be true to yourself and tell her to not do that (page 24-25)?

You think about it for a second, and decide to go with Tiffany. Your aunt will understand, and she’ll want you to make more friends, so you text her to let her know you’ll miss lunch. 

“Yay!” You’re totally gonna love it” Tiffany squeals and laughs as pulls you out of line The bell rings and Tiffany leads you out to Brittany’s white jeep, where you see two girls singing to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. She introduces you to the the girls, Brittany and Heather, and you drive to the mall. They take you Brandy Melville, and you find a really cute shirt! When you look at the pricetag you sigh, “Wow I don’t think I can afford this.” Brittany laughs, “We’re not paying. Just take a bunch of stuff into the changing room and then stuff the shirt in your backpack. 

You’ve never shoplifted before, and you don’t want to get in trouble. Do you think it’s worth it to look cool to Tiffany and her friends?

Do you listen to Tiffany and shoplift (page 20-21) or say that its wrong and leave (page 28-29).

You choose to go to the football game. In the bleachers, you see Tiffany with their friends. They are making a lot of noise and taking up a lot of space. The parents at the game are staring at them with a bit of disgust. Tiffany sees you in the corner of the eye and yells across the bleachers. 

“Hey, Melissa! Watchu doing? Why don’t you come here!?” 

You walk over hesitantly. Tiffany grins at you and whispers in your ear “My friends and I got some, you know, drugs You wanna go to the back of that building? We are gonna have so much fun” You remember that your aunt warned you that drugs are dangerous and you know you shouldn’t go, but something about Tiffany’s offer is still tempting. If you go with her, you’ll get to know ALL of her super cool friends and, you know, feel that tempting high. “C’mon it’ll be fine” says Tiffany one last time. 

Now you have an option Go with Tiffany (18-19) or just watch the game by yourself (26-27) - the team’s pretty good, anyways! 

“Tiffany sighs and says “ughhh okay.” Meanwhile the line in the library clears up and you go to check out your book. As you walk away you say “it was really nice to meet you”. Tiffany just ignores you and murmurs “whatever.” Meanwhile the quiet girl in the library is staring at what just happened. As you are walking out, she approaches you and asks if you are new to the school. You say “Yes I’m Melissa.” She introduces herself as Gertrude. You guys get to talking and she asks if you want to eat lunch together.

Do you shy away and eat lunch on your own (page 22-23) or eat with Gertrude and your aunt (page 30-31)?

Gertrude sits beside you with a sinister grin. She takes control and writes, “#drunk #embarassing “. You immediately see your phone blow up. People are leaving laughing emojis and you are getting likes left and right! More than 1,000 people have seen your account and hundreds are requesting to follow you. You feel like this isn’t right, but at least your making friends! Even the *hottest* guy on campus has viewed your profile. He’s even left you message: “Hey, you seem like a pretty cool girl to hang out with. Hit me up ;)”. While you have a message from the COOLEST guy ever, you also get an email from your school’s principal denouncing your actions. He says that you’re  suspended for a week. You’ll have to live with your consequences. 

You follow Tiffany and her friends to the locker room and Tiffany pulls out some joints. She offers one to each of you, but she notices that you are visibly uncomfortable. 

She sits down by you and she says,

“You don’t have to do anything you won’t want to do.”

She walks you out of the locker room and tells you that you should hang out together some other time.