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CHAPTER 1 Mon, Jan. 18, 1993 I got back home from Grandpa's house yesterday. It was a really long plane ride, but I slept a lot, so that's why I'm writing now and not yesterday. Mom and Dad said I had to go back to school today, and I'm really mad about that. I had to go to school at Grandpa's too, because I was there for so long. So when I went to school this morning and talked to the principal to get me back in, they told me something that really made me upset. Remember how they moved me to 4th grade when I was at Grandpa's? Well, they put me back in 3rd! I did so good when I was in 4th grade, but now I have to go backwards! I'm not stupid! It's not fair! I don't want to start over! I think Dad was really mad about it, but I don't know why, he doesn't have to go back to 3rd grade. Well, I still went to school today, even though I was really mad. It was the same teacher I had before I went to Grandpa's, Miss Florence. She was happy to see me, and I was too, because she's really nice, but I felt sad that I wasn't still in 4th grade. I missed the friends I had here, but I miss my friends at the other school too. I don't know, I felt really weird today. But today something cool happened... I remembered that I've been writing in you for a whole year now! It's like you're my friend... a secret friend! I can tell you anything I want, and nobody tries to find out what I say! I want to give you a name. I want to call you............. “Barbie.” Is that okay? I know there are Barbie dolls, but all I do is dress them up, they just like to play pretend. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Barbie!
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