Go Ask Alice

            At the beginning of her Diary Number Two, or her "new beginning", Alice seems very sure that nothing bad could ever happen to her again. She writes about how her family is the greatest, how they"re so sweet to her, and how much she loves them. She also exclaims, "Boy have I ever messed up my life!" and "Crap, what an idiot I have been!" She knows all this, but believes that this is a good time for a fresh start. .
             At school, she feels completely left out, and she's getting depressed about it. Druggies won't talk to her (except for occasional name calling) because she refuses to begin using again. The rest of the school that's not involved in this won't speak to her either, because everyone knows what she's done. .
             The druggies at school attempt to get her to start doing drugs again, however, she says no way. Included in this bunch is a girl named Jan who Alice used to be friends with. She is the one who hates Alice the most now, and she and the rest of them find ways to get back at her for wanting to be clean. First, someone put a joint in her purse, and she got so upset that she left school and went to her dad's office. Then, they put a burning roach in her locker, and she completely freaked out. Her only escape from all this is a guy named Joel, who goes to the university her father teaches at. He's a very nice boy, and they really like each other. They talk about everything, and this relieves her burden a little. .
             Just as Alice begins to feel better, and even her grades are improving, her grandfather dies. Earlier in the story, Alice talks about how she's afraid of death, but not for the same reasons as most people. The part that's scary to her is that after you die, worms and bugs eat through your body. I personally thought that earlier in the journal when she was describing this, she was just being dramatic and acting more grossed out than she really was. Well, I found out that my interpretation of this was not correct.