Mara was excitedly getting ready for her football match. The three friends were all going to be in the first match their school had played where girls had been on the team. Mara, Lilac and Hattie were as excited as it got. Mara's mum drove her to the school where she dropped Mara off with her friends.
"Hey guys!" she squealed. "I'm so nervous!"
"Me too!" Lilac said.
"And me!" the three giggled and made their way into the changing room. They joined a few other girls in conversation and it didn't take long for Mara to realise that she was unwanted there. Even her two best friends didn't want her there. She sighed and left the room. Lilac and Hattie had said there were still friends but that didn't seem to work with this. Before Mara could stop them, memories were sneaking out of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

She remembered the day the three had first become friends.
She remembered the days that they'd make up after a long argument.
She remembered the sleepovers they'd had.
She remembered the laughs they'd shared.
Then she remembered the hurtful words.
She remembered the exclusion from her friends.
She remembered how they'd turned away from her.
She remembered how they'd replaced her so quickly.

None of this added up. Mara could no longer make sense of her life. What had happened to the friendship they'd once shared? She thought they'd made up but all that had happened since then was more and more betrayal. She'd hurt herself so much more when she'd tried to pick up the pieces. Why couldn't anything make sense?