Anna woke up late again the next morning.  After breakfast, she rushed to school.  On the way there, she saw Johnny running in front of her.
     "Hey, Johnny!" she called out.
     Johnny turned around and saw Anna, he greeted her with a smile, "Morning, Anna!"
     "Morning yourself!" Anna said madly, "Why did you say that to Beth yesterday?  You've hurt her feelings so much!"
     Johnny looked blank for a moment.
     "Oh, that," he said finally, "I have no idea what happened.  I just asked her out for a friend.  She could say no, but she just cried and ran off."
     "How can you ask her that kind of question?" Anna yelled at him, "Don't...don't you know you're the one she likes?"
     Johnny immediately took a step back.
     "Me?" he cried, "No way!"
     "Well, it's true," Anna explained, "you've better treat her better from now on."
     "But...but that's impossible!" Johnny said with frustration as he put his arms on his head, "You're the one I like!"
     "What?" Anna cried incrediously.
     Johnny's face turned as red as a tomato.
     "It's true," he revealed, "I've liked you for a long time."
     "You can't like me!" Anna yelled, "What...what about Beth?"
     "I don't like Beth," Johnny argued.  He held one of Anna's hands, "I like you, Anna."
 Anna shook her head tremendously.
     "No," she said quietly, "it can never happen.  I can't do this to Beth."
     "But, Anna...," Johnny said.
     Anna pushed Johnny away from her.
     "We can only be friends, Johnny.  Only friends," she said in a hard voice.
     Johnny looked disappointed.  "Only friends?" he repeated.
     "I'm sorry!" Anna cried, and ran away from him, leaving Johnny staring sadly after her.

     For the next few days, Anna tried to avoid Johnny in school, on the streets, and in the park.  It was difficult though, since they lived so close to each other and were in the same classes.
     During lunch time on one rainy day, someone knocked on the classroom door and asked for Anna.  It was Don.
     "Is Anna here?" Don asked one of the students.
     "Yeah, she is," the student replied and turned to Anna, who sat at the back of the room.
     "Hey, Anna!" the student called, "Your boyfriend's here!"
     Anna's eyes immediately shot up.  Everyone looked at her and the room was filled with whispers and secret smiles.
     "He's not my boyfriend!" Anna shouted.   The class cracked up.
     She saw Johnny staring at her.  Their eyes met for a moment but she ignored him and walked
 towards Don.  She pushed Don out of her classmates' sight and led him to the roof.  The rain had stopped and the sun came out, revealing a beautiful rainbow in the sky.
     "What is it?" Anna asked impatiently.
     "My parents finally let me go to Italy!" Don said with excitement.
     "Really?" Anna cried happily.
     "Yeah," Don said, "but the condition is that I have to take a two-month summer job at a factory that belongs to a friend of my father.  I can work there as a carpenter.  My parents want me to get some experience so that they are sure of my interest."
     Anna tried to absorb all these news into her head.
     "So," she said slowly, "are you going to university?"
     Don shook his head.
     "No," he said, "after my summer job, if I like it, that is, I'm off to Italy for four years."  He looked sadly at Anna.
     Anna felt disappointed.
     "So I wouldn't be seeing you for a very long time," she realized.
     The bell rang; it was time for classes.
     "When are you leaving?" Anna asked.
     "Right after the exams," Don replied, "which is in three weeks."
     They've heard the stumbles of footsteps down the stairs and voices of students.
     "I guess I'd better go," Don said quietly, "I'll see you soon."  He turned and walked away.
     Anna stared after him.  She felt miserable and lonely all of a sudden.
     "Oh, no," she thought, "Am I in love with him?  With a carpenter?"
     She shook her head, trying to erase her thoughts, but this time, she could not.  Don's face was plastered on her mind.

     Anna walked home after school.  She went into the house and upstairs to her room.  She threw her school bag on the bed and sat on the chair to look at herself in the mirror.  She touched her short black hair, cupped her oval-shaped face, and smiled sadly at her reflection.
     "Don has such a big ambition," she said to herself, "Look at me.  I'm sixteen years old and I have no idea what I'm going to do in my life."
     She stopped talking to herself and thought about what she did for the past year.  Well, there's  school, but that's a must.  She played tennis with Beth and Johnny sometimes.  Oh, forget that Johnny!  She chatted with Beth and her other friends every night.  Oh, and she went to the library weekly, and read tons of books.
     "But what am I reading all those books for?" she thought, "I must be in search for something."
     Suddenly, she remembered her most precious composition: her lyrics for Country Road.
     "Beth said I should be a writer," she thought again, "so why don't I be one?"
     She took a long time to think about what she was going to write.  What interested her the most?
    "I know, I can write about the glass cat!  Grandpa Lee's love story!" she said loudly.
     She immediately got out some paper and began writing.
     "I have to achieve a goal," she said as she scribbled, "I have to be successful."
     For the next few weeks, Anna thought of nothing but her story.  Everyday, she went to the library to gather information for her story, especially those about rocks, since the eyes of the glass cat were made of a special type of rock.  At school, she slept during classes and left her homework undone.  At home, she ignored all her chores and skipped dinner constantly.  She did not eat or sleep well, often working hard till the middle of the night, and waking up with black shadows under her eyes every morning.  Her sister and parents noticed this change and one day asked Anna about it.
 "Anna," her mother began as the family gathered in the kitchen, "I've received a call from your homeroom teacher.  Your grades have dropped tremendously during the past few weeks.  What happened, dear?  Did you start studying for exams, yet?"
     Anna shook her head.
     "What?" Amy cried in shock, "You have exams next week!  You haven't begun to study?"
     "I know what I'm doing!" Anna argued stubbornly.
     "Why are you bringing so many books from the library everyday?" her father asked, "And they're all non-fictional books?"
     "Don't you want to go to university?" Amy asked, "They don't accept students with grades like these!"
     "Well, maybe I wouldn't go!" Anna shouted, her mind only on her story.
     "What?" her parents and sister cried in amazement.
     "Why can't you just all leave me alone?" Anna said with anger, "I'm trying to achieve something so you can all be proud of me!"
     "What are you so busy at, Anna?" her mother asked softly.
     "I can't tell you now," Anna said tearfully, "you'll know when it's finished."
     "But you have to study for exams.  You can't just drop everything and do...do you whatever you're doing right now!" Amy explained.
     "It'll be finished shortly," Anna said tightly, and stood up to leave.
     "Anna!" her parents called after her.

     Three days later, Anna had finally finished her story, within a short time before the exams.  She quickly gathered up the pages and took the bus to Grandpa Lee's antique shop.
 She opened the shop door and saw Grandpa Lee sitting on a rocking chair, looking dazed at the glass cat.
     "Grandpa Lee!" she called out.
     Grandpa Lee turned and saw Anna smiling at him.
     "Oh, hi, there, Anna," he said warmly, "come in."
     Anna sat on a chair next to Grandpa Lee.
     "Don's not here," Grandpa Lee said, "he's studying for his exams."
     "I know," Anna said, "Actually, I'm here to talk to you."
     "You're here for me?" Grandpa Lee asked with surprise, "What can I help you with?"
     Anna showed him her story, her weeks of hard work and dedication.
     "Please read it," Anna told him, "it's a love story during the second world war in France.  It's similar to your past."
     "Really?" Grandpa Lee said, feeling amazed.  He turned to the first page and began reading.  Anna sneaked a look at her own pages of messy handwriting and scribbling.  She could not wait for him to finish, so she left him on his own while she sat outside the shop.  She hoped Grandpa Lee would tell her that her story was good, and that she was talented.  She wanted to hear words of encouragement; words that would prove her success.
     An hour later, Grandpa Lee came out of his shop and tapped on the shoulder of the sleeping Anna.
     "Anna!" Grandpa Lee said softly.
     Anna woke up and blinked her eyes.  She saw Grandpa Lee and immediately stood up.
     "You've finished?" Anna asked him eagerly.
     "Yes, yes," Grandpa Lee answered, but he did not have a smile on his face.
     "Hmm, what do you think of it?" Anna said.
     "Well," Grandpa Lee began, "it needs a lot of polishing, and there are some grammatical errors."
 Anna felt disappointed, as if something heavy had fell on her.
     "But I've spent so much time on it!" Anna cried, "It's not good at all?" She began to sob.
     "Now, now, I'm not finished, yet," Grandpa Lee said softly, "Although you are inexperienced, you have the potential.  The story is filled with many good ideas and a great style of writing."
     "Really?" Anna instantly felt encouraged.
     "The story is very close to my past," he said almost tearfully, "it brings back old memories."
     "That's why I want you to be the first person to read it," Anna said.
     "Thank you for giving me that privilege," Grandpa Lee said, "I have one question for you, though.  Why did you spend all your time on this story?  And during your exam study time?  You could have done this in the summer."
     Anna thought for a moment.
     "I want to find my identity," she finally said, "I want to prove that I'm talented, so that I'll know what my goal in life is.  The first interest I think of is writing, so I immediately started on the story.  I know I'm young, but I want to have something accomplished."
     "That is good thinking," Grandpa Lee said with agreement, "but you've expected a little too much.  This is your first piece of work. You cannot ask for perfectness if you have not even learned the styles of writing in university."
     "I get to learn how to write in university?" Anna asked with wonder.
     "Of course.  That is why so many people attend it," Grandpa Lee explained, "it is a step in life that leads to your goal."
     Anna thought about her rude conversation with her parents and sister.  They were right after all.  At her stage of life, learning is the most important process that leads her to reach her dream.
     She took the pages of the story from Grandpa Lee.
     "Thanks a lot, Grandpa Lee," she called as she went out of the shop and started back home.
     "You're welcome, child," Grandpa Lee waved, "and may God bless you!"