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Halley was a tall, athletic, bold, girl. She thought she was so good at everyone just
because she was older then everyone else in the grade. She boasted and bragged about it
every day. One day, she was talking to her friend Carley, who was the youngest in the
grade. Carley was shy, nice, and thoughtful. Halley didn't know why she liked Carley so
much, because she was so different. "You know,
Halley," Carley said one morning after Halley started boasting. "It's not good
to get too old. You have to pay bills, take care of other people, and you die when you get
too old." Halley gasped. "Oh. I never thought of it that way." She
shrugged, and continued what she was going to say. "Well, it might kind of not be
good. Well, it might stink. Oh, I give up!" She fell onto her knees and breathed in
and out deeply. "Oh no, I got held back a year," she complained. "So now,
I'm going to get really old, and still be in school." She slammed her head against
the wall. Carley shrugged. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Halley. It won't be too bad.
I'm sure." Halley frowned. "I won't grow up," she declared, a little too
loud. "I won't grow up!" she said, much louder. "I WON'T GROW UP!" she
shouted at the top of her lungs.
By now, everyone was staring at her and giggling.
"Well," Halley shouted. "Do you guys want to pay bills, and have to take
care of other people and... die?" The grade gasped. They spread the word about
getting old to the school in a second.
About eleven years later, Halley was now an adult.
"Hey," she said, once remembering what had happened eleven years ago.
"Being grown up isn't so bad. I mean, I don't have too many bills to pay. And it's
often fun taking care of people. And I'm not going to die till I'm really old." She
looked out the window, and saw some kids outside at recess. One of them, who was bigger
than the others, starting screaming "I WON'T GROW UP!"
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