{"id":4882,"date":"2018-11-15T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T17:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=4882"},"modified":"2018-11-13T19:05:19","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T03:05:19","slug":"no-looking-back-by-olivia-barrios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/no-looking-back-by-olivia-barrios\/","title":{"rendered":"“No Looking Back” by Olivia Barrios"},"content":{"rendered":"

Young Readers League 2018 Writing Contest<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

3rd place<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Category 2 (ages 12-14)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Olivia Barrios<\/b><\/p>\n

Age 12 (Grade 7), Blair Middle School<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo Looking Back\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The narrator and her Mami escape to California.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I take one last look inside the house, take a deep breath, then close the door behind me. I set off and don’t look back. I’m not going back in that house. Not now, Not ever. I take my mother’s hand. It’s trembling, and I know that she’s scared. We both are. Mami says we aren’t running \u200baway f\u200brom Mexico; we are going \u200bto\u200b America. But I know that neither are the truth. We are running away from Papi. Papi is a drunk. He gets home from his job and grabs a beer and watches TV. Papi isn’t a nice drunk. He\u2019s an Angry drunk. We tiptoe around Papi, like he is a hunter and Mami and I are deers. And when he spots us, he pulls the trigger. When Papi is mad, he throws whatever he has in his hands. Beer bottles, tv remotes, forks, plates. Mami and I always have cuts and bruises down our arms and legs, which we cover up by wearing long sleeves and pants.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are going to California, and staying with my Tia Carmela, who owns a shop where Mami can work. She and her husband, my Tio Gabriel, are already citizens. Mami and I are going on a immigrant visa. Tio Gabriel had driven out to durango, where I live, and was going to drive us across the border, since plane tickets were to expensive<\/span><\/p>\n

We walk to where Tio Gabriel told us to meet him and get into his car.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u200bGracias Mami\u200b\u201d I whisper to her. She just nods her head, but I can see that she knows how grateful I am. As we drive away, I say goodbye to the only life I’ve ever known. Goodbye house. Goodbye bedroom. Goodbye Abuela. Goodbye Durango. Good Riddance Papi. From now on, the deer can run free.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Thank you to our judges: McKenna Blackshire, Alaina Joby, Nick Smith<\/p>\n

Click here to view a list of all our contest winners<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Young Readers League 2018 Writing Contest 3rd place Category 2 (ages 12-14)   Olivia Barrios Age 12 (Grade 7), Blair Middle School \u201cNo Looking Back\u201d   The narrator and her Mami escape to California. I take one last look inside the house, take a deep breath, then close the door […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117,28],"tags":[92,93],"class_list":["post-4882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-writing","tag-contest","tag-young-readers-league"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1gK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4850,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/young-readers-league-contest-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":4882,"position":0},"title":"Young Readers League Contest Winners","author":"Jane Gov","date":"November 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re pleased to announce\u00a0the Young Readers League\u00a02018 Contest winners! This year we received 226 entries. Thank you everyone who participated. Writing Contest This year, young writers were challenged to tell us a ghost story in 300 words or less. Special thanks to our judges: \u00a0Allison Hill (Vromans), Shauna Redmond, Jean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Agendas & News"","block_context":{"text":"Agendas & News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/Slide01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/Slide01.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/Slide01.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/Slide01.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4179,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/jayasekara\/","url_meta":{"origin":4882,"position":1},"title":"“Horror Houses” — story by Raela Jayasekara","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"November 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Young Readers League 2017 Writing Contest 2nd place Category 2 (ages 12-14) Horror Houses by Raela Jayasekara Age 12 (Grade 7) Blair Middle School \u00a0 \"I must have been eleven when I saw a ghost. We had just moved into a new house. I ran up the stairs to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/11\/image_ghost_story_contest.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/11\/image_ghost_story_contest.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/11\/image_ghost_story_contest.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4880,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/trapped-by-amber-elias\/","url_meta":{"origin":4882,"position":2},"title":"“Trapped” by Amber Elias","author":"Jane Gov","date":"November 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Young Readers League 2018 Writing Contest Honorable Mention Category 2 (ages 12-14) \u00a0 Amber Elias Age 12 (Grade 7), Blair Middle School \u201cTrapped\u201d \u00a0 I had always thought that there was no other way. That I would stay in this dull, repetitive loop until I died. But something happened that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5394,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/pearce\/","url_meta":{"origin":4882,"position":3},"title":"A House Full of History — a story by Raahi Pearce","author":"Jane Gov","date":"November 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Young Readers League 2019 \"Hidden History\" Writing Contest Honorable Mention (Category 2: ages 12-14) \u00a0 \u201cA House Full of History\u201d by Raahi Pearce Age 12 \u00a0 Summary:\u00a0 Geoffrey uncovers some of his house\u2019s stories. \u00a0 Geoffrey Harrison Johnfield lived in a three story house by himself. The reason he could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4886,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/a-new-beginning-by-isaac-rishwain\/","url_meta":{"origin":4882,"position":4},"title":"“A New Beginning” by Isaac Rishwain","author":"Jane Gov","date":"November 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Young Readers League 2018 Writing Contest 1st place Category 2 (ages 12-14) \u00a0 Isaac Rishwain Age 12 (Grade 7), Blair Middle School \u201cA New Beginning\u201d \u00a0 Gabriel reminiscences about his hometown as he leaves for a new life in the U.S. In a land, promised to bring something magnificent, beyond\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5391,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/smookler\/","url_meta":{"origin":4882,"position":5},"title":"The Soldier — a story by Samuel Smookler","author":"Jane Gov","date":"November 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Young Readers League 2019 \"Hidden History\" Writing Contest Honorable Mention (Category 2: ages 12-14) \u00a0 \u201cThe Soldier\u201d by Samuel Smookler Age 12 \u00a0 Summary:\u00a0 The narrator discover some important history about his grandfather. \u00a0 It\u2019s 2006 and it\u2019s been two months since my grandpa died from Alzhimer\u2019s. I didn\u2019t cry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4883,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4882\/revisions\/4883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}