Life of the Party

Alexis Atkinson is a sophomore at Hallsville High School. She’s 15 years old, and she’s the life of the party.

At her home, in a rural area between Columbia and Hallsville, she makes prank calls and has chocolate icing fights with her friends. Her hangout: the park after school—it’s the only place to go in town besides Casey’s General Store.

Alexis says she likes living in Hallsville, even though there’s little to do for a teenager. There isn’t even a swimming pool or a Walmart. But she’s a small town girl. Her favorite place, her “paradise,” is a tiny town in Iowa called Fort Myerson, where she was born and raised before she moved to Missouri.

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