Being a Queen Bee

Chapter 12: This is Who I Am

"What's up, everybody!", I yelled enthusiastically. I soon as I said it, I got a positive response immediately. Screams, whistles, and neon lights pierced the air around me. Everyone was so happy to see me, and this moment just felt so right. So it made what I was about to say so much more wrong. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?, I told the crowd. "First of all, thank you, for not only coming to this show, but participating as being an amazing audience for our fellow cast members. I thank everybody that helped produce this show, and I also thank all the people that made this show into a success! Welcome them!" I saw everyone's faces split into an impeccable grin, which they couldn't stop even if they tried. "Let's move on.", I proceeded. "Let me tell you a lot about me. I am the reason that this show almost didn't make the cut for being showed to you. Most of your kids come to this school, fearing what's going to happen to them next. They come home to you, not acting like themselves, their grades probably dropping, and overall not acting like them. For the last four years, I have been the reason why they've been acting like that, and up until a month ago, I didn't realize how I made those kids feel. I made fun of everything they had, I made everyone dislike them, and they became social outcasts because of me. Now let me explain to you why I did this. In middle school, I was the kid that even the geeks picked on, and they were of my own kind of social club. I was the girl that attempted to play sports, but I'd never gotten chosen for playing on the teams. No one could really understand me because I slurred my words, and I can't count on my fingers nor my toes for all the times people broke my glasses. I ate lunch in the room where all the trash went, because back then I was just that: trash. I was a nobody, a social outcast, a loner. But in the summer of me going from eighth to ninth grade, absolutely everything changed. I transitioned from a socially challenged dork to a diva who had everything in due time. I lost most of my baby fat, I gained new impressive curves, my skin cleared up, my teeth were flawless, and I got laser eye surgery so I never had to wear glasses again. Plus, I was so rich that I could pay for all the things to make me popular, like fancy cars, expensive designer clothing, and never before seen technology that didn't come out until the next year. I made a name for myself, gained some new friends, enhanced their beauty, and BAM! Just like that, I was popular, and it felt so good to finally laugh at other people, and not BEING the one laughed at. Along the way, I wasn't really happy with myself. That's why I broke everybody down to build myself up. It wasn't until my VERY close friend Ace Matthews showed me that I'm not a dork, a Queen B, or a hipster like I've been pretending to be for the past month. I am a person, just like all of you, with hopes and dreams, ambitions, high-highs and low-lows. I have feelings too, because at the end of the day, I'm human. I am Chanel Harrington, a girl who fantasizes about being better than everybody, but actually isn't. I'm not perfect like I thought I was, I can't be like anyone, and everybody can't be me. We are all unique. Face it, in the mornings every single one of us has bad breath and crusty eyes, but that doesn't define who we are. Labels don't define us, we choose to define the labels. We may have different skin colors, and may be cut from different cultures, but in the end, we all share the same color of blood. That's what connects us as being a whole. I say, be yourself, because everybody is a lot awesome in their own ways. I like my high-heeled boots and books. No one can change me. I am who I am. And you know what? I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to be the best fashionista nerd I can be, and I'm going to rock it. I found my style, and I embraced it. Now, and for the rest of your lives, I suggest you do the same. Thank you.", I finished. I turned around, blew kisses, and sashayed off the stage like a boss, where Ace was waiting. "That, was an amazing speech!", he told me. "I knew you had it in you the entire time. You just had to find it, and now, finally, we can be together." "I'm so glad that you made me work for you, because if you didn't, I would've never found myself.", I thanked him. "Why didn't you tell them about our little nerdy adventure?", he asked. "I wanted it to stay between us, just me and you.", I whispered. "And that's absolutely, positively, fine by me.", he muttered as he leaned in close, placed his arms around my waist, and kissed me, right on the lips. It was soft, sweet, long, and everything I'd imagined it would be. He's the one, I thought to myself. And he's mine.