One of a Kind

Cleft Lip

The rest of the week went by, and summer was over. Today was Milagra's first day of her senior year, and it was also her first day of school in a whole new country. She was all dressed up, and she joined her parents for breakfast. "Buen día," she smiled.

"Buen día, mijita," Rodrigo smiled back. "Are you excited for your first day of school in the United States?"

"Sí, Papi," Milagra smiled.

"You know, Mila, if you still need a theme for your party, I might have an idea," Violeta said.

"Dígame," Milagra said.

"I remember when I was younger, my friends and cousins and I would get together for a princess party," Violeta said. "When we were in high school, we all dressed like our favorite Disney Princesses."

"Wow, sounds like fun," Milagra smiled.

"Sí, and since this is your party, the princess you dress like doesn't even have to have the actual title," Violeta smiled. "She can be a princess in spirit, like Mulan and even Mirabel."

"Oh, I love the sound of that," Milagra beamed. "¡Quiero hacerlo!"

"Okay, we'll get the house decorated for the party once enough people agree to come," Rodrigo smiled.

Milagra was really looking forward to the party, and she knew just what character to dress up as.

Later that morning, many students of Tanglewood High School had arrived. Some of them were excited to be back, others not so much. There were three popular girls and one mean but unpopular girl who was desperate to be part of the popular world.

"It feels great to be back in school," the leader of the popular girls smirked. "I seriously can't wait to show off my new outfit, my new shoes, and my new purse."

"And I look forward to seeing them, Zooey," the unpopular girl said.

"A new year means new fabulous clothes and accessories," the Asian girl said.

"Senior year is going to be the greatest school year ever," the third popular girl said.

The three popular girls looked at the unpopular one, who said, "Ever."

Then the girls turned to see Violeta's car pull up, and inside the car, Violeta gave Milagra a kiss. "Okay, mija, have a good day," she smiled.

"Okay, Mami," Milagra smiled back. She got her stuff together and got out of the car. She was just about to enter the building when the four girls came up to her, blocking her path.

"Who's she now?" Zooey sneered. "What's she doing here, and why is she dressed for a Mexican rodeo?"

"Yes, this is Rosewood City, New Mexico, not the country Mexico," the unpopular girl scoffed.

"I just moved into the country from Colombia," Milagra said awkwardly.

"Oh, a foreign exchange student," the unpopular girl sneered. "Gross, what kind of skin disease do you have to make that thingy on your body appear?"

"Excuse me, but this scar happens to be from an appendectomy from two years ago," Milagra snapped.

A nearby boy's voice rang out, "Don't listen to them."

Milagra turned to see that the voice belonged to a boy who looked about four feet tall and was wearing a mask. The mask didn't really surprise Milagra since the Coronavirus pandemic is only barely over.