Ordinary Girl [MIKA Fanfiction]

1

I woke up to the sound of my younger sister's alarm going off. 6 am, great. Her school starts earlier than mine so I should have another hour of sleep, but she doesn't let that happen. "Hey, Zo," I mumbled, my head buried in my nest of pillows, "do you think you could be a little quieter getting ready this morning? It's the first day back and I really ne-".

"You really need your beauty sleep, I know. Like, trust me, I know," she sniggered, "but Alex there's no way I can be ready in twenty minutes without waking you up - we share a room!". She had a point.

"Ok, yeah, but at least don't sing?" I pleaded. Zoey had a habit of 'singing' at the top of her lungs every morning, like everyone wants the first thing they hear as they wake up to be what sounds like a dying cat.

"You got it, no singing... if you let me borrow some of your makeup? I can't find all of mine." I groaned but slowly nodded and she responded with a light giggle as her footsteps indicated her journey to the bathroom.

There was no way I was getting back to sleep, I glanced over at the cheap digital clock in the corner of our room. It was blurry but I could just about make out the fuzzy red numbers switching from 6:02 to 6:03. I groaned again and pulled my blanket over my head. I should say, I told my sister it was the first day back and, as true as that was, I also meant it was going to be my first day at this particular college, which meant that it would take even more courage to go.

I've never been good with new situations; I have a tendency to panic and find a way out, but I need an education if I want to be successful in the future. I mean, in all honesty, I don't care about having a prestigious job or stupid amounts of money. I just want to be happy. My parents, however, want me to have a prestigious job along with stupid amounts of money, so I have to try for them.

You hear stories about how unsupportive parents are with mental health issues in their adolescents but mine aren't really phased by it. They don't not care, but they don't actually care, you know? I've wondered countless times how easy my life would be if I wasn't constantly drowning in anxiety. I can only imagine the feeling of being worry-free, it must be like taking in a deep breath of fresh air, whereas now all I feel is suffocation. I'll get there, though. Eventually.

***

"Alex! Alex, it's time to get up. Mum says so." Zoey shook me gently, had I actually managed to fall back asleep? I rolled out of bed and swept the hair out of my face. "I'm leaving now, I'll see you later. Good luck!" I smiled at her as she galloped out of the room and down the stairs. She always seems so happy, yet all I could feel was the vicious swarm of butterflies in my stomach.

After a long, warm, relaxing shower, I quickly gathered the makeup Zo had scattered all over the bathroom and applied a small amount of it - I didn't want to overdo it on my first day. Or should I be making more of an effort? I read online somewhere that people make their first impressions of you in five seconds. Five! Do I really want everyone's life-long thoughts of me to be negative? Wait, no, why should I even care? I don't wear makeup to impress people, I wear it because it's another form of art - and that's all that really matters to me. Thankfully, I let it go and continued to get ready.

I pulled a large, silky jumper over my head, untucked my hair and carefully put on my necklace - a beautiful, silver infinity symbol resting on a delicately thin chain, left for me by my grandmother who passed away when my mum was pregnant. I loved it and wore it every day, I treated it as a kind of safety blanket.

I took a step back from the mirror and examined myself for the tenth time. My bright blue eyes matched the colour of my jeans, my dark grey jumper complimenting my wavy, brunette hair. I've never been a fan of the way I look, but at least I feel comfortable with my appearance, which is a remarkable step forward for me.

I tugged my phone off its charger cable and glanced at the time - 8:30. Time to leave.