Take On The World

Chapter 2: I'm Here. What Now?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Enjoy the story!

       As I was running up the stairs, I manage to trip over my own feet and land on my butt. Luckily no one saw me so everything is still perfect. I use my navigation skills to deduce where the main office is and I walk inside. Pushing open the door, I walk up to the front desk and the lady looks up at my nervous face. "Are you the last new kid?" She asks with a smile. "Yes, Mrs. Garth" I say after looking up from the name plate on the desk. I hand her my transfer papers. Mrs. Garth fiddles behind the computer and pulls out my new schedule. "Good luck hon" she says as my schedule is handed to me. I smile and go to my new locker near my home room. I do the combination on the lock and my sanctuary opens up. I put my things in and take out the decorations I packed the night before. After a few minutes of decorating it looks like my home away from home. I sigh, close my locker and go into my home room to find a seat. No one is in the room except the teacher. He looks up and smiles, motioning me over to his desk. "What's your name? I've never seen you here before". "Madison Rooke. But please call me Maddy. I'm new". The teacher gives me a reassuring look and starts to talk again. "My name is Mr. Nolan. Welcome to English". I nod and head to the first seat I find in the front. Burrrrrring!. The bell rings loud and my new classmates start to file in to the room. I put on my best smile and try to look friendly. But as usual, nobody seems to notice me. "Ok everyone, sit down and be quiet!" Mr. Nolan screams. The class immediately goes silent. "You all know who I am, considering I've taught this course since you all started here. So no introductions needed. But we do have a new student here so show some respect". He gestures at me and I stand up to face the class. "Um, hi. My name is Maddy and I just moved here from New York. I love to write, sing and act". Everyone looks bored while I talk, so I stop and sit down. The lesson goes on and my classmates completely put my introduction out of their brains. "I thought I did enough to get people to remember me. No one is making an effort to even talk to me. I know I sound bitchy right now and I should talk to them. I just don't want to be the annoying new girl".

TIME SKIP TO THE END OF THE DAY (A/N sorry I just can't think of anything for the rest of the day)

I wait on the steps for Dad to show up. I'm doing the math homework assigned today that is due tomorrow. I feel someone staring at me and my work. It's Felicia! "Thank god its you. I thought someone from my classes recognized me" I say with a sigh. My sister smiles and we start talking about our day. As we talk I do the homework, but when I look down at the page I'm actually done the work. My hand is on autopilot. A few minutes pass and James and Chelsea come to sit with us. All four of us finished our homework in class so we are free for the night. Honk, honk. Dad's car pulls up and we all pile in with our much lighter book bags and start up our coversation again. As the coversation winds down, Dad stops the car in the garage with a jerk. We were so engaged in talking that we hadn't noticed we were home. Getting out of the car and into the house, we marvelled at how big the house really was. My parents aren't rich, but they afforded this mansion? I don't get it. Mom greets us and asks us how our day went. Felicia goes first, going into extreme detail about how the kids at school are sooo much nicer than the kids back home and how she knows that a certain cutie at school is totally going to ask her out as soon as he realizes she exists. As she blabs on, Robby come down and sneaks up behind Dad. Shouting "Boo!", Dad jumps a feet in the air and looks back to see my brother smiling the most innocent grin in the history of grins causing the rest of the family to laugh. "Ok team, who wants dinner?" Mom says. We all raise our hands and start making our way to the dining room. Mom asks James and Robby to help carry in the food that she prepared before we got home. Dad stops me and pulls me back from the entrance. "Well squirt?" He asks with a look. "Well what?" I ask back with a confused face. "Did you live up to your promise?". "Aww shit. The promise. I was so focused on trying to make good first impressions, getting on teacher's good sides and not making a fool of myself that I forgot to make friends. Who needs friends anyways?... I do". "Yeah, about that... I forgot. I will make friends at some point. It just takes time". Dad gives me a look of disappointment, shakes his head and we go in uncomfortable silence to dinner.

Time passes and dinner is over. We clean up and head into the living room to watch tv. All of us kids sit on one side of the huge couch, Dad sits in his recliner chair we brought from NY and Mom takes up the other side. "Let's see what's on" Mom says as the tv flickers on. The preset station the tv goes to is some entertainment show that is based in LA. Mom and Felicia love these kinds of gossip shows, so we sit through them in agony as they listen intently as the anchor talks about some trashy celebrity doing god knows what. "... And now some heartbreaking news. Disney Channel has pulled the plug on it's most popular series Girl Meets World. The network has given a statement through its reps saying that "Although this show has shined the light on some important topics. We want to make sure that we give fans fresh, new shows". Fans around the world are in shock that after three amazing seasons tackling sensitive topics, the show has ended leaving behind loose ends. The entire cast is still recovering from the news". My mouth drops open in shock. My favourite show has ended. Done. Fin. Never to air again. "Luckily, the last three episodes of season 3 will air in 2017 so that's comforting. Right? Season 3 is still airing right now so I don't need to cry. But after that, no more GMW! Welp, time to start sobbing in a corner". A tear escapes my eye as I go from sniffling silently to full on Niagara Falls waterworks. "Why does this have to happen? We petitioned, we tweeted, we publicly harassed people to keep this fantastic, wonderful, realistic show on the air. What do they give us? A lame ass excuse.  This show is fresh and it still feels new. It feels like I watched the pilot yesterday! This is the type of show where kids can emulate the characteristics of the relatable characters and people won't automatically associate a particular kind of behaviour with a character that parents don't approve of. I'm sick and tired of Disney creating these shows with Mary Sue type protagonists who have no flaws. The only flaw they have is the ability to respond to bullies and then cry their eyes out until the love interest comes to give the old 'oh you're perfect why would anyone be mean to you?' speech, kisses Mary Sue and everything becomes all hunky-dory again. Oh, but don't forget the fact that there has to be a confrontation where a) the bully says sorry and begs forgiveness or b) the bully give some snarky comment and is never seen bullying anyone ever again. There is only one episode that I've seen per show that focuses on the harsh reality of bullying. Narrowing in on the most prevalent type of bullying seen today. This show has multiple! Oh and the fact that the love interest has to be dumb and the school jock that Mary Sue happens to have a past with. What can't the love interest be the adorkable best guy friend who has had a crush on her for years. Wait we do have that, Farkle freakin Minkus! I'm sick and tired of this shit. That show was the only reason I went back to watching Disney Channel. Now its dead to me". My whole family is staring at me with open mouths. I've been ranting at the tv for a few minutes. Robby laughs, "Wow, I haven't seen you talk that much since you were little" he says. "Thanks bro. I really needed that". I gave him an eye roll and turned my eyes back towards the tv screen. The room is still silent, the clock on the cable box reads 10:00. All our eyes glance at the time simultaneously and get up almost robotic in a sense to go upstairs for bed. The screen goes black and the sounds of water take up my ears as I go to my bathroom to do my routine to go to bed. Closing the bedroom door, I go to my mirror and look over myself. Acne, broken nails, chapped lips and a crooked nose. That's me in a nutshell. "The kind of girl that Disney leaves on the sidelines in favour for the pretty, double/triple threat who has a catchy name that rolls off the tongue and can be easily stylized for a flashy open sequence for the show that is structured around her after a few minor roles and a recurring role on another Disney show. I wish that they would have a regular girl that was cast based on her personality not her silky hair or smooth skin. A girl like me". After shaking my head out of the clouds, I go to the bathroom to do my routine. A few minutes later, I come out and change into pjs. Crawling into bed, I wonder what the next few days will bring. Hopefully something worthwhile.