From Below

Reina Brooks: The 5 Foot Tall Teen

(Photo: Reina's character played by India Eisley)

Chapter Playlist : Someone to Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic

Kendall Jenner just posted a photo.

I lowered the brightness of my phone's screen before swiping the notification to the left. It's 10:28 pm on a Thursday but I'm still awake in bed on my phone. Not really a surprising thing since it's basically what I (& probably 90% of the teens my age) do when I'm not eating, sleeping or suffocating in academics.

I opened my instagram app and found Kendall's update on my Timeline right away. Wearing a dark bronze sequined jacket, turtleneck and black leather pants, the Kardashian celebrity looked at the camera and seemed like she could rule the world with those legs. "She's so freakin' tall!" I say to myself while smiling. I say that about anyone who is tall.

It's not that I'm jealous. Actually, I am. I really am jealous of any girl or any person basically, who is taller that 5 feet. I guess I mean that even though I stalk girls like her even when I look nothing like her, I'm happy for her because at least she's living the high life. I don't hate people who aren't like me, I guess I just envy them.

I straighten my back while lying down and stretch my feet. A giggle escapes me as I do so because even though I'm 16 years old, I still hope there's a chance for me to gain even just a few inches of height. I stand up and get off my bed. My bedroom lights are off but the lava lamp next to my window is still glowing bright purple. I turn off my phone's wifi connection and open the Music player to listen to Vancouver Sleep Clinic's Someone to Stay and take steps towards the window which was open, letting the breeze in.

I forget about my height issues for a while and look out to the streets. Silence envelopes the town and any chaos from the day is hidden by the darkness of the night. Streetlights make it possible for me to see the houses and trees in our neighborhood. I love this time of night.

Doctor (short for Doctor Strange), my pet beagle, is already on his bed right in front of mine. I make a mental note to give him a bath tomorrow.

I sigh and feel sad about how nothing great or fantastic or life-changing ever happens in this place. There's so much potential for adventure. Maybe I'm thinking this way since the night always brings out the dreamer in me, Reina Brooks.
If only I were taller, I could do anything I wish. I know that's not entirely true but I really want to be tall like most people in my class or my age or in the whole world really.

I smile to myself and pray those thoughts stay away.

My eyes start to get tired and a slight headache starts to kick in. I don't usually stay up past 9:30 but I guess tonight was just one of those nights when I unconsciously stay on the internet for too long.

I close my eyes for a few seconds and inhale the air from the world outside. When the song on my phone came to an end, I finally shut the window and went to hide under the covers on my warm bed.

"Good night, Doc." I say to my pet beagle before drifting off to sleep.

☆ ( ♡ ) ☆

Light beams enter my room as I fix my hair in the slow Friday morning. I comb my bushy black hair and hum a tune to myself. Today is gonna be just like any other day and then it will be over soon enough.

I take a look at my reflection and see my round, green eyes and puffy lower lip. I have a tiny dot of a mole on my left temple that I used to hide. My thin but annoyingly hard arms are hidden under the red sweater that I'm wearing. Once I put finally put my hair in its place, falling on my shoulders, I fix the white collar peeping out of my sweater on purpose. My faded blue jeans look ok from the thighs up. The lower part has so much extra room that it obviously was meant for longer legs.

Doctor Strange walks to me and steps on the socks worn my by my feet.

"Ugh. Ok you go find your place and I'll give you a bath when I come back from school." I say to him as I pick up my backpack sitting on my dresser.

He walks with me to the door and we both exit my room. I put on my shoes, Vans with rose designs and Doctor is already heading across the hall going down the stairs. "My own dog doesn't even wait for me anymore." I say to myself and the ravenous thing disappears to the living room.

Going down to the kitchen I can hear the morning news and eating utensil noise. "Good morning, beautiful." my mom says.

"Morning, mom," I say while my 14 year old brother, Johnny is already eating bacon and pancakes.

I eat with them on our square shaped table in the dining area. Since it's just the four of us, me, Johnny, mom and dad, it's perfect.

"Will you be driving us to school, dad?" Johnny asks my dad, who is a college professor. Since he passes our school going to the university, he drives us when we can't take the bus when one of us is tardy. Which is usually Johnny.

Dad swallows his food before answering, "If you don't hurry, then I guess I have to, now don't I?" Then his eyes divert back to the TV screen.

Johnny gives a sly smile and continues with his food. My mom then looks at me like she just remembered something.

"Are you going somewhere this weekend?" she asks.

"Well Maricor and I were planning on looking for babysitting jobs tomorrow but she wasn't sure yet." I answer before taking a bite of bacon.

Mom hands dad a napkin to wipe his chin with and says,"Why don't you come with me and the team tomorrow? We'll be having a photoshoot in the beach for the company's new perfume campaign. Some famous celebrity is going to endorse for us."

I almost choked on my bacon. Blinking a few times, I took a sip of orange juice.

"Hey!" says Johnny. "That's my glass!"

"Sorry." I say but not even feeling bad about it. "Which celebrity?"

Mom's smile faded and she said, "Oh honey, I forgot. But I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience. What do you say?"

My mom, the only person in the world to have an opportunity to work with famous people and she can't remember what their names are exactly. She'll probably only care if her team was working with a member of the BeeGees or Janet Jackson.

"Can I bring Maricor?" I ask. My bestfriend Maricor is like my phone. I have to bring her with me always, or else things just wouldn't be just as fun.

"I'll let the team know but you can invite her later." she answers.

I leave the house feeling very excited.