Popular is Poison

Preparing for the Worst

I get out of the car and wait for Victor to turn it off and catch up to me. He has his license, but I failed my test once and I'm scared to retake it. I fumble with the keys for awhile till I find the one to the back door.  I put the key in the door and twist to the right.  When we get in, mom is sitting at the dinning table reading a book.  She gets up to hug Victor and I. 

     "How was school?" she asks.  "Good" me and Victor say at the same time.  It's a twin thing.  We often say stuff at the same time and people usually get freaked when it's a whole sentence, because we look nothing alike.  I mean brown eyes and dark hair is where the similarities end.  Victor is tall with a round face.  I'm more on the short side with an oval face.  Mom starts walking to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" asks mom opening and closing a few cupboards.  "Want burgers or something?"   "Sure." I say.  "Whatever." Victor says in a rude tone.
• • •
After dinner I head to my room. It would be cool to be as popular as Brittany and Katie. I thought to myself as I got my outfit ready for tomorrow. Maybe I should talk to them and try to get them to like me. I knew it would be very unlikely for either one of them to talk, or even stand near someone like me, my closest friend at school being my brother. I thought I could give it a try anyway. I chose the cutest shirt in my box of clothes. It was a little wrinkled, since it was in a box for a few days, but it wasn't too bad. I grabbed a navy blue skirt and my yellow flats and set them next to my wrinkled shirt. The shirt was a yellow tank top to match the shoes. Then I unzipped my backpack, took out my folder and started my homework. I can't wait to find out what Katie and Brittany think of me!

• • •

The next morning I got up early so I had time to curl my hair. I threw my clothes on, grabbed a granola bar, and got in the car. Victor got in the car soon after and we went to school.

"Why so fancy today?" Victor asked as he finally noticed my curled hair. "What?" I asked acting like I had no idea what he was talking about. "Your hair?" "Oh umm...." I said trying to think of a reason besides I want to be popular so I'm showing off my skills. "I just wanted to look nice on my second day at Orange County High" I lied.  Victor believed me, so I changed the subject to school work.

     I walked into our new school. I scanned the halls for Brittany and Katie. I spotted Katie standing outside the bathroom. She was carrying a lot of stuff. It looked like it was too much for her to hold. I started my way over to them. I prepared for the worst as I approached them. Just yesterday I didn't want to even see them, and now here I was wanting to be their best friend? I stood in front of Katie looking as unworried as I could. I realized I had been staring at her for awhile so I slapped a fake smile on my face and said,"Hey, Katie! How are you? Where's Brittany? Why are you carrying all that stuff?" Then I realized I was rambling, so I shut myself up before I made things worse.

"I'm fine. Brittany's in the bathroom, and she gave me her stuff to hold." She replied. "Want help?" "No, it's alright. I'm used to it, she treats me like her servant." I was surprised. I thought they were best friends, but Katie seemed annoyed. "OMG, DO NOT EVER TELL HER I SAID THAT! SHE'D KILL ME! I didn't mean it like that, it's just that—well sometimes the fame can tear you apart. Bri used to be really nice, but when she became popular last year, it changed her." I didn't get it. How can being popular ruin anything? I liked Katie, and I think she liked me. "You should sit with us at lunch today, umm...." "Fiona, but you can call me Fi." "Alright." Brittany walked out of the bathroom. "See ya then!" Katie said waving and walking away with Bri.

                          •              •             •

     After math, I walked to the lunchroom.  I scanned the tables for Katie.  Finally I spotted her at the farthest table by the window.  I wasn't sure I wanted to sit there.  All the popular kids were there, and I wasn't popular.  They probably will hate me, trying to be like them.  I thought for awhile and then decided to walk over and sit.  There was an open seat next to Katie. 

     "Hey, Fi!  I saved a spot for you right next to me.  Guys, this is my new friend Fiona."  Brittany shot me a glance that screamed I don't like you.  "Hey" I said in a shy voice.  A girl across the table glared at me for awhile.  She had bleach blonde hair thrown into a bun on top of her head.  Her shirt was hot pink with cutout shoulders, exposing her bra straps.  She wore an obnoxious amount of eye-makeup and about five hundred metal bracelets on her left wrist that were very noisy every time she moved her arm.  After a long while of glaring, she said, "So you want to be one of us?  Do you have the right personality? The right wardrobe?  The right looks?"  I was confused.  Didn't she see what I was wearing then?  Couldn't she see if I looked "right"?  I didn't think you had to have everything looking and being "right" to be able to have friends.  "I think she looks great!  And she's super nice."  Katie announced.  I didn't think Bri and Katie were too nice yesterday, but maybe that's how they treat others who weren't in their group?  I didn't think it was very fair, all those rules they had. Being rude to others, looking right, acting right.  I was willing to follow the rules anyway.  My whole life I wasn't popular.  It was time to change that.  No longer would I be bullied, no, I would be bullying.