When Mackenzie arrived in Algebra later that day, she tried her hardest to smile and keep her chin up.
Key word: tried.
“Hello, Miss Ziegler,” Mr. Watterson said as she walked in. “Did you get your homework done?”
“Yup!” Mackenzie lied. She hated lying, but in this case, she felt a need to do it.
Mr. Watterson smiled at her, which he rarely did, “Then you wouldn’t mind teaching the class about it, would you?”
Mackenzie bit down on her lip so hard she almost drew blood, “I’d much rather not, honestly.”
“Really? Because last month, you would have been ecstatic about that. I’m assuming you didn’t do the work.”
“Do you want a lie, or the truth?”
Mr. Watterson let out a sigh, “Mackenzie, you do realize that schoolwork…it’s not just something you can choose to do or not.”
“I just don’t,” Mackenzie started. “I just don’t have the time anymore.”
“Then maybe you need to take some time off from dance, focus more on your schoolwork. You’re a smart kid, Mackenzie.”
“I can’t take time off from dance,” Mackenzie said. “We have a big competition coming up, and I have to show Abby that I’m good enough for her. She still thinks I’m going to be Maddie, but I don’t even know anymore.”
“So this thing with your sister…it’s more than just the average sibling rivalry?”
Mackenzie nodded.
“Your dance teacher honestly wants you to be your sister, not just be better than her.”
Mackenzie directed her attention to the bluish carpeting they were standing on. “Yeah, it’s kind of crazy. And, um, I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately, so sorry for forgetting my work.”
Mr. Watterson put his hand on Mackenzie’s shoulder to keep her from walking away. “You know what, Mackenzie? I’m not going to punish you, but this has to be the last time this happens, okay?”
“Thank you, Mr. Watterson!” Mackenzie nodded, vigorously. “It won’t happen again.”
“I feel confident that you won’t let it happen, Miss Ziegler,” Mr. Watterson shot her a small smile.
As soon as Mackenzie sat down at her desk, she finished up the rest of her homework and leaned back in her chair. Now, she could relax…a little bit.
Throughout the entire class, her mind wouldn’t stop wondering. She thought about dance and how mad she was at Abby and about how annoying Ava could be. She thought about a perfect world where she was with Tyler and Grace was with Ryan and Ava was with…some other guy. Yeah, she would be with some guy, maybe, he would be from France. Ava always said she was a sucker for French guys.
Also, in this perfect world, Mackenzie wouldn’t have a sister. No, she would have a sister, but maybe she wouldn’t dance. Then, Mackenzie would be the favorite, not necessarily the best, but the favorite.
Mackenzie let out a sigh as Mr. Watterson began calling people up to the board to go over the homework. None of those things would be happening anytime soon, and even though she hated to admit it, she knew that. She would always be stuck in her sister’s shadow, and as of right now, she definitely wasn’t with Tyler.
She raised her hand to go up for the last problem, and, as usual when she raised her hand, Mr. Watterson called on her. She quickly went up to the whiteboard, grabbed a marker, and began working the problem.
If there was one thing Mackenzie had learned in her measly near fourteen years of life, it was that there was no such thing as perfect.
Later that day right before Mackenzie left for dance, Grace texted her, saying they needed to talk.
Mackenzie: About what?
Grace: Everything’s okay with you, right??
Mackenzie: Why wouldn’t it be? :)
Grace: Well…you know…
Mackenzie: 1/3 of me is happy
Grace: Well that’s good :P
Mackenzie: Gotta head to dance. We’ll talk later.
Grace: Byeeeee
Mackenzie slid her phone into her dance bag and hurriedly followed Maddie into the ALDC.
Well, she thought. Here goes something.
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I'm Trying ||m.z||
Fanfiction"Tell me, will it ever be my turn to show the world I'm ready, and it's my time to shine"
