Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall.....

Devastatingly Unflattering

I'm sitting underneath a willow tree. My crush, Angel Gonzalez is sitting right next to me. We're holding hands tightly and we're looking into each other's eyes. "Arielle, you're so beautiful", Angel said, his dark blue eyes looking more and more like the sea. He touches my face "And you're the most handsome thing ever. I just wonder why it took so long for you to confess to me", I tell him. Angel blushes. "I was just so afraid you wouldn't like me back", he replies. I smile, lucky to finally have the man of my dreams as my boyfriend. "Just hurry up and kiss me", I say, unable to wait any longer. He leans his face in, and we're only inches away from kissing and then-

"ARIELLE! ARIELLE! GET UP, GET UP, GET UP! MOMMY SAYS YOU HAVE TO GET UP NOW AND GO TO SCHOOL!!!!!"

I groaned as my little 5-year-old sister, Judy, awoke me from my wonderful dream. "Judy", I say groggily, sitting up. "Stop jumping on my bed and get out of my room." She stops. "Okay. But Mommy also said if you don't get out of bed in five minutes, she'll send me back up again." She laughs and skips out of my room. I grumble. Little brat. I push myself out of bed and start getting ready for school. 

I fumble around my dressing table for my glasses. I find them and put them on. I shower and brush my teeth. I grab a plain white T-shirt and a pair of extra dark jeans and brush my long, wavy brown hair. I put it up in a ponytail and let a few strands loose. I stare at my reflection in my full-length mirror, the only mirror I had in the room. I looked.....the same way I always do.

Sigh.....

My name is Arielle McCormick. I'm a senior in high school. I'm seventeen years old. I live in Los Angeles, California and I live in a three-story house. Sounds like a dream come true, right? Wrong. Despite the fact I live in a beautiful town, in a beautiful house, I don't have a beautiful life. My dad the head of a pretty famous business, so I see him probably only once a week. And you might see him on television, a lot. I have a nice, too-nice mom, a bratty sister that I can't stand. And me well.....I'm not the most attractive person in the world. I mean sure, I have a nice figure and a pretty face, but they're guarded by my plain clothes and glasses. My dad thinks it's "improper" to wear sleazy clothes like most girls at my school. Typical. He's barely around and he thinks he can control my life. I just do what he says because he wants me to be a big deal in the future, like him. It's not like it matters anyway. I'm considered "the nerd" in my school. You know, the super-smart girl that none of the popular kids pay attention to.

I grab my knapsack and head downstairs. My mom is wearing an apron covered in what seemed to be our breakfast. We have a few housekeepers, but Mom insists that they aren't the only ones who are good cooks. My sister is seated at the kitchen island, eating Cheerios. She has milk all over her face. I put on my sneakers and decide to get McDonald's on the way to school. But my mom turns and sees me. "Morning Ari!", she chirps. And I have to force myself to not groan. "Do you want eggs?", my mom asks and shows them to me. They're fluffy, too fluffy. "Mom, I think you put in too much milk again", I noticed. She studies them. "Really? That's weird. I don't remember putting in this much." She places the frying pan on the table and pokes at the eggs. "Oh and, uh, speaking of milk, you might want to clean it off of Judy." I point at Judy's soaked face. "Oh Judy, I told you to drink the milk, not take a bath in it!" My mom laughs at her own joke. I take my car keys and get out of the house before she could force me to eat anything else.

When I arrive at school, the first thing I notice is how loud it is. Makes sense. The popular girls are all in the front with the football team. They're laughing and flirting. Ugh. The ringleader of the popular girls is Autumn Breitbart. We hate each other. We've been enemies for as long as I can remember. She's spoiled rotten. But it makes sense considering her daddy is the principal. Her minions are Janice Puckett and Iliana Greene. They do everything she tells them to do. But I'm distracted by the captain of the football team, Angel Gonzalez. I've had a crush on him since we kissed in second grade. But ever since he became popular, I became just another one of the nerdy girls. That didn't stop me from dreaming though. He had tanned skin, messy black hair, dark blue eyes, and muscles the size of baseballs. He's pretty much the guy everyone wants. But of course, Autumn wants him all to herself, so she scares away any girl that gets too close to him. She can't scare me though. So I get an idea. I look in the mirror, I let my hair down, put on plain lip gloss and mascara, and tie my T-shirt into a knot, so my stomach shows. I grab my bag, keys, and coffee and strut over to where they are.