— THE MIRROR ;
⠀ ⠀ BRANDY ZHANG was used to being what people wanted her to be. her parents, both business owners and workaholics, wanted a child who was quiet, good. so, brandy learned to never speak out of turn, to be on her best behavior. mr. and mrs. zhang wanted a daughter who was top of her class and involved in extracurriculars, class president and all. so, that’s exactly what brandy did. she would get praises from her parents, moments that were longer than a few minutes when she did what they wanted. she was a topic of conversation with business partners and friends of her parents. brandy told herself this was love.
⠀ ⠀ AND BRANDY wasn’t too off, she guessed. at school, she did the same — not being herself came so easily to her. if the cheer squad wanted someone who was preppy and witty with words, she could do that ! teachers wanted participation and and overachieving, easy brandy would love to ! it was so / easy / for her reflect the personalities of other, to be more like her or him, to be whatever someone else wanted.
⠀ ⠀ she told herself, if being something you’re not is all it took to be /loved/ well, then it’s not so hard after all.