Banish Me

Welcome To Reality, pt. 1

I fidgeted in my new uniform. The knee high socks were a tad on the uncomfortable side. I stood in front of my floor length mirror in my room and stared at the hideous ensemble I was being forced to wear.

“Uniforms should be banished from the planet,” I mumbled to myself.

My reddish-brown hair went well with the color but my skin looked whiter than normal and my hazel eyes stared back at me in a helpless manner.

“Maybe you should go with the light blue.”

I looked over and saw my roommate of sorts standing in the doorway that conjoined our two rooms. Gwendolyn Marks, who went by Gwen, was my complete polar opposite. Her hair was a corn silk blonde and her eyes were as brown as mud with little flecks of red.

“You think so?” I asked.

There were many things about my new school that I didn’t like. The uniform, for example, was just the beginning. It was centered on navy blue plaid. At least the girl’s uniforms were, since the skirt for the girls was plaid. We had the choice of a navy blue, light blue or white polo. Then there was a jacket, for the northeastern winters, a blazer I guess you would call it. It was navy blue with the school crest and name on the left hand pocket. Nice right?

I was wearing the navy blue.

She smiled and entered the room. She picked up the light blue polo from the end of my bed and draped it in front of me, completely hiding the other one.

“Definitely, the white would only wash out your skin even more and the dark blue makes you look like you haven’t seen the light of day in years.”

I frowned at her in the mirror. I reached up and snagged the shirt out of her hands, she released it easily enough. I knew what I looked like and having it coming out of her mouth, a personification of beauty herself, was a little irritating.

“Thank you for your help,” I said turning around to face her.

She flashed her dazzling smile, turning to perch herself on the trunk at the end of my bed. She stared at me expectantly, like she was waiting to watch me change. It was a bit unnerving as I’d never changed in front of someone before.

“You should hurry up and do it, if you are going to. The morning assembly is going to start in ten minutes.”

“I will, as soon as you leave.”

“You’re too modest. Didn’t you go to public school in Ireland? You should be used to changing in front of people.”

“I changed in a bathroom stall.”

“Oh, well then,” she jumped off my trunk, “I’ll leave you to it.” She pranced to the door, turning to give me one last smile before closing the door. I needed to remember to lock that door from now on. I liked Gwen but sometimes she gave me the heebie jeebies.

I quickly changed into the light blue polo and looked at myself in the mirror. It was marginally better. Gwen had been right. I pulled my hair out from under the collar and it fell in soft ringlets, which any starlet would die for, and they stopped just below my shoulder blade. I sighed again, knowing I should stop obsessing but not being able to help it. From what I knew about this school, most of the kids had known each other since pre k and here I was a newbie, an outsider, an alien. I missed my house in Ireland, I missed my life. I missed my mother.

I looked over at her framed picture on my desk and gave her a weak smile. If she hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be here. If she were here, I wouldn’t have to be presented in front of the whole school. If she were still here, I wouldn’t be alone.