💫She's Different💫

Bella Auditions Pt.2

"Mommy?" Mommy was sitting on the couch and there was cookies in the background. She had a big smile on her face and got up. I wasn't looking forward to telling mommy about today.
"How was baseball and ballet?" She gave us both a kiss as Lucy watched.
"It was good."
"That's great. Bella?"
"Fine. I'm going to go to my room now."
"Wait Bella, your Mommy's trying to talk you." Lucy said.
"I don't want to talk right now." I walked slowly to my room and I could tell everyone was looking at me.
"Stop staring at me! I don't like it when you stare!" I closed my door and laid down on my beanbag really sad. I'm too ugly to be an Annie.
"Mommy says I'm beautiful, but am I?" I looked in the mirror and picked at my skin. It wouldn't go away! The brown wouldn't go away.
"No! I hate it, I hate it!" I left my room and went into the bathroom, crying loudly.
"Bella, what's the matter?"
"Bella, what's wrong?" When I was in the bathroom I tried to scrub the brown off. Dirt is brown, you can scrub dirt off, maybe I can scrub the brown off? I kept scrubbing and nothing came off. The freckles on my arm stayed, and the brown stayed.
"Bella?!" My mom said. She saw me scrubbing at my skin and she took the rag away.
"What are you doing?!"
"I was-"
"You were?" After a couple of seconds of quietness Mommy took my hand and took me back to my bedroom. She grabbed some pjs and gave them to me.
"Go shower, and we'll talk after."
"Okay mommy."
*****
Bella's Room (Olivia's Perspective)
I didn't know why she was scrubbing herself like that when I saw her, but I decided to let her shower and then deal with that. For one I knew her audition was today, but how could that cause her to do that? I looked around my daughters room for any clues. One of the reasons why I told her to shower. I felt slightly bad to be poking around like this, but I needed to.
"What's this?" 'Brown is ugly' it said. The paper had a picture of Bella, (I'm guessing) with lighter skin and red hair. Next to it she wrote, 'Pretty Bella'. What happened? I set the paper down on the beanbag and went to the bathroom.
"Bella, are you done missy?"
"No."
"I'm coming in." She was sitting on the floor all dressed and putting lotion on. I helped her and she put her head on me.
"Tired?"
"No, sad."
"Then let's talk about it hm? Let's go to the beanbag." I helped her up and we went to her
beanbag.
"Can you tell me about this picture?"
"This is pretty Bella."
"But pretty Bella looks really different from the Bella I'm sitting next to."
"Because she looks better."
"What's wrong with how you look right now?"
"I don't look good enough to be Annie mommy."
"Really? Who said that?"
"When I was auditioning, they said I couldn't be Annie because I don't look like one. You said I could be anything."
"You can be anything sweet pea. I don't know what these people are talking about, you don't need red hair and blue eyes to be Annie."
"Well, I'm Tessie." She frowned.
"Well, be the best Tessie ever! Make them feel bad for not making you an Annie, I'm proud of you. Even if you're not Annie." She smiled happily.
"You're proud?"
"Of course I am! I'm going to go tell everyone!"
"Mommy!" I gave her a kiss and she laughed.
"On a separate note, remember that talk we had about loving yourself?"
"Oh yeah. I wasn't loving myself today."
"You weren't huh? I'm going to need you to look into the camera and smile."
"Smile?" She laughed and I took a picture.
"What do you see?"
"I see you and I see me."
"What about you?"
"I'm smiling and I have curly hair and you have straight hair."
"Mhm."
"My eyes are brown like yours but I just have some green."
"Isn't that cool?"
"Yeah! And I'm brown and you're white."
"You know how much I wish for a good tan?!"
"A lot maybe. Is that why you guys sit in the sun?"
"Yep."
"I look pretty in the picture mommy."
"I'm glad you've realized."
*******
Bedtime With Lucy (Bella's Perspective)
It's been a couple of days I think since mommy came home and we talked. I miss her a little. I wasn't sad about it though because Lucy let's us stay up a little bit later.
"Tom and Jerry!" I held my penguin and gave it a kiss. Mommy gave me this penguin a while ago. I laid down next to Noah as our favorite cartoon started. I felt really warm with the heater right next to me.
"Don't fall asleep! It's starting." I looked up and saw Jerry. He's so little! He's so pretty!
"I love Jerry!"
"Kids, Olivia's calling." I turned around and Lucy answered the FaceTime then turned the camera to me.
"Hi sweet pea!"
"Hi butterfinger!"
"Butterfinger?"
"I want to eat one right now." I laughed and so did mommy.
"How 'bout I buy you one sweetheart?"
"Yes please!"
"Alright then. How was school?"
"It was good. I practiced for the play and stuff like that. And I made you something because I miss you."
"Aww thank you baby. Where's Noah?"
"Right here. He's watching Tom and Jerry."
"Noah?"
"Sorry I was watching Tom."
"I can see that. How are you?!"
"I'm good." I watched mommy and Noah talk and I put my arms up.
"You're lucky you're small!" Lucy picked me up and kept rubbing my back.
"Alright I have to go. Air kisses!"
"Air kisses. Love you mommy!"
"Love you guys more than you can imagine!" We waved and she hung up.
"Can I go to sleep?"
"Wow, someone's going to bed early. Let's go then sweetie pie."
"Okay." She put me in my bed and tucked me in.
"Good Night Bella."
"Night Lucy. Kisses!" She gave me a kiss and gave my penguin one too!
"Sleep well."
*****
Bella's Bedroom (Olivia's Perspective)
When I came home I couldn't just go to sleep. That case just made me want to hold my kids a little bit closer. I had just left Noah's room and was now sitting on Bella's bed next to her. She seemed to be sleeping soundly, but I was wrong.
"I want my mommy." She said in her sleep. She had a frown and she looked near to tears.
"I'm right here."
"Mommy, mommy!" She started to kick and cry. She eventually woke up and she gave me a hug.
"Mommy was right here the whole time."
"Don't go!"
"I'm staying right here."
"I had a bad dream."
"I know, I know."
"Dinosaurs are scary! They eat people." She kept blubbering about these dinosaurs who eat little girls and I wondered if that was her little mind's interpretation of older men. Or maybe I was over thinking it.
"Sorry that happened munchkin."
"I can't go back to sleep even!"
"Do you want me to tell you a story?"
"Story?"
"Mhm."
"Once upon a time there were two friends named Olivia and Elliot."
"That's your name!"
"Mhm. They were the best of friends for many many years. They would play detective together  all of the time. One day Olivia had some cookies that she was going to share with Elliot."
"What kind of cookies?"
"Chocolate chip and oatmeal."
"Yummy."
"Olivia went to go tell her mommy that she was going to Elliot's house and left the cookies on the counter in the kitchen. She ran up stairs and said, Momma I'm going to Elliot's house! And she yelled back Okay Olivia be home for supper, and then she ran back downstairs. And you know what she saw?!"
"What?"
"An empty plate full of cookie crumbs. So she ran to Elliot's house so that they could figure out who ate them. And when she got there-" Bella's breathing had slowed and her eyes were closed. She had a small grin on her face and she was saying something about a penguin.
"I love you darling. Sleep well." I got up and turned off the light and went to read a book. My sweet Bella.