For Today

      Leah the small but mighty Green Kacheek got up, alarmed. She fumbled groggily around her alarm and found her music box. She gently wound it up and upon the fourth turn, odd music began to play; it sounded like water burbling mixed with someone beep-booping and a synthesizer.

      She got up and rummaged through her wardrobe. What would she be today? Oh yes, a jelly maniac- the ones that insist upon a gelatin-covered world being real. To match their look, she put on a striped red and yellow shirt with a neon orange belt and neon green pants. For the extra look, she ruffled her hair so it was messy and it looked like she had stayed up all night thinking of theories strongly making a point that Jelly World was real.

      She ate jelly cereal for breakfast, grabbed her school supplies and went off to school.

      As she climbed upon the cold and uninviting white marble steps, she found an insect in there. She squished it.

      Her sleepiness drifted as she saw her friends for today- the jelly freaks. “Hi!” she cheerfully greeted as she saw them huddled together, chattering. They rolled their eyes and sighed slightly as she came to them. “Here comes the wannabe,” muttered one.

      “What's cooking, guys? Hopefully some new jelly recipes, hahaha!” Leah laughed at her own joke (nobody else did).

      “We wewe actuawy discussing how jelly makes a gweat impact on our lives,” importantly said the ringleader, a lisping Yellow Aisha named Ethan with braces and thick glasses.

      “That's great! I thought of some theories yesterday, as you can tell by my messy hair,” Leah said, pointing to her ruffled hair. She dug through a bag and found a colorful sheet of paper with scribbles in it and gave it to Ethan.

      He looked at it disgustedly but gave her a flat “Thanks.” Leah giggled and skipped away to her next class, to the relief of the jelly freaks.

      Leah did not notice the smirks and stifled laughter she received from her fellow classmates as she skipped in the hallway, chanting, “JELLY WORLD LIVES, JELLY WORLD LIVES.”

      One of the popular girls, a Royalgirl Flotsam named Cassandra, approached her on a dare by her friends. They loved mocking others.

      “Well, hi, Leah,” she said, over-sweetly.

      “JELLY WORLD LIVES,” Leah said loudly in Cassandra's face, who grimaced. Leah laughed loudly.

      “Anyways,” chortled Cassandra, putting a ladylike flipper on her neck, “I was wondering, who is your friend for today?”

      Leah's happy expression vanished. “What do you mean?” she asked, being very nervous but trying to keep her little game up.

      “Oh please, Leah dear, everyone knows you switch every day. Please tell me it's not me and the girls; we rather dislike you.” Cassandra nodded unsympathetically.

      Leah's eyes felt watery. She felt her voice breaking. “What are you talking about? Ethan and the others have been my pals forever. In fact, they're probably looking for me- we were planning to discuss the impact of jelly in our lives.”

      She ran out of Cassandra's sight, who smiled smugly and triumphantly.

      * * *

      Leah did not run to Ethan.

      She ran to her old best friends- actual, real, there-for-you-always friends. The friends she always ran into in case her plans backfired, which was to say all the time.

      At least, until Leah had decided she wasn't happy being a nerd and began to 'try' and fit in with the other cliques.

      Taylor was a White Zafara who had loved Leah very much, until the 'Big Mistake'. She was sitting on a ledge reading a book. Leah's other friend, a Starry Ruki named Vincent, was next to Taylor just observing his surroundings.

      “The jelly people didn't like me,” sobbed Leah, getting Taylor in a tight embrace.

      Taylor sighed and thought, “Again.” She looked her friend in the eyes and said her same reply, “They weren't your type of friends.”

      But Taylor had not noticed Vincent's warning looks and hand gestures until she had replied. He slapped his forehead and shook his head. “Oy vey...” he mumbled.

      Vincent quickly recovered of his woe when Leah turned to look at him, confused. He smiled feebly. “Great weather, eh?” he dumbly said through clenched teeth.

      “You always say that...” continued Leah, which she always replied to Taylor's response.

      “I'm reading!” snapped Taylor.

      Leah retreated and ran away, to no friends this time.

      * * *

      The remainder of the day went by Slorg-like. Wherever Leah went, she left a nasty trail of slime people laughed at and mocked. She moved at that pace too, not caring less for anything other than being a slimy Slorg.

      She sat with her jelly 'friends' at lunch. A heated debate had been going on before she came in. Silence came as she sat down and opened a metal lunchbox with the Jelly Blobs of Doom Techo in the cover.

      “Hey guys!” she chirped, trying to be cheerful.

      There were some low mumbles of 'hello'.

      Leah continued to chatter, trying to make a conversation without succeeding. She was relieved when lunch was over; she had no classes with everyone else and could avoid them.

      They just weren't good enough to be her friends.

      * * *

      The loud alarm screeched that a new day began, flashy red numbers clearly stating '6:30'.

      Leah got straight up today. Who did she want to be? Maybe she could dress like Cassandra and her friends, to show Taylor and Vincent.

      Yes, that'd be great.

      So to school she went, abandoning her skipping and accepting a stylish strut. She went up to Cassandra and her group.

      “Hey Cassandra, Mimi, Flor, and Vivianne,” she said in a musical voice.

      The other four girls stared at each other, asking with their eyes, “Who invited HER?”

      “Oh, I saw the most adorable denim skirt today,” continued Leah, giggling, “I thought you'd look great in it, Mimi.”

      The Faerie Poogle blinked.

      “Leah, why are you with us?” scoffed Cassandra. “You can't just walk up to us and think we'll welcome you with open arms.”

      “But I've always loved clothes and fashion and shopping, like you four!” chuckled Leah, twirling her tail nervously. She was losing them.

      “But just yesterday you dressed like a colorblind freak,” airily said Cassandra, talking so fluffy and lightly you'd think she was giving Leah the greatest compliment.

      The four girls snorted and laughed at Leah, who ran back to her friends.

      “Wannabe!” called out Cassandra as Leah ran. “Loser!”

      * * *

      Taylor was in the school's front yard, reading her book.

      “Oh, Taylor!” sobbed Leah, sitting next to her. Taylor's mouth twitched upward.

      “I wasn't accepted into dear Cassie's group. They are losers, aren't they? Not knowing greatness when they see it.”

      Taylor remained silent. She desperately wanted to get up and shout her lungs off at Leah, but she felt guilty.

      “I am glad they dissed me, though; my jelly friends will welcome me. they love me,” Leah assured herself.

      Taylor held her breath. She couldn't and mustn't.

      “Yep, I'm going t-”

      “WILL YOU STOP LYING?!”

      Oops.

      Leah blinked. “Pardon?”

      “Oh Leah, are you blind and deaf?! Everyday you look for new friends because you weren't happy being like us, plainly simple! You had to do everything everyone did. And everyone knows for you that! Nobody likes you! They call you a wannabe and a follower; don't deny the fact you are! Why couldn't you just be with us, huh?”

      Leah tried not to sob, but it came up as a hiccup. “How do I know you aren't fibbing?” she said coolly.

      “Because I actually cared about you. You should be happy for who you are, not change so others will like you. How can you live knowing that?”

      And Taylor walked away, leaving a pained Leah behind.

      * * *

      The loud alarm screeched that a new day began, flashy red numbers clearly stating '6:30'.

      Leah walked calmly to her closet, picking out her favorite clothes. Not what the preppy people wore, not what the jelly people wore, what she liked to wear.

      She went to school and greeted familiar faces, smiling.

      She passed all the different cliques... she needed to find hers.

      The usual mockery of Leah stopped as she began to happily talk with her old friends.

      “What happened to you?” asked Taylor, amazed at seeing the Plain Leah.

      “I found Me.”

      Taylor smiled widely. “Where was She?”

      “Locked up in a closet with duct tape in her mouth,” said Leah, hugging Taylor.

      She became herself.

The End