New day, new me. Today is finally the day I go back to school. I can't believe that part of me is actually excited about it. Don't get me wrong, I am not even a little excited about the possibility of doing school all over again. It's just that after the week I had, school will honestly feel like a break. Mom won't need to watch me twenty-four hours a day anymore.
Today is a little special anyway. This time I am going to school as the new me. I feel calm going to school for the first time in my life. I won't be trying too hard to be noticed or to go unnoticed. This time, the way I walk through the school hallways will be different. I can feel it. I am different now.
I woke up early today to get ready. Mom didn't even need to call me, which almost never happens since the whole house usually wakes up late every day. Normally our mornings are chaotic, to say the least. Someone oversleeps, or sometimes everyone oversleeps. We constantly forget our things. Sometimes we are so rushed that we barely have any time to get ready, and we all end up running for the bus at the last possible second. I cannot even count the number of times I have seen Axl finishing putting on his clothes and shoes while running across our lawn just to get on the bus in time.
But today I woke up before everyone else.
The house was quiet.
I took a shower and actually took my time getting ready. Instead of rushing like usual, I dried my hair slowly and brushed it carefully until it fell neatly over my shoulders. Then I tried the simple makeup Mom had shown me how to use the day we went shopping. Nothing dramatic. Just a little foundation, mascara, and lip gloss.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, my smile still felt strange without the braces.
But in a good way.
Then I went to my wardrobe.
Opening it still felt satisfying. The old chaotic wardrobe had been replaced with clothes I had actually chosen for myself. I looked through them for a moment before picking something simple but nice.
I chose a pair of straight-leg blue jeans that fit comfortably and looked clean without being too flashy. For the top, I picked a simple black shirt. Over it, I added a structured brown blazer. It made the outfit feel more put together while still casual enough for school.
To finish everything, I slipped on my black sneakers. Comfortable, simple, and perfect for walking around school all day.
I stepped back and looked at myself in the mirror.
The outfit was simple.
But it worked.
Casual enough for school, but confident.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't immediately want to look away from my reflection.
I actually liked what I saw.
And that was a pretty good start.
"Sue, time to wake up," Mom said, knocking gently on the door.
"Mom, I'm almost ready. I woke up early today."
Then she went to wake the boys; otherwise we would be late again.
I checked over everything one more time. I stayed in front of the mirror for a moment, wondering if I was really ready to go to school like this. It still felt strange getting ready with so much care. It was so unfamiliar that I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
After one last look at myself, I finally left my room and went to the kitchen.
"Good morning," I said as I stepped into the kitchen.
Three heads slowly turned toward me.
Mom froze.
Dad lowered the newspaper he had been pretending to read while actually watching the TV.
For a moment, nobody said anything.
Dad squinted slightly.
"…Sue?"
"Yes?" I replied, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
He stared at me for another second.
"Huh."
Mom was still staring.
I shifted awkwardly where I stood.
"Is… something wrong?"
Mom blinked, as if snapping out of a trance.
"No! No, nothing is wrong!" she said quickly. "You just look… different."
Dad nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Different."
"It's the new clothes. I wanted to try a new style."
He crossed his arms, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"…How old are you again? Is that makeup?" Dad asked, squinting.
"Mike."
"I'm just saying," he muttered defensively. "Yesterday she looked like a kid. My little girl. She looks older. What kind of clothes did you buy with her?"
Mike gestured vaguely at me while continuing to talk to Frankie in a low, private voice while I distracted myself by grabbing my breakfast.
"Today she looks like… a teenager."
Frankie smiled proudly.
"Well, she is a teenager."
Mike frowned.
"Yeah, but now other teenagers are going to notice that."
"You're just scared that your daughter is growing up and you don't want to admit it," Frankie said, slightly teasing at first, but then her voice softened to comfort him. "It's normal, Mike. But we need to let them go. No matter how much it pains us, they won't stop growing up."
Mom looked at me again, this time smiling softly.
"You look really nice, sweetie."
I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease hearing that.
"Really?"
"Really," she said warmly.
Then she gave Dad a very pointed look.
Mike noticed.
"…What?"
Mom raised her eyebrows.
Dad sighed.
"…You look nice, Sue."
Mom continued staring.
"…Very nice," he corrected.
I couldn't help but smile on my face at their compliments.
Brick was already sitting at the table reading a book.
I sat beside him.
"Good morning," I greeted him.
But he didn't react.
I repeated it while poking him. This time he finally looked at me.
"Good morning, Sue," he replied before going back to his book, already lost in his own world.
"How did Brick recognize her immediately?" Dad asked Mom.
Just then Axl walked into the kitchen, half asleep and scratching his head.
He stopped in the doorway.
He looked at me.
Then at Mom.
Then back at me.
"…Who's that?"
"That is a normal reaction to an overnight change," Dad said, gesturing to Axl as if explaining his reasoning to Mom.
Axl shrugged immediately.
"Eh. I don't care."
He walked straight to the fridge and started complaining.
"Mom, why do I have to go to school today if Sue got to stay home all week?"
Mom immediately pointed at him.
"Doctor's orders. And Sue is going back to school today."
She gestured toward me.
"She's even awake early."
Axl groaned dramatically.
"This is so unfair."
He grabbed the cereal box and turned around toward the table where Mom was pointing.
Then he froze.
He looked at me again.
A little longer this time.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Wait."
He leaned forward slightly.
"This is… Sue?"
He stared again.
"No way."
He pointed at me.
"Since when are you… pretty?"
Mom gasped.
"Axl!"
"What? I'm just saying!" he said defensively. "She looks like a completely different person!"
He looked back at me again.
"Seriously, are you like Sue's long-lost twin or something? Because I got all the good genes of the family and you almost look good enough to be related to me."
I rolled my eyes.
"Haha, Axl. Very funny. I said before that I wanted to try something different."
"Well yeah," Axl said, still staring.
"But I didn't think the change would be so radical."
He waved a hand at me.
"How do you suddenly go from… that… to this?"
"It is just clothes," Brick said calmly without looking up from his book. "…Clothes."
Axl stared at him.
"That is not just clothes."
Then he shook his head and sat down.
"…Still weird."
Axl poured himself a bowl of cereal, but his eyes kept drifting back to me every few seconds like he was checking if it was a nightmare or a dream and he was still sleeping.
Mom clapped her hands lightly.
"Okay! Everyone finish eating or we will be late."
"That's because you woke me up too early," Axl complained, shoveling cereal into his mouth.
"That is not how it works, Axl. You woke up at the normal time. This time you were just slow as a zombie getting ready," Mom shot back.
Dad finally folded his newspaper and stood up.
"Well, if we're leaving, we should leave now before someone forgets something."
Brick calmly raised a finger without looking up from his book.
"Statistically, someone forgetting something is highly probable."
"…Highly probable," he whispered to himself.
Mom immediately started scanning the kitchen.
"Backpacks? Lunch? Homework?"
Axl groaned.
"Mom, we do this every day."
"And every day someone forgets something!" she replied.
Dad grabbed his keys.
"Alright, everybody move."
We all slowly started getting up from the table.
I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. For a moment, I hesitated near the door. The nervous feeling from earlier crept back into my stomach.
School.
New Sue.
New start.
Mom noticed.
She placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You ready, sweetie?"
I nodded.
"Yeah."
Dad opened the door.
Cold morning air rushed inside.
"Well," he said. "Let's go."
Axl walked past me and stopped again.
He looked at me one more time.
"…Still unbelievable," he muttered.
Brick followed quietly, still reading his book as he walked.
Mom sighed.
"Brick, you cannot read while walking to the bus."
"I have excellent peripheral awareness." responded Brick still reading "…Peripheral awareness."
Mom rubbed her forehead.
"Why are my children like this?"
Dad locked the door behind us.
We started walking across the lawn toward the street where the bus usually stopped.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn't dragging my feet.
And this time, when I stepped onto the sidewalk toward school…
I felt ready to face everyone.