Disclaimer: I do not own Mean Girls
My first day of school was a blur. A stressful, surreal blur.
"Cady! Did you have a good day at school?" dad asked, sitting up in his chair. Him and my mom were on the porch reading, probably awaiting my arrival home from my second day at North Shore High School. It hadn't been a good day, so I answered honestly.
"No."
"Did you make any friends?" mom pushed, looking slightly nervous as she stared into my soul waiting for an answer.
"Yes," I replied
, after a lengthy pause. Janis and Damian weren't exactly my best buddies yet, but they had certainly been the people to show me the most kindness out of anyone so far.
"Were people nice?" Dad questioned, with hope in his voice and a vague smile on his face.
"No," I answered truthfully. Everyone at this school was nasty, rude and judgemental. Even my supposed "friends".
The next day was hardly any better. Although, in saying that, Janis and Damian sat by me and offered me a seat with them at lunch. They also mapped out the cafeteria, so I'd know where to avoid when walking to my table with them. "The awesomest people you will ever meet", Janis had labeled them. "And the worst."
She told me, bitterly and with an obvious resentment, about The Plastics, or in more clear terms, the popular group. It consisted of three girls my age, all of whom were particularly good-looking. Gretchen Wiener's father invented toaster strudel. I did like toaster strudel on a winter morning. And Karen had gorgeous blonde hair and massive boobs. But neither of these girls even nearly competed with Regina George. She was like a model from a magazine; flawless, blonde, booby and perfect. I'd never seen anyone that glamorous before. Barbie. That's what she was. She was an actual- living, breathing- Barbie doll. Or so I thought.
Janis had always been very touchy whenever I asked why Regina bothered her so much. Damian did try to tell me once but she cut him off before he gave anything away. I guess I was kinda disappointed. Being in a new school, I was willing to get any information I could- about anyone and from anyone. I just wanted to settle down and fit in and maybe eat my lunch at a table and not in a toilet cubicle. Janis and Damian offered me a way out of that. So that day, as I was headed to sit with them, it took me by total surprise that Regina, the queen bee of this new school, stopped me in my tracks and told me to sit down.
She smiled sweetly, but I was wary (because of what Janis had said) that she was just judging me. I felt so uncomfortable. She didn't have a hair out of place. Not a smudge of eyeliner. Not a crease in her size 0 blouse. But against my better nature, I took a seat opposite the teen royalty of North Shore.
"Why don't I know you?" she asked, tilting her pretty face to the side and smiling sweetly.
"I just moved here from Africa," I replied, forcing a smile even though I felt like hiding my face.
"What?" she asked, the smile quickly fading.
"I used to be home-schooled.." I explained, wondering as soon as I'd said it why on earth I had. As if someone like
Regina George would care about details of
my life.
"Wait. What?" She was starting to look more and more confused, gripping the table and leaning forward as if I was an alien or something.
"My mom taught me at home.." I continued to explain.
"Yeah, I know what home-schooling is, I'm not retarded. So you've actually never been to a real school before?" I shook my head nervously. "Shut up." She exclaimed. I shrugged my right shoulder, unsure of what to say. "Shut up!" She repeated, smiling again now. I assumed she was just mocking my lack of normal upbringing.
"I didn't say anything.." I said, looking to the girls on either side of her for them to back me up. But Karen just looked blank and Gretchen was examining a nail, every now and again glancing up at Regina for approval.
"Home-schooled. That's really interesting."
"Thanks," I said, although I kinda knew she didn't mean it. She meant that I was a social outcast and all-round weirdo. I glanced over to the table where I was meant to be sitting, with Janis and Damian. Janis gestured for me to come. I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn't just get up and leave. The conversation dragged for a little longer, Regina asking where I got my bracelet from and Karen reading the nutritional information on the back of her diet coke. Then, the unthinkable:
"We wanna invite you to have lunch with us, everyday for the rest of the week," Gretchen announced, clearly excited. As I stood up to go to my next class, and as The Plastics dispersed to check their hair in the bathroom, I noticed something strange. Right where Regina had been gripping the table as I spoke, minutes before, there were two large dents. Two large dents in the solid metal table, in the shape of her petite fingers.
The next day, as I had been told, I wore a pink shirt. Because I had nothing pink, I had to borrow something from Damian. He's a big guy, I was practically drowning in it. But, it was pink regardless, so I couldn't exactly complain. I didn't tell them about the table in the cafeteria. What if it's just been my eyes playing tricks on me? I was already the freak from Africa, I didn't need anything else to be held against me. So I stayed quiet, and on the look-out.
Later that day, still dressed in my shame-inducing men's tee, I joined the rest of the Plastics on their daily shopping trip. Following that we went back to Regina's place to hang out, and I didn't put up a fight regardless of my worries that I wouldn't get my math homework finished. Her house, just like her, her car and her mother, looked like it had been taken right out of the latest Barbie collection. Once we were inside, Regina led us to her room.The other girls all stared at their reflections in the mirror, calling themselves out on even the slightest imperfection. I used to think there was just fat and skinny. Now I know there can be a lot of things wrong with your body. It was then that I noticed something that I hadn't before. Until this point, Regina had donned a pink cardigan over the top of her white singlet. But now, in the comfort of her dream house, she had taken it off and made visible a small, metal square. It was literally attached to her back, like a battery pack or a remote control. The sharp metal edge glimmered just above the line of her top, revealing what would soon become my latest discovery. I didn't ask her what it was. I didn't want to be rude. But I just couldn't help but stare. It was so flat and discrete that, had she not had her back to me that afternoon, I may never have noticed it. But now that I had, I would never forget.
Just as Janis and Damian had encouraged, I continued to be 'friends' with the Plastics. I followed them wherever they went and they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they even went so far as to give me advice on make-up and clothes. Gretchen lent me a tartan skirt that was too tight, but that Karen suggested I wear anyway to "show some more skin." As the days passed, I noticed the metal square on Regina's back more and more. It showed vaguely through all her clothes, making me desparate to know what was being hidden. That was the day that the girls introduced me to the 'Burn Book.' In it, they had listed every girl in their year group, with nasty comments about them.
"Trang Pak is a grosky little biatch," read Gretchen aloud, tilting the book so that I could see.
"Still true!" Regina announced, now sitting on the couch opposite me, so I could no longer stare at the metal square projecting from her back.
"Dawn Schwitzer is a fat virgin," continued Karen, stifling a giggle.
"Still half true," joked Regina, making the other two laugh loudly, mockingly.
I looked straight at Regina, though she wasn't looking at me.
"Regina George is some kinda robot," I thought to myself. "Possibly true."
Regina George had never had a day off school because she was sick. I'd only been at the school for half a year and already been off with the flu for three days. So when Gretchen was waiting for me at the lunch table and Regina wasn't there, I knew there was something strange going on. In my newly purchased pink miniskirt and singlet, I walked to Regina's house during my study period for a 'visit'. This would sound selfless, if it weren't for the fact that I just wanted to spy on her and see what that metal patch was.
I knocked on the massive wooden door, smiling, ready for her mother to answer. But seconds passed and no-one came to the door. Regina's silver Lexus was parked on the driveway, so I knew she was home. I let myself into the house, shutting the door behind me as quietly as I could. I could hear Mrs. George talking in hushed tones in a room on the far side of the house, so cautiously followed the sound of her voice. I peeked around the door frame and almost stumbled forward from the shock. Regina was lying face down on a plush couch topless, wires spilling out from the square on her back. Mrs. George was stood over her with a pair of pliers, systematically cutting various red and blue threads. Clearly she was talking to Regina, but from what I could see her bright blue eyes were closed and she was completely motionless. I tried to step backwards, make a rush for the front door, spill all the Janis. But before I could leave, Mrs. Geoge turned suddenly and locked her eyes on me.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, still grasping her pliers and leaning over Regina's body.
"I just.. I.. Came to visit Regina," I said, semi-truthfully. She still hadn't moved, her eyes still met with mine. "I'm gonna go now."
I turned around but before I could walk toward the door Regina landed, dropping from the air, directly in front of me. "Oh, you're not going anywhere," she said, in her usual angelic voice, with a sweet but fake smile spread across her face. "Take a seat, Cady."
She reached out with one hand, her palm flat against my stomach, and pushed me. I was flying through the air, before hitting the couch she had, seconds before, been sprawled out on. I landed with a thud, clutching my stomach. This hurt more than when the dodgeball had hit me the day before in gym class.
"You won't be leaving here," Mrs. George wandered towards me as she spoke, hitting the pliers against her free hand. "Until you realise one thing."
I nodded, looking from Regina to her mother to the pliers.
"That I am the hottest girl at this school. And nothing's gonna stop that. Nothing. Especially not you."
"Okay," I said, wanting to agree with anything that she said. I just wanted to get out of this nightmare.
"Okay. I'm glad that's settled. You are not to tell
anyone about this," Mrs. George ordered.
I agreed and never said a word to anyone.
But I wrote it on a blank page in the Burn Book.
Regina George:
