By: Sarah, 6th Grade
I sat there in my in school with my new 300 dollar skirt, my new seventy dollar blouse, and my new 600 dollar jacket all joyful inside. I stared down at my new French manicured toes that were sticking out of my brand new 120 dollar high heels. I felt my neatly curled hair that I had just put a perm in yesterday. I felt and looked perfect!
“Kelsey, it’s your turn to read your poem!” my teacher, Ms. Hayden said, in from her desk. I picked up my lined paper and slowly, but gracefully stood up so every one could see my radiant, long legs.
“Hello!” I called. “…. Don’t you love this outfit?” All the boys nodded as they stared at me blankly. “And doesn’t this make- up go with my skin tone?” I asked. All the boys nodded again, but the girls in my class moaned and groaned.
“Go on with your poem, pretty girl!” A none perfect girl, Anna said rudely. I smirked at her.
“Oh be quiet. I can do anything I want since I’m prettier than you. Now as I was saying don’t you like my toes and my perm in my hair?” The boy once again nodded and one of the boys even whistled and cheered of how pretty I was. But the girls were jealous of my perfect ness and were angry. “This amazing, perfect poem is called PERFECT ME. It is an acrostic poem and I hope you all enjoy it.”
I cleared my throat and started to read:
“PERFECT ME
P is for pretty in pink
E is for even smart too
R is for really cute with hair in a perm
F is for fun is what I call shopping
E is for everyone says I’m so, so nice
C is for cool, popular, and have a stunning appearance
T is for too many boys drool over me
M is for my make- up is always perfect
E is for everyone loves me
I AM PERFECT!”
“That was… very interesting Kelsey. I’ll be right back because I have to make some copies of the math homework. Everyone give her a hand.” My teacher said as she left the room.
I looked around and saw all of the boys cheering with excitement, but the girls on the other hand were booing and rolling there eyes at me.
“Why do you have to be so stuck up, Kelsey?” Anna asked. I smiled and fluffed my curly locks of blonde hair.
“Cause I can and I want to, Ms. Non- perfect!” I snapped. Anna snarled at me.
“You’re such a brat, Kelsey and you are so self- absorbed,” Anna said.
“It’s okay to care about yourself, especially your appearance. Hey, I don’t want to be a zit face like you are! That is why I take care of my skin, pizza face.” Anna’s face was almost as red as a balloon. Her pigment in her skin turned to a bright red, and her mouth was closed tightly together.
“I do not have a pizza face, you stupid perfectionist!” Anna yelled.
“I’m not a stupid perfectionist, you ugly duckling,” I said. I was tired fighting with Anna, but I had to win the fight so I kept on criticizing her.
“No one call’s me an ugly duckling you drama queen!” Anna roared.
“Well I guess I’m the first you fatso!” I roared back.
Anna then mumbled something and swung her hand back and ran it across my smooth, soft skin. She had smacked me! I clinched my fist together and bopped Anna right in the nose. Red oozing blood rushed down her face as she yelped in pain.
Suddenly every kid in class was hovered over Anna and I yelling,” Fight, fight, fight!”
“Cat fight!” one of the boys yelled over the buzzing children. As I fought, thoughts were racing through my head. I was ruining my new outfit and my face was getting scratched up from the fight. At that time, I didn’t feel as perfect as I did before. I didn’t care about Anna though; she deserved what she was getting because no one called Kelsey stuck up and stupid! I didn’t care if she was in scorching pain at all, it was better than exchanging rude remarks.
Anna then took my arm and pierced her teeth through my skin! I held my arm and dropped to my knees in pain. I tried not to cry so my mascara wouldn’t run, but the pain was too harsh. I then tried my hardest to hide the pain and got up and tried to smack Anna, but she ducked down and I ended up hitting Joel Bryant right on the cheek. I didn’t care about Joel and went right on with the fight and pulled Anna’s hair. Anna then returned with a hard smack on the back. Then as I began to aim where I was going to punch Anna our teacher came in and gasped.
“My word class what do you think you’re doing, and Kelsey were you about to punch Anna?” she asked shocked. I quickly put my hand down from aiming my punch. I smiled and tried to look like an innocent little angel, but the blood all over my clothes gave it away that I was fighting with Anna.
“Were you punching Anna, Kelsey Marion?” she asked again. Still smiling I swayed back and forth to keep from crying. I hated to be on the spotlight when I got in trouble, it made feel scared, helpless, and uncomfortable. I still didn’t speak. “Kelsey, answer me!” she demanded. I felt my self esteem lower. I didn’t feel or look perfect anymore, and tears were rushing down my bruised cheeks.
“Yes! But she started it!” I said as I had a non confident tone in my now soft voice. Ms. Hayden then turned to Anna.
“Were you involved in this fight Anna?” my teacher asked.
“Yes mam, but I didn’t start it Kelsey did. She was acting all bratty like usual!” Anna said. I rolled my eyes, she was the brat.
“Okay both of you come with me to the principal’s office,” Mrs. Hayden demanded, pointing her finger out the door. Anna went on, but I, the more perfect girl just stood there with my arms crossed. “Come on, Kelsey to the principal office!” I shook my head, still standing in the same spot.
“I don’t have to if I don’t want to, I’m perfect!” I said stubborn as a mule. Ms. Hayden darted back at me with her beady eyes.
“What? You do not speak to me like that!” Ms. Hayden yelled. I smiled.
“You can’t make me!” I said.
Suddenly, she grabbed my arm and jerked me out the door. I tried to keep my feet down, but Ms. Hayden pushed me down the hallway. As we reached the principal office I started to cry.
“No, I’m too perfect to get in trouble!” I yelled. Ms. Hayden sat me in the chair that was across from Mr. Jones desk, the principal. She came over to Mr. Jones and whispered a couple of words into his large, vast ear. Jones nodded and motioned Ms. Hayden to go on.
Mr. Jones cleared his throat and started to scratch his mustache. “Now ladies, Ms. Hayden had just informed me that you were a very huge fight while she was gone copying papers, and she has also told me that you two were having a fist fight! I know both of you know at this school we have a rule about fist fights. Do you ladies know that rule?” We both shook our heads, I had no idea what the rule was and I didn’t care. “Well, the rule is that if any students at this school get in any sort of a brawl they will have community service! That means you will have to pick up trash in the park or work as a volunteer at the Humane Society, or even go to the nursing home and give a hand. Do you understand the consequences of you all fight?” I nodded, just because I was bored to death with his speech because and wanted to get out of there.
“Now since this bad behavior is not tolerated at this school, I have chosen for to do service work every Saturday for eight weeks. I think two hours each Saturday will be enough. You will be doing this community work together so you will learn to separate your differences and work together as a team. Now, this coming up Saturday you will be going to the park and picking up trash with a group of kids that volunteered to do it. If I here of any fighting between you or any other kids
I will suspend you. I am letting you off easy this time but you must understand if you fight again you will be suspended for a very long time So, I’m going to give you a note about your unacceptable behavior and tomorrow you must turn it in signed by your parents so they will know about your fight.” Mr. Jones said. My mouth dropped open; Saturday was my shopping spree day! I couldn’t miss it!
“Listen up Jones, I have a shopping spree on Saturday, I can’t make the stupid service work thingy!” I said.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a shopping spree, Kelsey! This is a requirement for a fight. You should have thought about that before swinging punches at each other! Now here is your note,” He handed us both a piece of paper that was for our parents. “You may go back to your class room ladies.” As I reached our classroom I ripped the note up in tiny pieces.
“You know Einstein; you have to give that to your parents…. to sign? Were you even listening to Mr. Jones?” evil Anna asked. I stuck my tongue out at Anna rudely.
“Of course I knew that dumbo! There is no sense of turning it in if I’m not going to be here tomorrow!” I said. Anna looked at me confused; she didn’t know what I was talking about. “You see, I had a plan, a good plan! “Probably don’t know what I am doing tomorrow instead of school, huh? Well, I am going to be sick tomorrow, so therefore I don’t have to come to school and turn in the note,” I said. Anna was still confused.
“How do you know you’re going to sick tomorrow… Oh your going to fake sick, aren’t you?” I nodded. “Then why can’t you turn your note in on the next day?” she asked. I rolled my eyes and told her that the next day was Saturday. “That will never work! I tried to fake sick and my mom knew I really wasn’t,” Anna said wisely.
“Well, parents believe anything I say since I’m there perfect little angle. Besides, my parents are barley ever home, so I have a Nanny take care of me and she also believes anything I say because my parents pay her a lot of money of let me do anything I want.”
“Man, I wish I was rich!!” Anna said sadly. I smiled, I loved being rich, pretty, and perfect!
That night I decided to drop my plan on my Nanny. My parents were out on business trips, so I had my gullible Nanny watching me. First, I tried my best to start rapidly coughing. Then, I held the thermometer to a light bulb to make the temperature rise to a fever temperature. After that, I made shivering sounds to make it sound like I had the chills. Afterward, I crawled into my bed, stuck the thermometer in mouth, started coughing, then making shivering noises, and then I called in my scratchy voice, “NANNY!”
It took her a few minutes to reach my room since my house was so large. When popped into the room her mud brown hair had sweat dripping down it.
“What is it?” she said.
“I don’t feel good! I can’t go to school now because I feel so terrible!” I said. I started to cough and gag and out of the corner of my eye I saw my Nanny’s eye brow rise.
“Listen twerp, I’m not stupid! I know you are faking it!” she snapped. No one talked to me, the most perfect girl ever, like that. I jumped out of my bed and got up in her face.
“Maybe I am faking, maybe I’m not! But if you want to work for me ever again you are going to call up my mom and tell her that I am sick and I shouldn’t go to school! Do I make myself clear!” I yelled. She frowned, she couldn’t do anything about it because if I fired her she would lose a lot of money because my parents paid her a lot of money to let me anything I wanted to.
“Fine!” she groaned. I could tell she wanted to get me in trouble for once with my parents. But nope not going to happen!
“Now go get me all of the sweets we have in our kitchen. Five minutes later she was back with tons of candy, pop, and other junk I really didn’t need.
“Here you go!” my Nanny said. She handed me all of the sugary goodness. I grabbed the drink and opened the can and gulped it down. My Nanny walked off as I sighed, my plan had worked! After a couple hours of watching TV and painting my toenails and fingernails I fell asleep.
The next day all I did was sit in my bed and be lazy. I swam in our indoor pool, I played video games, I went shopping on the internet and got a really cute diamond necklace and earrings, and read many fashion magazines.
I wasn’t disturbed the whole day because I ordered my Nanny if she took one step in my room I would have my parents fire her. Of course, she didn’t come into my room; her pay checks monthly are what she thinks “high pay” is. What she gets on her pay check is what I get weekly. I knew she didn’t want to get fired and lose that money.
In the middle of shopping online my new high tech cell phone that hadn’t come out in stores yet started to ring. I grabbed my phone and flipped it open.
“Hello, you are speaking to most perfect girl in the world, Kelsey. Who is this?” I asked
“Kelsey, it’s your mother,” my mother said. “Listen sweetie pooh, I’m coming home as soon as possible. Your Nanny told me that you are sick. I will be flying in on my private jet in tomorrow morning. Your father won’t be home though because he has some business in Tokyo. He would love to be there with you and make you feel better, but he can’t. Oh and baby, I think we are going to have to cancel our shopping trip since you don’t feel good. Love you Princess, bye- bye. ”
“But wait mom, you can’t cancel this shopping trip! I have to go. I probably will feel better by morning. In fact, I know I will feel better by morning. I don’t feel that bad anyways. Actually, I have never been better. I think it was just the gross lunch that the Nanny made that made me feel bad. Please don’t cancel! I’m too perfect to get canceled on.” I was mad, I always got what I wanted and I wanted to go on this shopping trip BAD! I was going to get I wanted no matter what!
“But Princess, your Nanny said that you were coughing horridly and you felt really hot. Wait; don’t tell me this Nanny is lying to get us to come home so she can leave and getting us all worried about you being so sick! The way she put it, it sounded like you were dying. That is so rude and crude. Is that what happen, Kelsey. Is she making up nonsense so she can leave?” my mother asked.
I smiled. I loved being able to tell people what to do, it made my plan go so swiftly. My sick plan hadn’t worked; I knew my mom would give in to go shopping.
“Yes mom, she did all those things! I hate her! She is a lying piece of dirt that should be thrown away in the trash. I want her fired immediately!” I said in a loud angry tone. “So can we go shopping still? I feel fine!” I said in a perky, happy tone.
“Sure, anything for my little princess. And when I get home that stupid, lying, no good Nanny of yours will be packing her bags cause she is no longer my little Princess’ Nanny! Got to go, Babe. Love ya!” She hung up the phone and I then flipped my phone shut. The perfect me was so smart. I could get myself out of any problem. I got out of the fight problem because I faked sick so that I wouldn’t have to turn in my permission slip and my parents wouldn’t find out about me and Anna’s little brawl. I even fooled my mom into thinking that I was fine (I really was, but she didn’t know that) and I could go on our Saturday shopping spree. I was the most perfect, smart, funniest, and prettiest girl on the planet and no one came close to me.
The next morning I was awoken with breakfast in bed. This included pancakes, eggs, sausage, and cereal. Then I was helped out of my bed by one of the maids and my families stylist came in and picked out my outfit that my mother had just got me from her trip from South Africa. My mother had just arrived and was in a great mood. As soon as she got home she fired the Nanny and gave me all of these wonderful gifts from her latest travels.
“Are you ready to go to Paris, my dear?” she asked.
“I’m ready shop til’ I drop, mom! You know I’m ready!” I yelled.
We spent the whole day in Paris and I bought $4,000 worth in clothes and accessories.
When we got back late Sunday night I totally forgot about the letter and went to bed with a stomach full of lobster. I got up and dressed in my new clothes from Paris and was driven to school by my chafer.
I arrived in Mrs. Hayden’s room fashionably late (like always) and sat down next to the cutest boy in the class, Tanner. He smiled at me and waved. He couldn’t stop staring.
“Love the outfit Kelsey!” he said.
“I know! I love it too!” Tanner and I laughed.
“Well, look who it is,” a voice said. I turned around to see Anna had a big black eye from the fight.
“Oh Anna, I’m so not happy to see you again!” I said with a rude smirk.
“Same here! I missed you at the park on Saturday where I thought you and I were supposed to pick up trash!” she yelled. I rolled my eyes.
“Oh yeah, that! Well, I had more important things to do!” I said.
“Like what, go get a brain?” she asked. All of Anna’s non-perfect friends laughed. I sat there and gave her a mean look.
“No! I was shopping in the beautiful city of Paris. Oh, you probably don’t even know what it is because you probably couldn’t even afford a post card of it!” All of more popular kids (mostly boys) laughed. I had like a magic touch with boys. They followed me wherever I went because I think they agreed that I was the most perfect girl ever.
Anna’s face got bright red and she got up in my face. She had horrible breath, it smelled like sour milk. I almost gagged!
Before she could say a word we heard Mrs. Hayden’s old high heels clomping down the hall way. Anna quickly sat down in her seat and pretended to be working. I sat there pretending to read the board.
“Wow, kid’s way to be quiet!” she said cheerfully. She then sat down at her desk and explained what are assignment was. She handed out these stupid worksheets and I pretended to be doing mine. Then the teacher put her things to the side and called,
“Kelsey, I noticed you weren’t here on Friday. Why was this?” she asked.
“I was sick,” I said.
“Do you have an excuse note?” she asked. I shook my head. I totally forgot about the dumb excuse note!
“Kelsey were you sick on Saturday too because Mr. Jones emailed me that you did not go to the community service.”
“Yeh, I had a bad stomach bug,” I lied.
“No she didn’t, she went shopping in Paris! She just told me!” Anna said jumping out of her seat. I groaned, Anna had to screw everything up!
“Is this true, Kelsey” Mrs. Hayden questioned.
“Yes!” I moaned. Mrs. Hayden signaled me out to the hallway. Minutes later she came out to talk to me. “Kelsey, I don’t get it. Why do you think you are better than everyone else?”
“Well, I kind of am. I mean look at me! I pretty, smart, and talented, that’s what I call perfect.”
“No, not necessarily.”
“What else do I need? I’m rich too. I got to be perfect, Mrs. Hayden!”
“Kelsey, if you were really perfect you would have to be loving, respectful, giving. Do you think you are really any of those things?” I thought about it for a moment, I wasn’t any of those things. But I was still perfect.
“Well, not really. But who needs those things!”
“You see you’re not perfect! Let me give you a news flash honey, no one is. You have just grown up listening to your parents and relatives and friends tell you that you are perfect. But just because you are rich or you are pretty doesn’t mean you’re perfect. Everyone has there flaws.” No matter what she said I wasn’t going to listen to her.
“I know that! But I don’t have any flaws. I mean look at me. What is not perfect about?” I said pointing to my beauty.
“I’m really tired of your attitude! Can you at least try to have a better mind-set and not act so stuck up?” she asked.
“I’m not being any of those things!”
“Really? I think you are. Kelsey, please try to go to the service project with Anna. I know you don’t like her, but she put in a lot of work on Saturday without you. I don’t think it’s fair that she worked her butt off while you were shopping away in Paris.”
“But I’m too perfect to go work in the park….that’s where poor people go!” I whined. Mrs. Hayden rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious you need to go and stop acting like the world revolves around you. No one will like you if keep acting like you are the queen of the world!” Mrs. Hayden snapped.
“Whatever!” I called as I walked back into the classroom. No one tells me what to do, especially grumpy, old Mrs. Hayden.
That day, when I got home from school my mother greeted me with a kiss and a hug.
“Sweetie, I got the best idea. Next Saturday, let’s go to London and shop! How fun will that be?” she said with a peppy voice.
“I would love, too!” London was one of my favorite places to shop and it would get me out of going to do stupid service work.
“Great, then it’s set! We will go to London on Saturday!” I jumped up and down. I couldn’t wait to go!
The rest of the week flew by and when mom yelled, “Honey, let’ go to the airport!” I grabbed my things and went into our limo. As we drove me and mother talked about what I wanted in London and all the places we wanted to go to.
“I was shopping online and…”I stopped as I looked out the window to see the park that Anna and I were supposed to pick up trash. It was a huge park, it stretched almost four miles long.
“And?” my mom said confused. Then, I saw Anna with other kids quietly picking up bits and pieces of trash by the playground. For the first time in my life I felt a bit of guilt come over my body. I thought about how rude I had acted to Anna and Mrs. Hayden. I thought about how I left Anna to do work in the park all day, while I had the time of my life shopping in Paris. Maybe, just maybe I wasn’t perfect. I was just a girl who thought she was.
“Stop the car!” I yelled to the drive. The brakes screeched as he stopped.
“What are you doing?” My mom asked with a mystified look on her face.
“I’m going to help a friend!” I said firmly as I got out of the car. My mom still sat there shocked since she had no idea what I was doing. Anna stopped what she was doing and stared at me.
“You decided to show up, huh?” she mumbled under her breathe.
“Yeh, I thought you might need a hand.” I picked up some old coke bottles near the swing set.
“That’s a surprise! I thought you were going to stand me up like last time.”
“Nope. I’ve changed. Listen, I’m really sorry about the way I acted. I know I’m not perfect. No one is. And I was thinking that we could be friends. I’ll try not to act better than you and maybe we can get along.” I stuck my hand out for her to shake it. She grabbed it we shook for a long while. Anna and I were friends!
“You know Kelsey?” Anna asked.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re not so bad!” I smiled, I had changed. From that moment on, I never acted better than everyone else.