If Mulan Went To High School

The bothersome beeping of my alarm clock breaks the silence of the early morning. I groan, rolling over on my side to look through bleary eyes at the illuminated numbers. Six a.m., you've got to be joking. Somehow, my pillow comes flying at the clock, and the still-shrieking machine hits the wall with a clunk. I grin sadistically. Whoops, clumsy me.

"Mulan, what was that?" my mother calls down the hall.

"Nothing," I yell back, picking up my clock and putting it back on my nightstand. Good as new, I pacify my guilty conscience, even though the hour and minute hands are now sagging pathetically downward so the time will forevermore be 5:30.

That's me, by the way. Mulan. Only a short time ago I was a normal girl, happy with my unexciting life. And I mean unexciting. It had about the same thrill factor as retirement home bingo. But then I just happened to save the world and I am now a worldwide celebrity. Needless to say it's a long, involved story. I'll save it for another time.

Today I'm just trying to return to that old normalcy. I totter off to the bathroom to brush my teeth, stumbling over my red stuffed dragon on the way. After breakfast, I return to my room to get dressed. After yet another uninspired wardrobe choice—jeans, and my favorite Save the Whales T-shirt—my eyes catch on to the objects cluttering the top of my dresser. Here are the things that just love to remind me that I can never again be normal. I run my fingers over my medal, the picture of me with the president, and gaze at the sack full of letters I had received from around the world. Along with that, my room contains dozens of newspapers with my picture on the front (why had they used that awful picture, when I had braces and the world's worst haircut?). The headlines were the best part though. They boasted things like "World Saved From Disaster By Local Girl" and "UN Declares 17-year-old Person of the Year". But, whatever, I don't have time for all that today. I have a chemistry test and—oh snap, I'm going to miss the bus. I fly out the door, my heavy bag clunking against my back as I awkwardly try to run with the added weight. Not exactly the ideal image of a world savior, but I still have to go to school.

The bus arrives, me barely making it. I climb aboard and instantly all conversation stops. Everyone stares at me until I sit down. I slump down in my seat and stare out of the window, trying to avoid their whispers and not-so-sneaky glances.

I get to school and more whispers follow me down the hallway. I make sure to avoid that one crazy girl who likes to stalk me. Doesn't she have a life? Anyways, I've gotten used to a path appearing in front of me as the crowd parts, so I'm not paying attention when someone bumps into me, scattering my books and papers. Great. I bend down to pick them up and—I'm not even joking—the dreamy captain of the football team starts to help!

"I'm so sorry," he says nervously, scrambling to pick up my stuff, "I wasn't paying attention, and I was kind of in a hurry, so I'm really sorry." He hands me my math book with a panicked look on his face. What, does he think I have my own detachment of the Secret Service ready to take him down?

"It's okay," I reassure him. Wait, me reassuring him? This is rather odd. Maybe when I saved the world I accidentally broke the space-time continuum or something, forever altering life as we know it. We both stand up, and before I turn to leave he says:

"I'm playing at the game on Friday, you should come." His face is so hopeful I can only stare at him.

"Uh…sure," was my very articulate response. I must be on to something about the space-time continuum and the dominant social order. Because that sounded an awful lot like a date. He flashes me a small grin (If I had been any less shocked I think I would have swooned on the spot) and then he continues down the hall.

Which reminds me, I'd better get to my first hour. After all, if I fail my classes it's not like I can write "That-one-girl-who-saved-the-world" under "name" on my college applications. Wait…maybe that would be a good idea...

The ringing of the morning bell interrupts that thought, and so starts another day of high school.

Howdy friends! Now, before you start yellling at me and saying "How could you have written something else when you should be working oh-so-hard on that amazing story "A General's Son"??!!", let me just tell you I wrote this last year for a language arts presentation. That's right, I actually read that in front of a class...of people. Yikes! And I'm still embarassed thinking about it, because I thought I was being very clever and that everyone would get a great big kick out of it, but...well let's just say after I finished I felt like making the cricket noise. You know, the one in movies when someone gets to stand there looking like an idiot and everyone else just stares at them. Yeah, that one. If I needed to come up with my most embarassing moment I think that would be it. But, on the bright side maybe someone out there in cyberspace will like it?? Please PLEASE like it! My poor little self esteem can't take much more rejection! Aha I'm just kidding. Even if no one else likes it I still think it's amusing. I still love reviews though, so hit that button everyone either dreads or loves. Thanks so much. Oh and by the way- that crazy stalker girl Mulan was talking about? That's me :)