I sighed as I listened to Bulkhead rant about my grades. Again. Yes there have been several times where he felt like not only my gardian, but also my parent, and thought he had the right to repremand me. I know I'm sounding like a spoiled brat, but it was starting to piss me off. Not only that, but I had just had this argument with my parents via Skype. They told me to stop screwing around in America and get serious about school and the piano. The when I tried to tell the that I was't smart like the people I hung around with, they switched the topic and started ragging on my clothes, calling me an american slut. Nice huh?

I did what I shouldn't have done, I took there words to heart. I acually spent ten minutes looking in the mirror, judging myself. Then went to my host mom and asked her if we could go shopping after school. Of course she said yes.

Then went I went to meet Bulkhead I confessed what my parents said to him, and he immeadiatly agreed with them. Hence here we are. I tuned out Bulkhead the best I could, paying more attention to the raia than him. It was on a disney station, he probably put it on there figuring I wouldn't listen to it. He was half right. I listen to the words. It was Mulan's Reflection.

"At least somebody gets me." I thought bitterly when the song ended. Thankfully we had reatched the school, faster that lightening, I hopped out of Bulkhead, muttering a 'Okay I'll try harder" the ran to the building. And I did try harder, I just didn't get what these people were trying to teach me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the final bell rang. Racing to Bulkhead, I quickly told him I had plans to spend time with my host mom. The ride was silent. I was thankful when I got home, and dropped my bookbag off, then racing out the door, to meet my host mom in the car. She was a kind woman, very motherly, but not mean, unfortunatly she couldn't have kids, hence me.

"How was your day honey?" She asked, pulling out of the drive way.

I shighed but told her everything. She didn't say anything for a while as we drove to the mall, then she gripped my hand tightly.

"Is that why you wanted to go shopping? To change how you look? I'm not saying that's right or wrong, I'm just saying, if you wanna change who you are, that's okay, change is good, just do it for the right reasons. For you, not anybody else. kay?" She smiled at me and I couldn't help smiling back and nodded.

We arrived at the mall soon after that. The first thing I did was go to the salon and change my hair color back to its original color, earthy brown, shoulder touching, slightly choppy, almost straight bangs. I liked it. Next we went clothes shopping.

My HM found some really cute clothes, but I just wanted somethinglayed back, yet someing to keep my sool in the Navada heat. After an hour of looking I found several white tank tops and light blue sweatpant capris. Perfect.

Then we went out to eat at my favorite greek restaraunt, my host dad joined us in the middle of it. He told us jokes that had us almost snort milk out our noses.

Finally I asked. "How was your day?"

He just grinned at me and said, "Terrible. And yours?"

I just laughed and said, "Same." We finally got home around nine-ish. In my bedroom I loked at myself in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. My hair was okay, but I looked and felt superficial. Not real, not true to myself. I walked over to my sound system and turned on the disney station, and what do you know? Reflection was on again, and it was the begining of the song, staring at my reflection in the mirror I sang along.

"look at me i will never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter can it be im not ment to play this part now i see that if i were truely to be myself i would break my familys heart

Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone i dont know some how i can not hide who i am, though i've tried when will my reflection show who i am inside when will my reflection show who i am inside"

Changing into the new clothes I dared to look into the cursed mirror.

And finally liked what I saw.

"My reflection shows who I am inside."