Wonder Woman goes to Middle School

Diana had just landed at Shoreview Middle School. She had volunteered to go here because she wanted to engage more in Man's World and this seemed like a good place to start. So she went inside to the gym and saw the whole school there. She went to the middle of the gym and was given a microphone.

"Thank you for having me here," Diana said into the mic. "I'm glad to see you all, and I can't wait to see each of you later today." So class by class they came down to meet her starting with the 5th graders. She met all of them and then they left and headed off to class. Then the 6th graders came and there were a lot of them. "Okay, one at a time!" So they lined up and she met them one by one. Then she noticed that a boy had been pushed out of line. She went up to and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" Diana asked. The boy turned to look at her. Diana was a little surprised. The boy's head was elongated vertically and the back was slightly flat. His eyes seemed a little larger than most and the edges drooped a bit. He had green eyes, brown hair and tan skin. Diana quickly turned her surprise into a smile. She held out her hand and he took it and she pulled him up. "What's your name?"

"Philip," the boy said.

"Nice to meet you, Philip," Diana replied. Philip smiled and she noticed that his teeth were a little crooked but she didn't care.

"Do you like chickens?" Philip asked. "Because I have nine and one of them is a rooster! I get eggs from them every day. My rooster's name is Pistachio."

"Hey! It was my turn!" a girl exclaimed. She was at the front of the line. "He needs to wait just like everyone else."

"No, he did wait and it was his turn," a boy behind her said. "You pushed him."

"Did not!" she shot back.

"Did too!" he said. "I saw it!"

"Enough, both of you," the teacher butted in. She turned to the girl. "Angelica, I've had enough of your bullying. You will see me during recess. Everyone, it's time to go back to class." They left and Philip followed behind. Diana continued to meet with the other classes and noticed that some of the kids looked like Philip. They looked a little different, but other than that they were just like the other kids. She didn't understand why they looked like this though. She had never seen this kind of thing on Themiscyria.

It was lunch time and all the students were there. Diana noticed the sixth grade teacher again. She went up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Can we talk privately?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Of course," she responded. They left the lunchroom and they went into the hall. "What is it?"

"I was wondering about Philip," Wonder Woman began. "Why does he look a little different?"

"He has something called Apert syndrome," the teacher informed her.

"What's Apert syndrome?" Wonder Woman asked.

"It's genetic disorder that causes some craniofacial abnormalities," the teacher said.

"Oh, I've never hear of it before," Wonder Woman admitted. "Is that what some of the other kids have?"

"Some do but most don't," the teacher told her. "Apert syndrome is pretty rare. They all have something a little different. They're having lunch in their room."

"Where is it?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Walk down the hall, turn right at the first intersection, and then it's the first door on the left," the teacher said.

"Thank you," Wonder Woman replied. She followed the teacher's directions and saw a room with Philip and other kids. She opened the door and all eyes fell on her. Diana entered with a smile and the other kids did too. Philip came up to her.

"So do you like chickens?" he asked.

"Yes," Wonder Woman responded. "We have lots of them on Themiscyria." She spent lunch with the kids and they all had a great time. She found out that they didn't act any different than any other kids she had met before. They had interests, games, hobbies and inside jokes. She had a long conversation with Philip about chickens and another talk with a girl named Hannah, who had Treacher Collins syndrome, about Disney princesses.

Soon enough lunch was over, and she gave each kid a hug before she left the room. She left the school with a smile. She knew now more than ever you can't judge a book by its cover.

Dedicated to my sweet and amazing younger brother. I love you, buddy!