The Other Girls

What you have for lunch is everything.

On school days, pack lunch. Don’t buy lunch from the cafeteria. Don’t stand in line next to Devin and Paxton. Get those lunch boxes with mini compartments that come in pink, purple, and blue. All the other girls have those. Pack a full lunchbox each day, but don’t eat a lot. “Alina, it’s really not cool to be having a whole feast at lunch.” That’s what Noelle said. Remember that. But pack a full lunch box so people don’t think that you have no food to eat. If you do get lunch from the cafeteria, make sure it’s only a small pack of french fries as a “snack.”

Wake up at 5 every day to curl your hair, cover the dark circles under your eyes with makeup, and plan out the perfect outfit. One that will get you compliments from all the other girls. Wear Lululemon on Thursdays and get a Stanley to match. Do fit-checks when you get to school in the morning, and film TikToks in the bathroom. It’s cool to be late for class if you were late for those things. Don’t worry if the teacher marks you as tardy. Don’t worry if it costs hundreds of dollars just for a single outfit.

Say things that make other people laugh. But make sure you don’t speak too little, or too much. Make the right amount of jokes where the other girls will think you’re funny, but not annoying. Then they’ll want to keep you around.

Don’t laugh too much. Don’t step out of line. Be civil, be polite. Act like a lady.

Break off the semi-friendship you’ve got going on with Naomi. All the other girls think she’s uncool. She’s only going to drag you down. Ignore her even as she smiles at you across the hall each day. Ignore her when the teacher asks who you’d like to be partners with, and she looks over at you expectantly. Shove away the painful feeling of guilt brewing inside you.

In gym class, act athletic, but not like your life depends on it. You don’t have to be a hardcore athlete, you just have to kick the ball right during kickball. Angle your feet right so that the ball won’t shoot up in the air, hit the ceiling, and then drop back down with a big SMACK! right in front of Eli. You don’t want to hear the snickers and whispers of the people behind you.

In science class, don’t raise your hand. Know the answer if the teacher were to call on you but don’t raise your hand. Ellie says it makes you seem too eager. “You just need to chill out with this school stuff.” Don’t let others think you’re smart. Hide the fact that you really care about your grades. But also don’t be dumb or you’ll be like Nicole and Becca who sit in the back of the class.

On the school bus, if boys flirt with you, accept it. Play along. That means you’ve succeeded. Even if Jacob is saying the most disgusting things in your ear. Even if a group of boys from the football team is looming over your seat, looking at you with an awful glint in their eyes. Ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach.

Do these things and the other girls will accept you. Do these things and the other girls won’t look at you like you’re a used piece of gum they found on the bottom of their Nike Pandas.

Your goal: To be one of the other girls.

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Based on real-life events. All names have been changed.