My personal apocalypse should have come with thirty days' notice—a warning to brace myself for the chaos that would ensue. Instead, it showed up unannounced on my birthday. But let's be clear, even if it did announce itself, I wouldn't have been ready for it. Mine came after a week of family turmoil, with my father in the hospital. Then, boom, my life went to total crap.

Students jostled me through the busy hallway. I tried to navigate the crowded space without being bumped around too much, keeping my arms pulled in close as I hugged my books to me. I'd had far too many run-ins the past year with kids who liked to mess with me. I just kept my head down and hoped they wouldn't notice me. "Hey, Happy Birthday," the overly cheerful voice of my best friend, Caroline, said as I felt her hand slap down on my shoulder. I grunted in reply.

"What’s wrong? Did your folks forget your Birthday?" Caroline knew this was a distinct possibility given the way my life had imploded recently.

"Ugh, no," I said, looking around the hallway furtively. We ducked out of the flow of bodies next to my locker. I looked at Caroline; the blond girl was tall and pretty, with deep blue eyes. Somehow, she seemed to blend into the woodwork around the school. I never understood how the boys and teachers never seemed to remember her. Caroline was gorgeous. On top of her looks, she had the cutest Texas twang in her voice. Boys, who could figure them out?

"Whatcha looking for?" the blond girl asked.

I sighed. "Brandy..." I said as I opened my locker and took a quick glance in the mirror, then shoved the books I wouldn’t need in and grabbed the few things I would need for the trip. "I'm good-looking, in my own way," I thought to myself as I caught a glimpse of myself in my locker's mirror, stating it firmly as an affirmation. I gave Caroline a sideways glance. "Brandy and the bimbettes," I said in a hushed whisper, as if they were like Betelgeuse.

She laughed. "Awe, she’s not so bad. But you do have to say her name three times for that to work."

"Not if I get down on my knees and worship her," I replied sullenly. "If I was prettier, she would back off," I stated.

"Honey, it’s not your looks, it’s your attitude. Y’all just need to stand up to her and she’ll back up. Now, what did you get for your birthday?" My friend asked eagerly.

"Mom was having to work an early shift. So, I had to get myself and the munchkin ready this morning." I shrugged. "Besides, I’m sure I’d have a nice present when I got home."

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"You remember he is nearly as old as you."

I laughed. "Yeah, but he is still in middle school."

"Your paw still in the hospital?" My friend asked tentatively. Nodding, I slammed the locker door. What could I say? "How 'bout we do something this afternoon?" Caroline asked solicitously as we headed to our homerooms.

"Sorry, I promised Luke I’d go to his club meeting today." I smiled genuinely at my friend. "Michael will be there."

"When is that boy going to ask you out?" She lamented. "I mean lordy, you are one of the prettiest girls in our grade." She said as she eyed me. I knew what she saw; long dark hair, chestnut brown eyes, and a petite frame. What she didn’t seem to recognize was the huge bundles of insecurities, self-doubts, and fear of being thought of as strange. I shuddered at that thought; being strange and other were two things you didn’t want to be in high school.

"I’ve got too much going on right now to have a boyfriend," I said, trying to lie to myself. "Besides, I’m pretty sure Michael has me in the friend zone."

"Loser, get out of my way." A hated voice I recognized all too well came from down the hall. Brandy, she was head cheerleader and all-around bitch. I looked at where she stood in the middle of the hall. Dark auburn hair, green eyes, café au lait skin. She was a perfect bitch, I thought to myself.

"I’m sorry?" I asked, looking around. Her locker wasn’t near mine.

"I said out of the way puta, my friend's locker is right there." The casual insult made me angry.

"Girls move her," she said over her shoulder to her crew. One girl grabbed me and jerked me away from my locker so hard, I stumbled into the flow of traffic, nearly falling to the ground. The rest of her henchwomen were snickering.

"Caroline..." I started to ask before I noticed my friend had disappeared. Olivia, one of the girls I had been friendly with, was at the locker two down from mine. Brandy was there with her, talking and weirdly stroking her hair. I sighed and made it to my class just before the bell. One day I thought I’d show the lot of cheerleaders what for. Just a dream.

All too soon, we were headed toward the buses. "Happy fourth birthday, Victoria," one of the boys said as he sat down in the seat in front of us.

"Alright, everyone, get seated. We’re starting this field trip, and I don’t want to see anyone walking around," Dr. Babbage, our math teacher, said as the school bus’s door closed. Caroline chuckled at the boy's joke. "Thanks, Luke," I said, smiling shyly. Another boy sat down next to him, and they started talking. Apparently, it was something to do with the gaming club I had agreed to go to later that afternoon.

"At least we have a half-hour to talk before we get to the Alamo," Caroline said as she withdrew a magazine from her backpack and opened it up to a series of pictures. "Did you see the dress in this month’s issue of Girl’s Day?"

All too soon, our talk and the dull roar of the other students were interrupted as the bus pulled into the parking lot. "Wow," I said as I gazed at the buildings and the festivities going on at the plaza. In front of the old mission, there were rows of tents with men and women walking around in period dress.

"I thought you said you’ve been here a lot?" Caroline said.

"I have, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like this," I replied in wonderment. As I stared at the surrounding spectacle, my friend gave me a quizzical look. But then I shrugged and put the peculiarity out of my mind.