Not Just A Pretty Face: Part 1

As I stared deep into the emerald green eyes, I saw a chance. A chance to show my parents that, after all, I wasn’t so selfish. When I handed my little sister this doll, my parents would come to realize that I was the perfect, ideal daughter. Of course, I had a life of my own. I had best friends who stood right next to me through thick and thin. I had after-school activities I attended. I worked hard at tennis practice every day. Why couldn’t they see that? Blisters adorned my fingers. I glanced down at my hands. Red marks covered half of my palm. And, I was proud of it. My pain showed off my hard work. Plus, my grades did drop since the “incident.” But, this was my revival time. Popular, sporty, chic, cute, sophisticated… What else did my parents need? Through all the struggle, I forgot one little thing. They needed a daughter that was a responsible older sibling. “Madeline, you’re too caught up in yourself.” Or sometimes, “Madeline, why don’t you go live at your friend’s house? You seem to care only about them anyways.” Maybe it was:  “Madeline, you remember you have a younger sister, right?” But, now I was going to show them that I was more than just a pretty face. I threw the doll under my arm as I fished out 25 cents. Looking at the doll, you might say she was worth 50 dollars, maybe even 60. Short, beautiful red curls. Glamorous emerald eyes. Flawless face with the right amount of make-up. A pretty lace dress with black flats. She almost looked real. I guess the owner was trying really hard to sell it. But, why? Why would you want to sell a beautiful doll for just a quarter? Oh well, this was good news for me! After I payed, I walked away from the loosely setup garage sale. The suns glare was blocked through my Michael Kors sunglasses. My halter top looked effortlessly beautiful in this type of weather. I looked beautiful. I felt beautiful. The best thing: I didn’t even try.“Mads! Madeline!” I flipped my hair over my shoulder to see who it was. “Oh Selena! If it isn’t the queen!” Selena, my best friend, ran up to greet me. I felt a smile creep its way to my lips as she looked up and down to observe me. “Umm…” I shot her a questioning look.

“Oh no! It’s nothing! Are you wearing new makeup? Nice outfit, by the way! You look gorgeous!” Selena quickly replied. She complimented me on other things too. My smile slowly grew. In fact, I believed her words. Selena was known for throwing compliments as fast as you could blink an eye. Most times, they were fake. But today, it was different. I almost forgot about my single worry in life. Shaking out of my daze, I wished a quick goodbye.

In my black converse, I slapped my feet against the pavement rushing to get home. Can’t be late for tennis practice again! I thought. I rattled the doorknob to my house as the silver key gleamed in the sun’s light. “Hi Mom!” I quickly ran up the stairs, determined not to hear the scolding voice of Coach Lindy. “Don’t forget Emily! You have a sister too!” My mom yelled from below. I opened my mouth to respond but right at that moment, the landline rang. “Hello?” I heard my mom pick up the phone, “Oh, hey coach! Oh it’s cancelled? Tomorrow morning…okay.” With that, the conversation ended. I ran down the stairs to see what all the fuss was about. “Honey, practice is canceled today. But, I guess you’ll have to wake up tomorrow early morning. 7:30 practice!” I groaned in frustration. I hated morning practices. Coach was always so stressed in the morning. She really was not a morning person. Everybody knew that. I threw my bag to the side and flopped down on the couch. “Oh! I almost forgot!” I said to myself. I looked around for the cheap object that was going to make my life perfect. As I scanned the room, something green caught my eye. “There you are!” I got up, staring at the doll. Oh it was so beautiful! Attraction washed over me. I forgot for a second who that was for. My little sister, Emily, already had too many dolls. This doll was for me. I was in ninth grade but, everybody deserved childhood. Her red curls could make anyone ashamed of their hair. Her deep emerald eyes looked like they were freshly picked from the ocean floor. I could stare into them and lose myself in a sea of elegance. The make-up was definitely on point. The right amount of blush with perfect lips. Her lips, flawlessly pouted, were full of red. And her dress… Oh the lovely dress! If you found one of these today, it would be worth thousands. One might call this flawless beauty. Perfect, glamorous in every way. I could never be like that… I thought. My hopes were quickly washed away. “Let me help you. I will make you perfect.” I shook my head. Who said that? I spun around. There was no one in the room. Except the doll. But, dolls can’t talk. Right? Dolls obviously don’t talk. I shook my head and returned to observing the beautiful doll. Oh my god! She was just so elegant. I wanted to be her. I wanted her. She would be the new me. I, Madeline Skyinger, was going to be this doll. And nothing could come in between us. By nothing, I meant everything and anything. She was mine. All mine.