“They get more attention with negativity,” Mia whispered to herself, remembering something her mom had told her before she left Wisconsin. At the time, Mia hadn’t really understood what she meant. Back home in her small town, everyone knew everyone, and being kind was just a normal part of life. Now everything is new and everyone is new, in a crowded city she had never even visited before moving. She had never really experienced the kind of drama people talked about in movies or saw all over social media, but she was about to learn that things were quite a bit different in Miami.
Mia had moved from a small town in Wisconsin because her dad had been offered a better job in Miami. Her parents were excited about the change, constantly talking about the opportunities waiting for their family. Mia tried to be excited but deep down she felt like her entire life had been taken away from her. She was a senior in high school who was surrounded by the same familiar streets, the same neighbors, and even the same group of friends she had known since elementary school. She knew everyone’s middle name, where her teachers lived, and even what gas station had the best slushies. Now, everything she knew was hundreds of miles away.
On her first morning at her new high school. Mia frantically stood in front of her body mirror for almost twenty minutes, trying to decide what to wear. She finally decided on wearing light-wash blue jeans, a white polka dot blouse, and her favorite white sneakers. She curled her brown hair, put on the slightest bit of makeup. Mia has never been a makeup girl and now was not the time to start. She looked in the mirror one last time and decided it was good enough. She wanted to look like she belonged, even though she had zero idea what belonging in Miami even meant.
The drive to school felt longer than it really was. Mia stared outside the car window gazing at the palm trees lining the streets, expensive cars at every corner, and the colorful buildings that stood between restaurants she had never heard of before. Back home, the tallest building in town was the bank, but here she hadn’t seen a building shorter than the bank back home. When her mom pulled up to the school entrance, she gave her an encouraging smile.
“You got this Mia, just be yourself,” She exclaimed.
She nodded, grabbed her backpack, and took a deep breath as she stepped out of the car. The words her mom said ran through her head, Just be yourself.
“What does that even mean?” Mia whispered to herself.
The school looked more like a college campus than a high school. Bright lights reflected off enormous glass walls, and hundreds of students crowded the entrance. Girls walked in groups wearing matching athletic sets, expensive sneakers, and perfectly curled hair. Most carried expensive iced coffees with their phones in their other hand making Tiktoks. Everyone seemed like they had a group to meet and where to meet that group. Mia, meanwhile, had a schedule crumpled up in her hand and no clue where any of her classes were.
As she walked through the crowd, she became painfully aware of herself. Everytime someone laughed she wondered if they were laughing at her. She missed her old friends and wished she could go back to a place where she felt comfortable. She knows she can’t change anything, so she tips her head down and walks slowly through the crowd.
After taking many wrong turns, Mia finally found her English class and sat in a seat near the back. A girl with long blonde hair sat beside her, scrolling through her phone. Mia took a deep breath and introduced herself, saying that she had just moved from Wisconsin. The girl looked her up and down before turning to her friend and whispering something. They both laughed, and Mia immediately felt her face get hot. She tried to ignore them, telling herself that maybe she was just being paranoid.
The blonde girl glanced at her outfit and stated, “Is that really what people wear in Wisconsin?,” her friend burst out laughing. Mia immediately stared down at her desk, wishing she could disappear.
A few minutes later, another girl rushed into the classroom and started telling everyone about a fight between students. Suddenly the entire class was paying attention. They all leaned in, asking questions, passing around the phones for the videos. Mia noticed how quickly everyone locked in to see someone else’s embarrassment. Meanwhile the blonde girl is still making little comments about her clothes.
When Mia tried to stand up for herself, the girl rolled her eyes and said, “relax, we’re just joking, grow up”. Students started to laugh. Mia wanted anything more than to be in that room.
Mia thought about something her mom told her before they left Wisconsin: “they get more attention with negativity”, and now she gets it.