The day it all changed

" I hate Lisbon! I hate my school mom! Why can't I just be with ordinary kids like me? " - Mariah snapped, while dragging herself out of bed.
" Just hurry up, otherwise you'll be late! I give you 15 minutes! Mrs. Beckett is coming up this morning - said Mariah's mom, Sophia.
-" You mean that blood-mud? I don't want that maid or whoever touching my stuff! It's far too valuable!"
-" You're going way too far Mariah! Now stop being rude and conceited! I haven't brought you up for this!" - complained Sophia.
-" Fine...whatever!"- Mariah muttered.

Mariah was the typical snobbish girl who enjoyed being on the top of the world. She would never admit a denial nor even a relationship with people of different groups but hers. "Those mutts are so low" That's so she treated them. However, her compulsivety and rudeness was about to end. As Mariah ran down the street in a rush, she collapsed against Shia, his best friend.
-" Hey girl! Glad I met you! You won't even believe me!"
-"Right...Please, do not tell me Ryan is going out with that geek again! She's so out of this planet, not to mention she's not as smart as me"- Mariah claimed.
-" No doubt about it girl, but listen, I've got a new neighbour, since this weekend. She's our age. Plus, she's bombastic!"
-" You silly one, just behave!" - Mariah laughed and clapped ironically
" The best of all is that she told me she would be in our high school. Probably in our class!"
-"Hold on! Firstly, I need to check her out, remember? You don't want to date a loser, right?"
-" Try not to be hard on her, ok?" - Shia begged nervously.

They carried on walking towards school. When stepping into their classroom, Shia immediately identified his new crush.
-" There she is! Isn't she gorgeous?" - He was totally enchanted
-" You gotta be kidding! ARABIC? Give me a break! She doesn't belong here! I bet her parents are ungrateful. Look at her! She's pretending to be lonely just to catch our attention! I mean...look at her clothes! Not fashionable, just tacky! Naturally not girly! Forget me if you go out with her!" - She threatened

A week passed. Naomi, the new student, seemed to making a good impact on some people, even though she came from North Africa. She had an exotic and fresh look. Her long black hair gave off an agreable perfum. People would sometimes go to her in curiosity in order to learn more about her origins. At that time, she was invited to go to Shia's party the following Friday night. She hesitated at first but suddenly changed her mind. Obviously, Mariah would be present as well, which meant "red code" during that evening.
The day finally arrived and everybody was having fun at Shia's place. He had this huge, cosy house surrounded by a garden. At the back of the house a lit pool was ready to be used. The sound of the music was a bit raucous. Everyone danced, except Mariah, who stared at a corner following Naomi and Shia with her big green eyes. "This foreigner is taking my best friend away from me! " - She thought. She decided to solve things in her own way. She reached Shia and Naomi, separated them and lead Naomi near the pool. Mariah's hands were sweating. Her mouth was dry. Naomi, who had just figured out she was not welcome, started spitting out her history background at Mariah. Mariah could not bear "different people", so she pulled Naomi to the pool. She started yelling because she couldn't swim. People immediately approached the pool in panic. Mariah just remained still sweating out for a miracle. Suddenly, without even thinking, she jumped into the pool and saved Naomi. Everyone started clapping and celebrating the heroic act. Both were spluttering in fear. Later on, while Mariah wore something warmer, Naomi told her:
- " I wanted to thank you..."
- " No, I apologize. It's me..." - Mariah blushed. - What an embarassing situation! - "I confess It scared me watching you there, almost dying! It made me realise we're all humans above all. No matter what, I don't have the right to judge people. We are what we are!

From that day on, Mariah's life pratically changed. Both girls became best friends. That day was a gift. It was the day it all changed.


Celina*