Growing Up

Julie glared at herself in the mirror. "I still look like a little girl, no breasts, curves, or anything!"

She scratched her wrist and pulled up the sleeve. "Gross! What's this green rash on me. They look like green zits, yuck!" Julie picked at one of the pimples, and it popped . "EWWW! This green puss is yucky."

She brushed her long black hair, then threw down her hairbrush in disgust. I feel ugly, and for some reason my stomach hurts. My life sucks!

She grabbed her book bag and ambled outside. After she strolled by the rose bushes, she leaned by the fence post to wait for the bus.

The school bus drove up, and she stepped in. As she walked by the dark seats,  smelling musk and sweat in the air, she side stepped a huge ball of gum.

While she walked to the back of the bus, some boy shouted, "Hey, pancake!"

When will these hormonal boys ever grow up? I've been hearing this for almost three years now.

When she spotted her friend, Jaclyn, she breathed a sigh of relief. She joined her on the wide leatherette seats at the back of the bus.

"Hey, girl. I love that sweater." Jaclyn rubbed Julie's arm. "Is it cashmere?"

"Yeah, I got it at the mall last weekend."

"I wish I could wear just anything like you do. I've got to make sure everything I wear doesn't either make the girls look like they're falling out or like I've got way too much junk in the trunk." Jaclyn peered at Julie with her big blue eyes.

She glanced at Jaclyn with her dark brown eyes. "I would like to at least resemble a teenager. I still look like an eight year old."

Jaclyn took a compact and zit cream from her purse. She held the compact and dabbed on some of the cream. "At least you don't have to be armed with zit cream everywhere you go. I don't think I've ever seen a pimple on your face."

I wish I didn't have the zits that I've got, and neither would you. I'm glad no one can see mine. I wish I had blond hair, blue eyes, and a tan. I hate having mousy brown hair and eyes. It's awful having sickeningly pale skin. Mom won't let me go to the tanning bed like Jaclyn's does. I mean gees Mom it doesn't kill people, but she still says that it does.

The bus pulled up, and everyone shuffled out onto the school yard. Julie and Jaclyn walked to the swings and sat down.

Jacklyn crossed her legs. "Did you do your Algebra homework?"

She swung a little higher. "No, I'm gonna do it in study hall. It's not like I'm ever gonna use it anyway."

A loud bell rang.

Jaclyn got off the swing. "That's the first bell. We better go." 

Julie came to a halt in the swing. "I wish I could go home. I don't feel good, and I hate school."

Jaclyn raised her brow. "You don't feel good. What's wrong?"

She touched her stomach. "It hurts." I'm not going to tell her about the weird pimples. I don't know how she would take it.

"Maybe you're starting your first period or have a stomach virus. If you're stomach's still hurting after first period, let me know and I'll give you some of my Midol."

"Okay, thanks."

A loud second bell rang.

Jaclyn ran ahead of Julie. "We better make like a library and book."

Julie rushed to catch up. They contined down the hall to their lockers.

Jaclyn leaned against her locker. "Did you study for the quiz on Shakespeare?" 

Julie stood by her. "Yeah, even though he's totally boring. I don't understand why it's important to learn about dead writers who wrote such lame stuff that only geeks and Mrs. Barlet understand."

"I know what you mean. We better get going, or we'll get detention again."

Julie giggled and pointed at Jaclyn. "And it will go down on your permanent record."

They burst out laughing as they went into the classroom.

I hate coming in this dull concrete room everyday looking at these posters of dead authors. I better get to the back of the room before Mrs. Barlet's brown nosers get here.

After she sat down, Mrs Bartlet walked into the room. Why does she pile her hair on top of her head like that and wear those old grandma clothes? Here come the quizzes.

The students handed back the quizzes. She held the white paper still warm from the copier. This looks like Greek. She placed the paper down. I feel totally sick. I wonder why. Taking a quiz has never done this to me before. She got out her pencil and tapped her head. She glared at the paper. Julie began to answer the questions. Halfway through the quiz, she placed her hand on top of her head and felt two metal spots on her head.

What are these? Do I have Mount Rushmore zits on top of my head that are ready to pop? After the quizzes were handed in, her teacher lectured about Shakespeare. I've got a splitting headache! My clothes are suddenly tight for some reason. She laid her head on her desk and placed her hand on top of it. Something's sticking up out of my head! I don't think it's a zit. It definitely feels like two pieces of metal. I hope no one sees this!

When the bell rang, she ran out of the classroom not even stopping to talk to Jaclyn. She ran past the other students almost knocking them down. When she reached the bathroom, she opened the door and ran to the mirror. She glared into it, and she observed two small black stubs sticking out of her head.

"What in the world's happening to me? Do I have tumors on my head?" She gasped as she continued to stare into the mirror.

She placed her book bag on the sink and peered into it. I'm so glad I left that cap in there. Julie put it on.

She gazed down at her chest, "Wow! I think I'm getting breasts."

She glanced behind her and observed a small curve to her behind.

"I have the body of a twelve year old now instead of an eight year old. I've done four years of growing up in a hour," She whispered.

She grabbed her stomach. I feel so sick to my stomach. The door creaked. She snatched her bag and ran into the middle stall. Julie peaked through the opening between the door and the stall wall. There were two girls at the sink were she was. The girls washed their hands and left. She felt nauseous and bent over the toilet vomiting a purple liquid. I'm breaking out more. She rolled up her sleeves and surveyed the green rash over her arms. Julie vomited two more times.

Julie clutched her stomach again.I feel something trickling down between my legs. Am I getting my first period?

She unzipped her pants, pushed them down, and sat down. A blue liquid trickled down from her private area.

What's happening to me? This isn't like what I read in health class last year. I must have some disease. Am I dying?

Julie cleaned up and put some toilet paper in her panties. I've got to go home. Something bad's happening to me. I need mom to take me to the doctor.

She pulled and zipped her jeans. She cracked the door to see if anyone was there. Julie crept out of the stall and ran from the bathroom. She kept on running until she got to the principal's office. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath before opening the door to go in.

"I need to call my Mom. I'm very sick to my stomach. I've been vomiting and have a terrible headache."

"What's your name, dear?" the receptionist asked.

"Juile Rodan."

"Just a minute, Julie."

She walked into the Principal's office.

After a few minutes, the receptionist walked out of the room and over to Julie.

"Mr. Mathews is calling your mother now."

"Thank you."

I think my clothes are getting a little tighter. She glanced down at her chest. I really need a training bra, maybe even one a little bigger. She pushed up her sleeve. This green rash has spread all over my arm. I hope Mom comes soon, because I can feel more stuff coming out of me, and I don't know if these tissues are going to keep it from messing up my panties and jeans. My head's hurting, and I can feel the stubs growing out of my head even more.

The door to the office opened. A tall black haired woman walked in the room.

"Are you Mrs. Rodan?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes, I'm here to take Julie home."

"That's fine. Dear, I need you to sign out before you leave."

She stood and scribbled her name on the sign out sheet on the clip board. Mrs. Rodan and Julie walked out of the office.

"Mom, you need to take me to a doctor, like now, seriously!"

"Calm down, and I believe I know exactly what has been happening." Mrs. Rodan placed her hands on Julie's shoulders.

Julie shook her head and whispered. "No, nobody knows about stuff like this, not even scientists."

"We'll talk about it when we get home."

"Don't I need medical attention?"

Julie's mother put her arm around Julie's shoulders. "No, sweetheart. You just need to calm down and come home with me."

When they walked out of the school, their red mini van was parked in front of the school. They got in the vehicle, and her mother drove off. How am I going to tell Mom about the weird things happening to me? Julie pressed her face against the window and stared at the surroundings her Mom passed: a mall, two convenient stores, a pizza place, Chinese restaurant, Mexican restaurant, five churches, and four more neighborhoods. This is the longest drive ever. Her mother drove into the cul de sac and into the dead street where they lived. Her mother then drove up into the driveway, and they got out of the van. Julie ambled behind her as they went into their house.

Her mother gazed at her. "Take off your cap."

Julie took it off. Two black stems were sticking out of her head even more than when she was in the girl's bathroom.

"You've gotten a start in getting your antennas! They always start sticking up on your sixteenth birthday." She clasped her hands together.

"You mean this is a good thing? You've got to be kidding!"

"You're growing up. It's wonderful."

"Is throwing up purple stuff, breaking out in a green rash, and your first period being blue a good thing? This is not good or normal!"

"I was going to tell you about all of this. Usually, it only starts with the antennas. Then in three months the rashes start, and six months after that everything else starts. As I said, I was planning on telling you, but everything happened so fast. It's also tradition to tell the daughter about everything on her sixteenth birthday. You see we're not Earthlings. We're Nonglocks. Thank goodness the green rash stops by the time you're twenty-five, but you're stuck with the monthly periods and vomiting until you are sixty. The antennas, you'll have for life. Would you like to see mine? You can control them. I can teach you."

"Nonglock? What's that? I can control these things on my head? I'm going to go through this strange kind of monthly until I'm sixity. Oh, crap!" Julie paced around the room. "Am I being Punk'd somehow for my birthday?"

"This is the truth, Sweatheart. Nonglock's a planet east of Earth in the galaxy of Yonglock. Your father and I had to leave there before you were born because the Wongtonglocks were trying to take over." Mrs Rodan pointed at Julie's antennas. "Yes, you can control them. Just place your hands on your temples and concentrate."

"You said my father died of cancer, so that wasn't true at all?"

"No, a Wonglock killed him while we were trying to escape. I had you, four months after he died."

"It must have been hard being a single parent all this time." Julie placed her hands on her temples and concentrated. Her antennas popped up a little more.

"I do have good news since the Wonglocks have finally given up their hold on Nonglock. We can return, and we're leaving tonight. I received word early this morning."

"How did you find out, Mom?"

"Did you see the bright light out in the back yard this morning?"

"No, I guess I was still asleep."

"Your grandmother told me by transport communication hologram."

Julie paced around the living room, waving her arms. "Let me take this all in. You're telling me that I'm an alien. All the aliens I've seen on TV have big heads with slits for eyes and are usually green. I'm totally not one of those. I like it here. My best friend's here. This can't be happening!"

"Those are Wongtonglocks that Earthlings see. They try to take over every planet with life on it." Mrs. Rodan put her arm around Julie. "I know you'll miss Jaclyn, but you'll make a lot of new friends when we land on Nonglock. Everything will be great. Now, go and clean yourself up, so you can start packing."

Julie stomped away from her mother and sat and the bottom step of the stairway. "No! I want to stay here! How do you know I can adapt to another planet? I was born here on Earth. I could die on Nonglock!"

"You won't die there and will adapt just fine. I'm the one who has had an awful time trying to adapt. You know I get sick during the winter. You know I'm often hospitalized for pneumonia!"

"Yes, but I didn't know it was from this. I still can't deal with living on another planet. I have a friend here, not on Nonglock!"

"Your grandmother will come for us soon, so hurry up and get your things together. We're still going, and that's final!"

Julie made an "L" shape with the thumb and index fingers on her left hand. "Whatever! I still can't believe there's a place with a lame name like Nonglock, and that I'm going through this crap!"

Julie bounded upstairs to pack. I've never met my grandmother before. I wonder what she looks like. What's her personality like?

She marched into her room. She flung her suitcases on the bed and threw stuff into them. She grabbed a garment bag and unzipped it.

When she stuffed a dress in it, she mumbled, "This is so lame. I hate this mess."

Being deep in thought while packing, Julie heard a booming sound coming from downstairs. She grabbed two of her bags and ran downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, her mother and an older woman were hugging each other.

"Are you ready to leave?" asked the older woman with the gray hair and long black antennas on top of her head.

"I don't have everything packed."

"You don't need anything. I'll take my favorite granddaughter shopping for the latest Nong fashions." Her grandmother was holding a black and red remote. "I need the two of you to hold on to me, so we can get home at last."

They both held on her as her grandmother pressed the big red button on the pad. I'm being sucked up, and what's this sea of fog.

Julie fell on her bottom by her mother and grandmother.

"Something went wrong. I think we're still on Earth or in another realm," Her grandmother said.

Mrs. Rodan peered at the sign in front of them, and read it, "Welcome to Deacon, Mississippi."