5. Bumblebee Westcott: The Fashion WannaBees

Bumblebee wants nothing more than to be popular in high school. But when she goes to desperate measures she and her friends end up in trouble.

High school isn't easy, especially when you are a freshman. The upperclassmen think they're better than you and they let you know it. It's like they forgot that not long ago they were freshman themselves. There's one particular upperclassman, a junior named Roxie Rehn, who is exceptionally cruel. She's pretty, rich, and a cheerleader. She thinks the universe revolved around her.

Roxie loved to pick certain freshman each year to torment. It was a tradition as far as she was concerned. Lucky for me, my two best friends Rae and Kurt, and my boyfriend Jesse, those freshman were us. I don't know why Roxie chose us, but there's always a specific reason she chooses the freshman she does.

I'd always been confident and had a healthy amount of self-esteem. I wasn't a genius like Kurt, or a musical prodigy like Rae, but I was a loving daughter and a trustworthy friend. To me, those are the most important qualities. I was pretty and fit and smart enough. There was nothing about me that screamed awkward or easy prey. Of course that didn't stop Roxie from making fun of me for my clothes or my hair. Anything was fair game to her.

It's easy to say that you don't care what other people think about you, but it's human nature to. I'd be lying if I said Roxie's repeated taunting and malicious words didn't bother me. She was slowly chipping away at my sense of self worth. She made sure I felt like an outcast at school.

One morning she dropped by my locker while I was with Jesse. “Good morning Bumblebee.” She said in her fake cheerful voice. “How are you this morning? Still dressing like a homeless person I see.” I'm ashamed to say her comment made me look down at my clothes. I was wearing a blue sweater with a navy scarf, a new pair of jeans, and soft brown boots. I didn't see anything wrong with the outfit but it wasn't the fancy like the clothes Roxie wore. Today she was wearing a red leather designer dress and black platform pumps studded with diamonds. It wasn't exactly casual school wear but Roxie didn't wear anything that wasn't designer and over the top. Anything less wasn't good enough for her.

“You know I'm throwing a party this weekend at my parents' mansion.” Roxie said. “You two and your little friends are invited if you can find something halfway decent to wear.”

“Just get out of here Roxie.” Jesse said. Roxie laughed. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a magazine. She pointed to a sleek white suit on the cover. “It's too bad you losers can't afford four of these. They're the latest craze. If you showed up to the party wearing these maybe you'd actually have some cred around here.” She said. Jesse shook his head. “Let's get out of here Bumblebee.” He said. He took my hand and started to pull away but I grabbed the magazine from Roxie's hands. I stared at that magazine during class, hiding it in my history book. If only I could get those clothes!

“What do you guys think?” I asked Rae and Kurt at lunch. “I can't afford this.” Rae said. “All my clothes have been hand-me-downs from Rio and Rio's clothes are from the thrift store.” Rae's words left us all stunned and speechless. She's my best friend, who I've known since kindergarten, but I realized I knew very little about her personal life. Other than that her mother died giving birth to her, I really know nothing. I don't even know where she lives. We've always hung out at the mall, or at my house, or at Kurt's house. I'd never questioned it but now I wonder why she's always been so secretive about her life.

“You've never had any new clothes before?” I asked softly. Rae shook her head. “No, we just couldn't afford it.” She said. Kurt and I looked at each other. “Rae, where do you live?” I asked. She stiffened. “I live in...a trailer park.” She said hesitantly. “In a one bedroom trailer.”

“How come you never told us?” Kurt demanded. She shrugged. “Does it really matter? It's just my life. It's what I've always known.

“You're not ashamed are you?” Kurt asked. Rae glared at him. “No, I'm not ashamed. I just didn't think it was that important.” She said. I decided it was time to get back to business. “Okay, so Rae's out, Kurt?” I said. Kurt laughed, a short hard laugh. “No way; I'm saving up for college.” He said. I groaned. Kurt had been saving for college since before he could crawl.

“What about you Jesse?” I asked. He shook his head. “I'm broke.” He said. “What about that job at Burton's Burgers you had? Don't you have any money saved from that?”

“No, I spent it all on those shoes for my mom which I ruined.” I said. I hung my head. “It's alright Bumblebee.” Kurt said. “That party's probably going to blow anyway.”

“I just want to be popular.” I complained. Jesse rubbed my arm soothingly. “Popularity isn't all it's cracked up to be.” He promised. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “How would you know?” I cried. “It's not like you've ever been popular before.” Jesse pulled away. “You know, I'm trying to help you feel better.” He said. “You don't have to be hurtful.”

“I'm sorry.” I said sincerely. “Hey, you know, maybe I can convince my dad to buy us these clothes.” I said. I stuffed the magazine back into my bookbag. “You really think he'll go for that?” Rae asked skeptically. I shrugged. “It's worth a shot.” I said. Just then the bell rang, calling us to class. “Good luck.” Rae said. I nodded. I was going to need it.

“So there's this party.” I told my dad that night over dinner. “All the popular kids are going to be there. He frowned. “I'm no sure how I feel about you going to a party. You're only fifteen.” He said. I rolled my eyes. “Dad, it's not like they're going to be drinking or anything. It's just a bunch of high school kids hanging out, eating pizza, and dancing.” I promised. “I'd be going with Rae, Kurt, and Jesse.” I added. Perhaps he'd let me go if he knew I wouldn't be going alone.

“I guess I feel better about you going with Rae and Kurt. I'm not so sure about Jesse.” My dad said. I sighed. My Dad hated Jesse. He'd never liked him and when I'd ditched school to go to the amusement park he'd blamed Jesse for my behavior.

“There is one other thing Dad. The party has a dress code.” I said. I handed him the magazine. “Everyone who goes has to wear this.” My dad examined the advertisement. “Three hundred dollars.” He said. “You want me to pay three hundred dollars on some suit you'll never wear again after the party?” He demanded. “Actually,” I said. “I was hoping you could buy four, for me, Rae, Kurt, and Jesse.” He laughed humorously. “Sorry, Honey, you're going to have to fund these yourself if you really want them.” He told me. He set the magazine aside.

“But Dad, I don't have a job.” I whined. “You could mow the neighbors grass or walk their dogs.” He suggested. “I'll give you ten dollars to wash the car.” I grimaced at him. “The party's this weekend.” I said. He shrugged. “I”m sorry baby, but I've got the farm to worry about.” He said. I tried to hide my disappointment. “It's alright Dad, I know how important the farm is to you.” I said. In my head I was plotting a way to get those suits.

Jesse, Kurt, Rae, and I entered the store at the mall that had the suits from the magazine. It was an upscale, expensive store where people like us looked out of place. All of the customers were older men and women dressed in fancy dress suits. I noticed several people giving us strange looks. It made me feel uncomfortable.

“Are you sure this is the right store?” Rae asked. “I don't see any teenagers like us. It's just a bunch of weird old business people.” Kurt nodded in agreement. “Rae's right, Bumblebee. No one here looks our age.” He said. I looked down at the magazine. “This is the store advertised.” I said. “Maybe I should ask someone.” Then I spotted the suits a few feet away, displayed on a mannequin. I rushed over and started shifted through the rack until I found all of our sizes.

“I found them.” I said when they approached. I held the suit up in front of me in the mirror. “What do you guys think?” I asked. “I don't see why they're so popular.” Rae said. “They're really not that attractive looking.”

“Are you sure about this?” Kurt asked. “I mean, maybe Roxie was tricking us. We all know she's a horrible person.”

“Maybe she really wants to help us out.” I said. “Come on guys, you know how important being popular is to me. This could be our one big chance. We show up to the party looking cool and we'll be cool. If we're in with Roxie then we're guaranteed to be popular. Think of how much better our lives would be.”

I could see it now. Laughing in the hallways with Roxie, sitting with the cool kids at lunch, forcing the nerds to do our homework; everything would be perfect if I was popular.

“I don't feel right about stealing.” Rae said in a shaky voice. “Shh!” I hissed. I pressed my index finger to her lips. “Do you want to give us away?” I demanded harshly. She shook her head. “I just don't think we should be doing this. It seems wrong.”

“We're not really stealing them Rae.” Jesse said quietly. “We're just...borrowing the suits. As soon as the party's over we're going to bring them back.” Rae looked skeptical. “I still don't think it's a good idea.” She whispered uncertainly.“Don't act so nervous!” I cried. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman glaring suspiciously at us. I tried to ignore her. “It's going to be okay Rae.” Jesse promised. “No one's going to find out. By the time they notice the suits are missing we'll have already brought them back.”

I folded up the suits up neatly and stuffed them into my purse. They barely fit in. “Alright, are you guys ready to go?” I asked softly. “Let's get out of here.” Rae said eagerly. She was already starting towards the door. I grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back. “Act nonchalant.” I told her. “That way they won't suspect anything.” We walked out of the store in a bit of a hurry, catching more strange looks as we went. As soon as we were all out of the store we took a collective deep breath. I had to admit I felt guilty as well, even if it was my idea. Even Jesse was uneasy and he was the bad boy. I comforted myself with the knowledge that this was only temporary. As soon as I was popular we could return the suits and our new lives would begin.

Roxie's house was huge. When she'd said mansion she wasn't kidding. Inside all the lights were on and you could literally feel the bass vibrating from outside. Music poured from the windows and we could see people dancing inside. The closer we got the more excited I became. I could sense Jesse's excitement as well. Kurt and Rae were nervous. I caught Rae biting her nails.

I rang the doorbell and waited. Roxie opened the door and gave us a once over. “What are you four wearing?” She asked. Her face was disgusted. I was confused. “We're wearing the suits you showed me. You said they were in.” I reminded her. Roxie shook her head. “I never said that. Those suits are ugly. It's something old people wear.”

“That's not what you said in school.” I said. Roxie sighed. “I feel sorry for you four so you can come in, I guess.” She said reluctantly. She stepped aside and let us in. Almost as soon as we were inside all dancing stopped and all eyes were on us. The upperclassmen burst into a round of roaring laughter. A few of them looked sorry for us. I heard whispers of “What are they wearing?” “They look ridiculous!” and “I can't believe they showed up in those!”

I felt my face flush. “I knew it!” Kurt cried. “Roxie was just pulling a mean prank on us. Let's get out of here.” I hated to admit that he was right. I'd let Roxie fool me. I'd been played. I felt like crying but I had to hold it together. I couldn’t give Roxie the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

“Hey,” A big football player approached me. “Nice suits. Were did you get them? The old folks home?” He demanded, laughing. “Hey, don't talk to my girlfriend like that!” Jesse cried, defending me. “Oh, sorry loser, here, let me get you a drink to apologize. Do you like punch?” The football player grabbed his friend's drink and dumped it on Jesse's head. “You can't do that to him!” I cried. “Yeah, why are you being such a jerk?” Rae demanded. “Why?” the football player asked. “Because I can, losers! Why don't you run back to your mommies! Oh, that's right, you don't have a mom!” He cried. Rae's face drained of color. “How...how do you know that?” She stuttered. Before he could respond Kurt slapped him.

“You little punk!” The football player shoved Kurt backwards, sending him crashing into the punch. Red liquid soaked into the thick fabric of the floor. “Hey, watch we're you're going!” Roxie screamed. “My parents just had the carpet cleaned!”

“Serves you right!” Jesse said. “Get out of my house!” Roxie yelled. She threw open the door and shoved us outside, slamming it behind us. “Well that went well.” I said. Rae and Kurt glared at me. “This was a mistake.” Kurt said. “A big one.” Jesse said. I frowned. “It could have been worse.” I said. Just then we heard the sound of a police siren and saw the flashing lights. “It just got worse.” I moaned. “You think they're here for us?” Jesse asked. “I knew we shouldn't have stolen these suits.” Rae groaned. “Oh, shut up Rae.” I said.

I never thought I'd be in the back of a squad car. I didn't think I would ever be sitting a jail cell. I never dreamed that I would have to call my dad and tell him to bail me out of prison. Only bad people who do bad things go to jail. I wasn't a bad person, I'd just made a huge mistake. Now we were all paying for it.

The ride home was long and silent. When we finally pulled up the driveway my father turned off the car and we got out. Once we were inside he turned on the kitchen light and we sat down at the table. I couldn't look him in the eyes.

“Well, you know you're grounded.” My father began. I nodded. I'd figured that much. “Don't ask me how long, because I haven't decided that yet. Right now, all I want to know is why you did it. Was it because of Jesse? Were you trying to impress him by stealing those suits? Or did he trick you into doing it?”

“No, Dad, this wasn't because of Jesse. It was all my idea, okay?” I said. “I know you don't like Jesse but you can't blame him every time I act out.”

“Then why did you do it?” He demanded. “If it wasn't because of Jesse, then why?”

“I just wanted to be popular.” I said. “I couldn’t afford the suits so I took them. I was planning on bringing them back as soon as the party was over. Roxie tricked me though. Those suits weren't really cool. When we showed up the older kids started laughing at us. Dad, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to do anything wrong.”

“I thought I taught you better than this.” He said sadly. “Those girls aren't your friends Jamie. They don't care about you, they just want to poke fun at your expense. You can't let them get to you because that's what they want. You're better than them Honey, I expect more from you.” His voice wasn't angry anymore, it was gentle. He wrapped his arm around me. “I love you baby.” He told me warmly. “I love you too Dad.” I said, and I snuggled closer to him.

I found Rae at school. She was sitting down at a lunch table before class reading a book. I sat down across from her and set the cardboard box between us. Rae looked up at me and then down at the box. “What's this?” she asked. “It's just a little present. Kind of an I'm sorry for getting us arrested present.” I told her. She smiled a little and lifted the lid.

“A novelty T-shirt that says 'Be careful you might end up in my song' and a pair of jeans.” She said, holding up the clothes. “Why did you get me this?”

“You don't like it?” I asked, disappointed. She shook her head. “No, I love it, I just wanted to make sure you didn't buy this for me because you felt sorry for me.” She said. “I don't want that.”

“I just thought...everyone should get a new pair of clothes at least once in their life. I certainly don't feel sorry for you Rae. You're incredible.” I told her. She brightened instantly. “Thank you Bumblebee.” she hugged me. “You know, my life may not be perfect, but I have the best friend, the best boyfriend, and a father and sister who I love and who love me. I'm pretty lucky after all.”