Miranda quickly washed the dirt from her hands. She had stayed after class to help her botany teacher clean the greenhouse. She had, of course, volunteered for the extra work, and even offered to take a few plants home to care for, since the crowded greenery was suffocating many of the more delicate floras.

“Miss. Lawrence, it was so kind of you to stay after,” Her teacher told her with a smile across her face, “Not many students would take time out of their Friday afternoon to help me. It is a shame more student’s can’t be like you Ms. Miranda Lawrence.”

Miranda smiled softly at her teacher as she blushed, “Thank you Ms. Martin. However, I know you have been putting this off, and I really wanted to help you get it done. Teachers are so underappreciated, even at such a prestigious school, I just wish there was more I could do.” She said sweetly.

“That’s very sweet of you, but it’s a shame not all of your peers agree.” Ms. Martin shook her head. “But enough of my belly aching. Enjoy your weekend.”

Miranda smiled as she took her shoulder bag from the nearby table. Her pleated skirt fell loosely down to her knees as she adjusted her white collared shirt. Miranda’s Mary Jane shoes shone in late afternoon sun as she ran down the steps of her school. She balanced her shoulder bag, which was overflowing with books. Running down the wet cobblestone driveway, she made her way onto the street. Her home was just a few minutes away from her tiny Catholic school nestled in the heart of New England. Miranda made her way down a few main roads before turning off onto a side street. Walking in the early morning she smiled as the warm rays of sun tenderly graced her arms and legs. A block from her house, Miranda turned into a bowling alley. Many of her friends had gathered in the local hang out. Quite a few of them had changed out of their traditional school uniform, while others had simply taken off their mandatory neck tie and draped it over their shoulders or stuffed them into their bags.

Heading to the bathroom, Miranda shook her head. The new fad had recently evolved into leaving one’s inform perfectly intact, except for their neckties, which were ‘stylishly’ tied in a bow around the girls’ matching messenger bags while the guys tied them into a firm knot on the strap of their bags. Miranda found the whole fad stupid and annoying as it was such a pain to have to go home and iron the tie out after leaving it tied the entire afternoon. Instead, Miranda chose to change her entire outfit. She replaced her long sleeve collared white shirt with a clingy black spaghetti strap halter-top. Oversized rhinestones had been set into the material along the plunging neckline. She tossed her immaculately pleated into her already stuffed bag and in its place; she wore a nearly see-through silver sheer silk skirt. The faux denim glistened with glittered, which was decorated in loose swirls across the virtually translucent material. Her quaint Mary Jane’s were stuffed into a locker, replaced with black chunky wood platform heels. After a few moments in front of the mirror, her face became a canvas, quickly masked by mascara, eye shadow, lipstick, and blush. She then teased her hair into a large mass of curls and her waist length hair hang freely down her relieved skin.

Stuffing her belongings into her locker with her school shoes, Miranda finished her look with a set of bangles, silver and noisy, even in a bowling alley and a thick silver chain with large star pendant hanging dangerously close to her abundant cleavage. She pulled a cigarette from her purse before stuffing that into her locker also. Slamming the metal door closed she walked slowly to her awaiting friends. Two girls, dressed similar to Miranda had been loitering near the cashier. Miranda looked at the pimply boy behind the cash register, gave him a small half smile before leaning half way over the counter, further exposing her ample cleavage. Miranda smiled at him as she watched him grow nervous. She assumed her was a few years her junior, though she could be wrong. He went to the local public high school so his name courtesy of his nametag, was all she knew.

“Ethan,” She said in a sultry pout, “I was just wondering—you don’t happen to have a girlfriend at the moment, do you?” Her voice dripped with sexual tension, while remaining quite innocent. Ethan took a breath into his lungs, holding it for a moment. He had been working at the bowling alley for nearly a year, and had seen Miranda every day since he was hired, but she had never spoken to him until now.

“No.” He managed to spit out, “I don’t.”

“Oh.” She said sweetly as a smile grew on her face, “I was just wondering because—” She stopped short as her cheeks blushed slowly as she touched the collar of his shirt, “well, I’ve noticed you’ve been working here for a while and I was just thinking that maybe we could—you know…” Miranda stopped as she looked intensely into his eyes.

“Miranda, you know I think you’re great and all, but I don’t even know you that well.”

“What’s to know?” Miranda asked as she touched the back of his neck softly, running her fingers delicately to his collar bone, “Besides, that’s the idea. I want to get to know you better.” Her smile grew wider as her friends giggled softly behind her. Miranda turned around and hopped onto the counter. Her sheer skirt hung low on her hips, revealing a delicate navel piercing. “What’s wrong Ethan? Am I not attractive enough for you?” She asked him.

“No!” Ethan said quickly, “It’s just…I mean—everyone k

nows who you are in this town. You could have any guy you want.” He stuttered. Miranda looked at him, a shocked expression flooded her face, “Why…you’re right!” She exclaimed. “But here I am…why?” She asked herself, pondering the question for a moment before turning back to Ethan. “You’re right. Absolutely right!” She smiled before jumping off the counter. “I think I’ll go find some else.” She said as she and her friends strolled away, counting a wad of cash. Miranda’s friends stuck a roll of bills into their purses before Miranda turned back to Ethan. “At least a guy whom isn’t as naïve and gullible.”

“And ugly.” She added while Ethan watched the girls leave. Turning back to the register he saw the drawer had been opened and the larger bills were gone. Cursing to himself, he closed the drawer and sunk back into his chair. There was no use trying to report the theft. Miranda Lawrence and her friends were labeled as the most popular, proper and polite girls in all of Capeside. She was a perfect student, role model to all girls in the town, the desire of every guy, and the perfect daughter. There was no way anyone would believe him.

Perhaps the saddest thing was that Miranda had stolen from him before. She had also sold drugs in school, and when she was caught, she denied everything. Her parents and teachers believed her lame story that she had been tricked into selling the narcotics. An innocent girl went to juvenile detention instead f her. All she had to do was point a finger and she was free to go. Her nightly escapades down the town’s main street went unnoticed to all parental authorities. She drank, swore, smoked, spit, cursed, and occasionally robbed a local store…merely for the fun. Her friends and peers knew she was not honest, and they knew she was as easy as a slut came these days. However, each girl dreamt to become her, and guys longed to be the next to nail her. With her amazing looks and perfect body, it was not surprising that once upon a time she had been an actress.

A former child star who had decided late in her career that she wanted out of the spotlight. Her weekly sitcom was canceled weeks after her farewell episode, and she had not set foot in Hollywood since. She had grown tired of the attention she received as a famous child star, as a pawn of Hollywood and the adults who controlled her. Since her eight birthday she has lived in Capeside, a small New England town as far away from Hollywood as possible under the covered wing of her family. While the occasional photographer would wander into town once a year to snap a few pictures of her in her cheesy Catholic school outfit, like the perfect student and prefect daughter the town assumes she was, the world still saw her as the perfect little child actress they once knew she was.

Miranda left the fake mask of what Hollywood had turned her into and returned to a normal life…if this was what you called normal.