Five

Twelve

Fifteen

Seventeen

Five: Hi. My name is Melinda Garcia. My favorite color is pink. I love coloring, dancing, and singing. I wish I had friends, but nobody seems to like me. I don't know why they don't like me. Ruff ruff I'm a doggy today. Quack quack I'm a duckie now. Where's Daddy? Why's he gone? When I grow up I wanna be a singer like Aly and AJ. I wanna be famous then everyone will like me.

Twelve: Hey! My name's Melinda Garcia. I go to middle school. Boy, life sure is rough. With all the classes and projects to remember. I don't want to be rejected by my peers. Adolescence beginning to bud. New Crushes. Bad grades. Dances!! Broken promises of a man who never cared about you. Disneyland parent, that's the term. Fitting in is hard for me. Talking to myself is one of my biggest flaws. Crooked teeth and nervous hands.

Fifteen: Sophomore year. New year. Fresh start. Same old mistakes. Creative Writing, Mortuary Science, and Psychology. Yes! Psychology is what I want to major in when I go to college. Family is my strength, for they will never let me fall. Getting my act together bit by bit thankfully. Better grades. Learning to keep my head up. Optimism. 

Seventeen: Senoir year. You have the world in your hands. Straight A student. Breaking out of your shell. Making everyone laugh with your words. SAT, ACT, and college applications. ACCEPTANCE LETTERS!!! Courage. Fearless. Cracks in my clear complexion. Beauty is only skin deep. The urge to crawl back inside emerges again. To shed this skin tight body of mine. All the bones: hip, collar, and spinal. Empty. Full. Secret butterflies that crawl out of your mouth.Be calm dear and stay collected. You have so much to learn.

Mirrors: Melinda Garcia. Seventeen years of age. No longer a child. On the verge of adulthood. I have to plant my feet on the ground solidly and move forward, through the fears and new challenges. Make this life the best I can because I hold the key to my future. Determined to go the distance. Ready to fly and soar above the clouds. Life....barely beginning.