Good morning. It is a typical sunny day in Charleston, South Carolina, except how normal it is to randomly black out during the day and find yourself entirely somewhere else. Ok, that sounds weird, but here's the backstory: My name is Sophia Grace, and I am a 16-year-old girl living in South Carolina and in the 11th grade. I have this thing that happens to me where I feel like I'm somewhere else, and it feels like I am being transported into a different reality. Somewhere where all my dreams are the reality. But they are just my daydreams that will never happen because they are impossible. Well, some of them are possible. At least, I would like to think that they are possible.  

Anyway, I will keep that to a minimum today because I have much to do. I can't have one second. I'm sitting in class the next I'm in Wonderland. I found Wonderland when I was younger. I spent a lot of time there.

Anyway, my day I have started like every other. It only took me about six tries to find a suitable outfit for the day. Then, I had some yogurt for breakfast and headed out the door. Today is Valentine's Day. I was done getting ready for the day. I brought in my brother's car because I hadn’t gotten my license for another four months, so he was still driving me. 

“It is 8 PM, and I am getting ready to go to my car just to take a drive before I go to my boyfriend's house. Today was rough, so I just wanted to take a break and go for a drive with my windows down and music on really loud so I could forget everything that happened that day. So I am driving and have my FOR THOSE NIGHTS playlist playing. It's full of hype and sad songs to help me process my day. Then I went to my boyfriend's house. My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and a half; he is my best friend. He made my day better by just being there.” 

We arrived at school, but I do not remember the car ride; I must have fallen asleep. I have homeroom first, so I will just chill before class. In homeroom, we all just checked our schedules for the day. I have no free time; I use any free time for the musical. It's Mean Girls this year, and I am Karen. Anyway, it's time to go to Chemistry. I am in honors and have the highest grade in the class, but I need to find someone. I don't need to put it out there. I sat down, and the lesson started.

“DAD, hurry up. We need to get in the limo NOW. I was screaming for him since I had a concert in like an hour. This is the part of my life that isn't fun. One second, I was hanging out with my friends, and the next, I rushed to get to my concert in time to get my wig on. I am real-life Hanna Montana. I brought the idea from her. I wanted to be famous and have my everyday life, so this would be easier. But only a few people know I do this because I either told them or they found out. My stage name is Kyla Morgan (I liked the ring), and I am a redhead when I am brunette to all of them. Today is my favorite place to perform in Miami; it was only a few states down, and they had such a good vibe. Finally, it's time to act. I became a sensation last year because of my vocals and dance moves, and this is my first-ever tour, so I am always excited to perform for everyone.”

Wow, the end of class was already quick. I know everything that happened, but I wasn't here. Well, I only have five minutes till I have to go to practice. I am not only a dancer, but I also play lacrosse and do the musical. I am on top of my classes and the student council. Lastly, I teach kids environmental science since it will be my major in about a year. Anyway, I called the other captains to practice during the free period we all got so we could start working as a team. I only called the varsity because the majority were seniors and juniors. After that, we ran regular drills to warm up and practice before the real season started. Now it's time to take a shower before going back because I am so disgusting.

“I somehow found myself running to his house in the middle of the night while it was raining. I just have to see him. I just found out everything that happened. As I'm running, I am crying. I can’t tell the difference between my tears and the rain pouring all around me. We had been best friends for years. How did I never pick up on the fact that he was in love with me? How did I never know I was in love with him until now? I stood at his door, not understanding what I would say to him when he came out. Finally, he opened the door. He was working out; I could tell because of the black shorts and black compression shirt. Wow, he is attractive. All I did was stare at him, and he understood what I was thinking. I must have looked at this man before me, the one with the most desire in my life. We were both still in the rain, silent, staring at each other, waiting for someone to make a move. Then, he finally does it. He eventually kissed me, and everything finally felt right.”

As I dried off and headed to class, I only had one more period until it was time to get ready. Tonight is the opening show, and I must be perfect because this guy I like is coming. My last class is AP Bio, so it isn't dull. After what felt like forever, I finally heard the bell ring and went to the dressing room marked The Plastics. Only two girls and I were in this one: Scarlet Parker, who played Gretchen; Kyla Morgan, who played Karen; and me, who played Regina. The three of us have been best friends since middle school, and the three of us were the leads. Of course, we fight there and again, but overall, it is minimal to how often we fight. It was time for us to say the opening lines to introduce ourselves and give all the usual information, and then it was showtime. We had our group huddle, and the seniors led our pre-show rituals. Finally, it was my turn to lead the final pre-show ritual. It was my favorite and the one I looked forward to leading the most. It was one where we had a repeat after me, and then I had a speech. After all that, we went backstage to wait before the show's opening. 

“I am so nervous. It is the day we find out who got who in the winter musical, and it is my last one ever. We are doing Mean Girls, and I want Regina George so bad. I can pull it off. At least I can pull it off. It's time to see who it is. As I grabbed my friend, we rushed to our theater director's room. She told us that we would be the Plastics with me as Regina. We were so happy to end our journeys with this show and this cast. All through the table read later that day. I couldn't stop being so excited to be where I was for my senior year. I love the musical and these people with my whole heart. It is going to make graduation very hard.”

Wow, I just had a flashback to the day I found out who I would play, and now it was my last opening night show. How time flies. We finished Act 1 with very few mistakes in our performance so far. We all took a minute to breathe and chill during intermission before Act 2. It was tough for us to chill out. Act 2 went so flawlessly that we have a perfect shot at winning the Freddies this year. I took my bow and went into the dressing room to get unready so we could get food as a cast. We all laughed, ate, and just hung out, not wanting to leave the company of our cast. Finally, it was time to go home, and then I took a shower and lay down in my bed, so excited to do it all over the next day.

 “And there it was—the most perfect life I could ever want. I finished college at Clemson University with degrees in acting and a master's degree in Environmental Science. I am currently an actress on Broadway with my husband, whom I met while doing a Marvel movie, and I fell in love with him. He is just perfect, so considerate, and is also my best friend. We have a beautiful baby boy and a baby girl on the way and our cute little Goldendoodle puppy. Thanks to that day in my senior year, I could not be happier to be where I am.”