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“Camila ya levántate o vas a llegar tarde a la escuela!”

“Camila get up or you’re going to be late for school!” yelled my mami from the kitchen. I got up, half asleep, mostly motivated by the smell of breakfast. I get to the kitchen in my Spiderman pajamas and see the comal was filled with tortillas de maiz and my plate of aros y frijoles was already waiting for me. 

“Aye! me asustaste con tus pelos,”

“Aye! You scared me with that bed hair,” said my papi referring to my poufy, thick and dark long hair.

“It’s too early for your bad bromas papi,” I replied as I scanned the table for the molcajete.

I grabbed a tortilla and held it for a second, its warmth making me want to go back in bed. It was the last day before winter break started, and though the California sun shined brighter than my orange juice, it was still a cold morning. 

“Apúrate, ya mero llega el bus,”

“Hurry, the bus is almost here,” said my mami. I took one last mouthful of my refried beans before I stormed to the room which I share with my hermanita. I took a look in the mirror and smiled because even in the winter I still had a natural tan, dark like my beautiful mami. I turned to my closet, full ropa de ninos, as my papi likes to say. But I don’t care, I feel more comfortable in jeans and tshirts than in anything they have my 4-year-old hermanita wearing. Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I don’t look cool in superhero shirts. 

My favorite superhero is Superman because he can fly anywhere, something I wish I could do too. One day I hope my family and I can fly a plane to visit my hometown in Mexico. I want to float with the clouds and reunite with my family in Guadalajara where I was born. I have friends who visit Mexico during school breaks. Some take planes and some just take cars. They say it’s different there, but fun. I love hearing stories about Mexico from my friends and sometimes I ask my parents about it too. 

I get on the bus and sit next to my friends.

"Hey Camila!" said my friend Tyrese.

"Whats up!" I replied.

Our friend Ana chimed in,

"Are ya'll ready to watch the Grinch for the fifth time today?"

We laughed.

"I don't care what we watch, anything is better than the novela marathon that awaits me at my abuelitas this break," responded Jose.

"Well I'm just excited because it's pizza Friday," I said.

The bus arrived at school, and we all raced to the court to claim our tetherball pole.