"Who would've thought… that me—MeMe, the weak, naive alien girl who just wanted a friend—would ever hold a gun... let alone pull the trigger."
The present flickered out—and the past bled in like a slow wound.
Elementary School – Earth, Georgia. Years Ago
Children played on the cracked, sun-drenched pavement of the playground. Laughter echoed—until it turned ugly.
MeMe, smaller than the rest, with glowing blue eyes and soft translucent skin that shimmered faintly in the sun, stood near the fence, nervously holding her lunchbox.
Suddenly—a juice box smacked her in the chest, splattering her shirt.
"Hey, look! It leaks starlight when you hit it!" a boy snickered.
MeMe flinched, blinking back tears.
"P-please… stop. I—I didn’t do anything…"
Jennifer, a blonde-haired girl with a pink hoodie and plastic confidence, sauntered up.
"Shut up, lightbulb."
She yanked one of MeMe’s antennas sharply.
MeMe winced in pain.
"Ow! D-don’t—please!"
Another kid chimed in.
"You space rats don’t belong here!"
"Yeah, go back to Planet Ugly!"
Laughter exploded around her like fireworks.
Jennifer leaned in close.
"You know what you are? You’re a parasite. You suck up the Earth’s air and expect us to like you?"
MeMe’s hands trembled.
And then—
Snap.
Her fist flew.
THWACK!
Jennifer hit the dirt hard, blood leaking from her nose.
MeMe didn’t stop—she sat on top of her, crying, swinging, yelling through tears as the playground erupted in screams.
The other kids scattered, staring in horror. Jennifer shrieked.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"
Miss Mandy, the teacher, stormed in.
A boy pointed.
"That alien’s attacking Jennifer!"
Miss Mandy gasped.
She rushed over, yanked MeMe off by the wrist.
"That’s ENOUGH! You damn alien—I knew you'd be trouble!"
"But Miss Mandy!" MeMe pleaded, sobbing.
"They were being mean! She pulled my antenna! I—I didn’t want to—"
Jennifer whimpered on the ground, blood smeared across her cheek.
"We just tried to be nice to her… and she attacked me like some wild animal..."
The other kids all nodded, grinning behind their hands.
Miss Mandy glared.
"You're going straight to the principal’s office, Missy!"
As MeMe was dragged away, she looked back—all the kids smirking, and Jennifer stuck her tongue out smugly.
MeMe’s lip curled—and she flipped her off.
Principal’s Office – Later
MeMe sat in a plastic chair, arms wrapped around herself, eyes locked on her trembling hands.
The door creaked.
Grandma LoLo, wearing her bright green shawl and a stern frown, stepped out of the principal's office.
The principal said dryly,
"I hope I don’t have to see your granddaughter in here again, Ms. LoLo."
"You won’t," LoLo replied, with a flat tone that cut through the room like steel.
The door clicked shut behind them.
MeMe threw herself into her grandma’s arms.
"Grandma LoLo! They were mean again…! I—I tried to be nice—I really did!"
LoLo hugged her tight, brushing glowing strands of hair from MeMe’s face.
"I know, sweet pea. I know. They lied—I could tell from the second I looked in that principal’s eyes."
She kissed MeMe’s forehead.
"We’re done with this school. I’ll homeschool you from now on. To hell with this place."
MeMe blinked through tears, then smiled weakly.
Driving Home – That Evening
They rode in silence for a while, the sunset painting the windshield in golds and reds. MeMe stared at her hands again.
Then softly:
"Grandma…?"
"Yes, love?"
"W-why do humans… hate us? What did we ever do to them? I was trying to be nice. I just wanted a friend. But they still hate me..."
LoLo sighed, hands tight on the wheel.
"I don’t know, MeMe. I wish I had a better answer."
She looked over.
"Some people… they fear what’s different. And Georgia? It’s got a long history of fearing people who don’t look like them."
MeMe leaned against the window, voice barely a whisper.
"But I didn’t want to be different… I just wanted to belong."
LoLo reached over and squeezed her hand.
"You belong with me, sugar. And out there, someday? You’re gonna find people who’ll see you for who you really are."
After a few hours, they finally made it home.
It wasn’t anything fancy—just a quiet, one-story house with chipped paint and creaky steps. But to MeMe, it was the only place that felt even halfway safe.
As soon as they stepped through the door, MeMe bolted straight to the bathroom, her glowing eyes a blur.
LoLo called after her, concern in her voice.
"Sweetie, are you okay?"
A pause. Then a muffled voice from behind the door.
"Yeah, Grandma… I’m okay."
LoLo stood there for a moment, sighing.
"Alright. Just… don’t let those jerks get into your head, okay?"
No reply.
She frowned and slowly turned, heading to the living room, the old cartoon on TV barely filling the silence.
In the bathroom, MeMe stared into the mirror.
Her big star-shaped eyes glowed softly under the dim light, and her two thin antennae twitched slightly, almost like they were sad too.
She sighed.
"Why… why do I have to look like this…?"
She opened the medicine cabinet. Inside—scissors.
She grabbed them, held them up, and took a deep breath.
Snip.
Then again.
Snip.
Both antennae fell into the sink.
She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting pain.
Nothing.
She opened them again, staring into her own reflection—her eyes, her skin, her whole self.
"...Still me," she whispered.
She walked slowly into the living room, holding her arms awkwardly behind her back.
LoLo glanced up—then froze.
"MeMe…" she said, slowly rising from the couch, eyes wide.
MeMe gave a small, shaky smile.
"How do I look now?"
LoLo crouched down to her level, gently placing her hands on her shoulders.
"MeMe, why did you cut them off?"
MeMe looked away, her voice low.
"I just thought… if I don’t have them, no one will know I’m an alien. I can look normal. I can just be… like them."
LoLo’s eyes softened, but her voice was firm.
"MeMe, baby… your eyes. They’re still star-shaped. People are still gonna notice."
"I know," MeMe whispered. "But maybe it’ll be less. Maybe I won’t be the freak they laugh at. Or throw stuff at."
LoLo gently pulled her into a hug.
"You’re not a freak."
MeMe’s voice cracked.
"Then why do they treat me like one…? Shouldn’t they be happy someone like me exists? A new race, a new friend, something different…? But they just hate me. I hate that they hate me."
LoLo sighed.
"Not every human is like that, MeMe."
"I know…" MeMe said. "I know, but… most of them are. I just want one human who’s nice. Who doesn’t care I’m different. I just want a real friend. Is that too much?"
LoLo brushed her hair back, softly.
"No, sweetie. It’s not too much. And I promise—someday, you’ll find that person. Someone who sees you for you. But until then…"
She smiled. "You’ve got me. And tomorrow, we start homeschool. No more dealing with those punks. I’ll teach you everything you need to know."
MeMe’s smile returned, a little brighter.
"Thanks, Grandma… I mean it. You’re the best."
They hugged again.
"You know," LoLo said, smirking a little. "You might’ve cut your antennae, but you’ll always be my little alien."
MeMe giggled.
"Just don’t make me do math after dinner."
LoLo laughed.
"Deal."
Back in the present—
The wind howled past them as the ruined track crumbled behind, smoke and chaos in the distance. Their vehicle sped forward, but in MeMe’s mind…
Everything slowed.
The sound of the engine faded.
The colors of the world dulled—except one.
Ro-Ro.
He was smiling. That cocky, arrogant grin of his—but it wasn't smug this time. It was calm. Warm. His eyes met hers for just a second, and that second stretched forever.
MeMe’s heart pounded.
Ba-dump.
She looked down. She could see his hand, gripping the wheel tight, trembling slightly.
Ba-dump.
She looked at him again—and saw it. His chest rising and falling, just like hers. His heart racing, too. Matching her rhythm.
And in that moment, it hit her.
He was her best friend.
Not just a teammate. Not just a loud, rude, crazy racer.
But someone who saw her—all of her—and never looked away.
The first human who truly cared.
Tears welled up in her eyes, one by one spilling down her cheeks, cutting trails through the dust and grease. She didn’t even try to wipe them.
She was too busy feeling everything.
The fear. The adrenaline. The relief.
The safety.
Ro-Ro glanced over and finally saw her expression.
His eyes widened.
"Hey—MeMe?! Are you okay?!"
His voice was rough, sharp like always, but underneath it there was panic. Worry. Real worry.
MeMe blinked through the blur and laughed, softly, shaking her head.
"Yeah, Ro-Ro…" she said through a cracking voice, her lips curling into a genuine smile.
"I’m okay now."