X-Treme Measure by S. N. Garza, Stephanie Nicole Garza

front it.
    “Whatcha reading?”
    She laid her legs down and showed me the cover, “It’s a My Little Pony book. I have all them. I collect them.”
    “That’s really nice. I don’t have the books, but I have the movies. My favorite of the Mane 6 is Pinkie Pie.”
    She looked surprised that I would like something that was for kids. Well, she didn’t have to worry about that. I loved MLP.
    “Mines Rainbow Dash.”
    “Rainbow Dash is awesome.”
    “Why Pinkie Pie?”
    “Have you seen the shows and the Equestria Girl’s Canterlot High movies? Pinkie Pie is like the bomb. She’s like cotton candy and bubblegum but at the same time, she’s a little sassy. No one’s as cool as Pinkie Pie.”
    “Yeah, I can see that. I love the comic novels too. The Friendship is Magic books. They are short books, but I like them. What are you going to do?”
    “Like I told your dad, I have my psychology homework to finish. Although finals are over, I am working on an extra credit paper.”
    “What do you want to be when you get done?”
    “I am going for a degree in children’s psychology. I’d like to be a therapist for children.”
    “Wow. That’s pretty cool. So you could like be my therapist?”
    “Oh, I won’t have my degree for a while. And why would you need a therapist, Reighlyn?”
    “Because my mom is a crackhead and she abandoned me.”
    “Oh. Well. Have you talked to your dad about how you feel?”
    “Of course not. He’d freak. He can’t handle all the girly feels.”
    “And your dad didn’t abandon you.”
    “No. He’s really great! He made me self-sufficient.”
    “Wow. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a little girl.”
    “That’s not how I see it. I can do a lot of things myself. I cook, clean. I am disciplined. Karate is a lot of fun.”
    For a girl who was only nine, Daniel was right; she did talk like she was much older. When I was nine, I was still playing with my Barbie’s (the few I had) and playing house with the cabbage patch doll I won from the church when I went to their Bizarre. I wasn’t catholic—or anything really. I believed in God, but I didn’t go to church so I didn’t know what I was religiously.
    “Have you ever had your nails painted?”
    She shook her head no.
    “Dad likes clean nails.”
    “That’s because he’s a boy. Boys don’t wear nail polish.”
    She leaned over her book and looked at my own nails. “Yours aren’t painted.”
    “I removed the polish a few days ago. I usually go out and look for a new color. The amount of nail polish I have should be criminal. It’s a sickness. Some women like to get shoes or purses. I like nail polish and books.”
    “Oh.” Then she looked down as if she was upset.
    “Reighlyn?”
    “Daddy and I don’t really do things like that. I guess if my mother was, you know, around but...”
    I saw her eyes bubbling up and it was like DANGER! DANGER! Flashing in front of my eyes. Oh, crap. Not even an hour in and I was making her cry.
    “Reighlyn, I’m sorry. It’s okay, though. My mother never did that kind of stuff with me either and she was there all the time.”
    “Yeah, and did your mother abandon you?” Even I could hear the bitterness in her voice and it only made me more determined to make sure she knew she didn’t need a mother to make her feel like a girl.
    “No. Mine just didn’t care. I had to work hard for everything I’ve ever gotten. My parents are lazy cheats. I never felt loved. Their indifference didn’t stop me from doing my very best to get out of that life, though. They were going nowhere fast and I wanted more for myself. Your dad clearly loves you to death. And hey, if he lets me watch you again, I’ll bring over some girlie stuff and we can totally have a girl’s day. Oh! Have you ever done a cosplay before?”
    “What’s cosplay?”
    “It’s where you dress up like your favorite character—anime, cartoon, hero or heroine and do the wigs, make-up, all that stuff.”
    She shook her