It is the mid 90's and I am 14 years old. This afternoon I happen to be home alone, my brother is out with friends and my parents are both running errands. I am reading a magazine and I see a picture of a family that has a boy about my age in it, for some reason I keep flipping back to it and looking at the picture.

All of a sudden my stomach feels very fluttery, something comes over me and I find mysef in my parents bathroom. I gather a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and several cotton balls and set them on my parents dresser. I catch of glimpse of myself in the dresser mirror I look very average with my blue jeans and my black t-shirt with planetary designs on it. I look closer, I have to admit I like my hazel-green eyes and shaggy brown hair otherwise I'd consder myself plain. Feeling more nervous I open my mom's jewelry box.

As I look inside I admire the thin gold chains and various rings. I feel my hands get a little shaky as I touch the butterfly backing on one of my mom's medium sized diamond studs. I pick it up and put it back into the same place. I rummage a little bit and I find a very tiny gold stud earring with a shiny dark green stone set into it. I slide to little gold backing off of it and clean both the stud and the back with the alcohol and a cotton ball. I feel guilty and am not sure why. I look into the mirror and ask myself if I am sure of my self. Feeling flush I take a new cotton ball and swab my left earlobe with rubbing alcohol, I never really noticed I had chubby earlobes before.

Before I can really overthink, I hold the little green stone next to my ear. I nervously apply a little pressure on the stud with the point of the post touching the middle of my lobe. I hear a small quiet pop, oh my gosh the point of the stud has made a little poke in the front of my ear and it didn't hurt one bit. I push harder and I hear some squishing noises and my ear starts to feel warm. I take a closer look and see the stud has made its way through the front and the middle of my earlobe. I look at the back I can see the skin streched but the point of the stud is still under the skin. Oh my gosh, no turning back now. I grit my teeth and push harder, my hand and legs get shakey and I feel jittery. I feel a lot of sharp pinchy feelings coming from my ear then all of a sudden POP! the green stone now sits on the front of my lobe and I can see a little thin gold post coming out the back. With nervous hands I slide the little butterfly backing onto the post and clean my ear again with the alcohol. I look the mirror and I see me, but with an earring, it's different but I really like it. I hope my family does't hate it, I wonder if the cute girl with the long brown hair and huge green eyes in my home room will notice. I go back into the living room and continue back reading the magazine. I flip to the picture of the family and it now become obvious the teenage boy in the picture, he has a little gold ball stud in his left ear. I smile knowingly.