"Chosen" by Becca Bywater: September 2024 3rd Place

Aria had been chosen.

As once again, at the orthodontist's office, a girl had been getting braces, a dentist had searched the pack of brackets for a set to put on her teeth.

“Mine,” Aria thought, happy beyond understanding. Sure, before she could talk to her fellow brackets in the set, but it wasn’t really the same as having a girl.

Being chosen.

And now the orthodontist grabbed her, pressing her onto a smooth, hard tooth.

A tight wire secured Aria to her fellow brackets, locking her in place. She could feel it digging into her plastic shell.

The girl fidgeted, feeling at Aria. Braces were hard. Aria knew, even though she’d never had any.

Because she’d watched countless brackets and countless kids, hoping to be chosen herself.

Aria felt like jumping for joy…if she could jump.

The bottom brackets and wire were set on too. Good. Some kids only got their top braces at a time, and one of Aria's friends was in there.

Of course, she had friends in other sets too.

Aria wished they could come with her…but wasn’t what had now more?

“Remember, Leyla,” the orthodontist said, “Take care of your braces. If they break, you have to pay for new ones.”

“What?” Aria thought. “I might break?”

Aria shook her head. She was one of the front brackets, the most likely to get care. She would be okay.

Leyla felt at her braces. “This is so…weird! Unnatural!”

The dentist gave Leyla a care kit, with floss and floss picks and braces cleaners. “For me,” Aria thought. “To keep me safe.”

“Come on,” Leyla’s mom said. “I’ll take you to get a milkshake. I’m so proud you got braces!”

Grumbling, Leyla followed her mother out of the orthodontist shop and to a milkshake store. Over milkshakes, Leyla’s mom told Leyla, “Two years. Two years and they’ll be off.”

Wait…Aria hadn’t thought about that. She’d expected that she would live with the girl for the rest of her life.

Why did she want to be chosen so soon?

Two more years.

This had better be the best two years of Aria’s life.