Yesterday's historical inaugural crowds displayed...
- Here you go. - ...the undeniable wave of excitement
that surrounds President Elena Cañero-Reed.
From her well-established record as a civil rights attorney
to her remarkable rise in congress, the country continues to be captivated.
I'm so inspired by her education platform.
She represents the world that I want for my daughter.
- Is this... - For the President.
Here are my updated remarks for the first day address.
So, after the strategy session...
You have the meeting with the Joint Chiefs.
- You've looked over the prep materials? - Assiduously.
That reminds me, we just confirmed your photo op
with the National Spelling Bee winners for next week.
Let's make that a sit-down too.
- I wanna hear the winning words. - Copy that, Madam President.
Oh, good. It's here.
- ...top agent. - And they have the information.
Okay, great.
Madam President, this came for you.
I have specific instructions to deliver it to you personally.
Thank you so much.
Oh, my God.
It's my old diary.
- Is this from my... - Your mom. Yeah.
She called seven times to make sure you got it.
Okay, she's gonna need a dedicated line.
She told me to tell you, have a great first day
and always remember how you got here.
Thank you.
I started writing it in the sixth grade.
Everything was bigger and newer and changing.
Of course she would send this to me today. It's perfect.
Middle school diary. Like, what is in there?
Exactly what my mom said.
It's a day-by-day account of how I got here.
Hello world. Or should I say...
Dear Diary.
My name is Elena Ofelia Cañero-Reed.
I'm 12 years old, and I live in Miami, Florida...
specifically a suburb called Miami Glades.
Elenita!
Five more minutes!
And Diary, let's get real.
I'm gonna blink and be super old.
Like 25.
Paying a mortgage and drinking coffee and holding keys.
I don't wanna forget what it's like to be me right now, you know,
like today which was filled with so many twists and turns.
You could call it circuitous. That's a vocab word this week.
We're on the letter "C."
Anyway, I didn't know what my day would bring,
but it started out like any other.
Elenita, breakfast!
I'm ready!
The first person I see every day is Gabriela Cañero-Reed.
People call her Gabi. I call her Mami.
And she calls me and my brother...
Elenita, Robertico, tostadas! Ay!
Every morning she burns her hand getting our tostadas out of the press.
It's like that famous quote my dad taught me.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect... "
"Expect different results." I know, I know.
Dad told me that quote is by anonymous.
Why would someone say something smart and then not want anyone to know about it?
Because, Elenita, sometimes it's enough just to know you did a good thing
instead of making a stink about it.
Please put your shoes on.
You know, when my family came here from La Habana,
we had to pack very light...
So, shoes are a luxury, and I better appreciate mine.
You've said all this, like, a billion times.
Thank you for helping your brother last night.
Oh, it's fun. I love To Kill a Mockingbird.
I hope he's working hard.
We do not want him to end up like cousin Tito.
Mami, not again.
Ay, Tito was a star student, a star athlete,
he was gonna run track for Florida State.
He thought he was golden, so he stops trying.
He gets his first D,
next thing you know, jail. Twenty-five to life.
I just don't understand what happened between the D and jail.
Well, just remember there's never an excuse for not working hard.
I know that. I have a World War II presentation due next week,
and I started the reading last night.
Did you know that the Allied Powers...
Okay, Scout. You need to eat fast. I have a client at 08:30.
We've been over this. I'm more of an Atticus.
Oi. Robertico! Ahora, por favor.
I'll get him.
My brother, Roberto Cañero-Reed,
AKA Bobby, is 14.
He loves tennis, dumb pranks, and lately, locking his door all the time.
Are you serious, Elena?
I mean, what is so great about being locked in your room all the time?
He's a regular Boo Radley.
Robertico, put on deodorant.
- I already did, Ma. - Chill out.
Oh, and if you love reading, why won't you read my door?
If you love your family, why do you lock your door?
Did I say I love my family?
You love your family. You're not dressed for school.
No, I am. Things are so chill in eighth grade, Ma.
My dad, Robert Reed, is who Bobby was named after.
My dad died three years ago,
and now that our family's just the three of us,
we've gotta have each other's backs.
Bobby, I'm gonna need you to walk with Elena after school.
No, but I was gonna go get burgers after school
with Danny and Ziggy.
- Come on. - Bobby, you don't need a second lunch.
You know missing slunch is not an option.
Plus they just introduced a burger for 99 cents, and we're paying in pennies.
Why?
'Cause we have enough pennies.
Well, Elena needs to get home.
It's fine. I'll stay at school and do homework with Sasha,
and then Bobby can walk with me after.
I'd like a ten-piece chicken nuggets and a small fries, please.
So, so sad about you and Jessie.
She's Jessica now, remember?
- Oh, yeah, right. - Hey, Melissa.
Still, you two were so close.
"Were" being the operative word.
She has her new best friend now, Melissa.
Jessie used to be one of my BFFs. It was me, her, and Sasha.
More on Sasha later.
But at the sixth grade get-to-know-you assembly,
Melissa complimented Jessie's glitter slides,
and, before I knew it, they were night swimming in Melissa's pool,
and Jessie was now Jessica.
It's not like things aren't tough enough already.
I mean, three elementary schools feed into my one middle school.
It's gigantic.
I kinda had things figured out at Orange Bay Elementary.
Like, I was student of the week a lot. Not to brag.
But middle school is different, or discrepant.
First period is homeroom, and luckily, I'm not alone.
Come on. Turn down.
I have Sasha, who's a true, loyal friend.
My BFFAESNSOTBFBU.
That means "Best friend forever and ever
stronger now since our third best friend betrayed us."
Our favorite TV show is Broomsbriar Academy,
and our favorite band is Sugah Boyz,
but their lead singer, Skyler Zaxton, is not nearly as cute as...
Joey Feldstein is the most gorgeous creature to walk the planet.
I mean, your love has been fated since, like, kindergarten.
Joey is different from the other boys. I just can't explain it.
Hey, so what did you guys get for number five on the Spanish worksheet?
Nosotros.
Cool, thanks.
Oh, my God. He talked to me.
Hey, Jessica, do you have a tampon?
Of course, Melissa. I'm on my period.
- Cycle sisters. - Cycle sisters.
Oh, hey, Elena. So, a tampon is...
I know what a tampon is. I'm premenstrual, not pre-Mesozoic.
What does that even mean?
Come on, you know this. We made up that song in fourth grade.
Okay, shut up, nerd.
Wow, they don't even use pads...
To Jessica and Melissa, periods are just some kind of status symbol.
One more thing that separates me from my ex-best friend.
Hey, so how many minutes does this social studies thing have to be?
- Three minutes. - Cool, thanks.
Oh, my God.
Joey's getting a head start on social studies too.
I started my reading last night. Hey, did you know
- that the Allied Powers go to... - No, wait. Wait, no. Wait, wait, wait.
"Head start"? What do you mean?
Wait, that World War II presentation, it's due next week.
Right?
No, today.
Elena, did you not do it?
I wrote down that it was due next week. I wrote down the wrong date, Sasha!
- Oh, my God. You never do that. Um... - I know.
I have so many classes now, it's hard to keep track.
Okay. Okay. Calm down. Breathe, breathe, breathe. It's okay.
It's okay. Okay, listen, social studies isn't till sixth period.
So, just do it now before homeroom ends.
I'm sorry, Elena.
No, no, no.
Diary, there was only one word for this:
catastrophic.
Also, cataclysmic.
Hey, Gab, here's the discovery request I proofed.
Found two missing commas. Big win for me.
I thought this one was perfect.
Wanna get sandwiches later from Gloria Estefan's brother-in-law?
- He's lying about that. - How do you know for sure?
His name is Esteban.
Esteban Estefan. Come on.
Anyway, I can't today because I am actually going to be going...
Ah, you'll be getting calentito with Sam.
- Camila. - What? That's what you do, isn't it?
While Esteban plays me his demos, you're having a midday tryst.
That's not true. We have lunch.
It's the only time I know the kids aren't home.
You still haven't told Elena and Bobby about Sam.
You still haven't told your parents about Danielle.
Ah, that is totally different. Your kids aren't elderly, homophobic Mexicans.
No, they're tiny, fragile Cuban Americans who've experienced tragedy far too young.
All the books on grief say that it could take kids years
- to even process the fact... - Listen, I loved Robert. We all did.
Three years is a long time.
Sam is the first guy you've liked since Robert...
Whoa!
What?
- Whoa! - I didn't say "love," I said "like."
I know. But come on. Tone it down.
- I got a new one. - Hey.
- Hi, Sam. - Ready?
Ugh, do we have a choice?
So, I'm reading a book about anti-gravity.
It's so great it's impossible to put down.
It's impo...
Okay. I can read a room.
I just wanted to drop this off and say hi.
- Hi. - Hi.
Oh, my God, you guys, get a conference room.
Oh, yeah, totally get why you won't let him meet your kids.
He's the worst.
Have you met my daughter? She could be a little intense.
Oh, come on. Elena's not that intense.
- Gabi here. - I need to transfer schools.
Okay, transfer schools. I'm at work. I'll see you at home.
Wait, seriously, Mami.
Just come pick me up.
Say I have mono. That's good.
Or lice. No one wants to deal with lice.
Elena, what happened?
I wrote down the wrong date, and my social studies presentation
is today, not next week.
These things happen, mija.
You know, every so often we miss a comma.
Or two.
So you're not coming to get me?
Life is always going to throw you curveballs.
What matters is how you handle them.
I love you. Bye.
World War II. World War II.
Jessica, thanks so much for this tampon.
I love that we get to do this at the same time.
Being cycle sisters is, like, more fun than Coachella.
Jessica, are you ready to go?
You know, I'm still not done. I'll meet you at lunch.
Okay.
Hello, Jessica.
So... you have your period?
Uh... yeah. I was just in there.
Where's the wrapper thingy?
Ew! Creep much?
There's no garbage in that weird metal thing.
You know, the period box.
There's Melissa's trash. Where's yours?
I flushed everything.
I saw your little show in homeroom. You don't have the flushable kind.
You're lying about your period.
Just like you lied about being my best friend
from kindergarten through fifth grade.
I had to drop you. I can't be friends with you and Melissa.
- That's not how it works. - Why not?
Come on, Elena. I grew up and you obviously didn't.
You don't have your period... Jessie.
Fine. Okay?
Melissa was doing my eyeliner, and she said, "I have my period,"
and I said, "Same."
Why? That's so random.
Melissa could be friends with anyone in our whole middle school,
but she picked me.
She doesn't know who I was before sixth grade.
That I was Jessie who wore headgear to Musical Theatre Stars of Tomorrow.
So your teeth needed anchorage. It didn't affect your performance.
To Melissa, I'm Jessica. And I've always been cool.
Wait.
You're not gonna, like, tell anyone, are you?
You would never do that. We have a history.
You do remember.
Why do you keep lying?
Elena, you know middle school's a jungle.
Please don't tell anyone. It would ruin everything.
I feel good. Today you took a big step in meeting my kids.
You showed me their rooms, which were great.
Aw, hey. Elena doesn't let just anyone see her bookmark collection.
I know this is hard.
Introducing me to them, it makes all this real.
Yeah.
You get it. Oh, thank you.
Soon...
What's that smell?
Who's this dude?
And then, just like that, it was sixth period social studies.
"Period." Get it?
Elena Canero-Reed.
It's Cañero-Reed.
Sorry. It's your turn.
You got it.
I hadn't finished my presentation. And I was so nervous.
I had never been this unprepared for anything in my entire life.
Actually, her name is Ca-nerd-o Reed.
Melissa, no.
All I could think about was Jessica's lie.
What are you doing home in the middle of the day?
I...
I am your mom, and I asked first.
I forgot my bag of pennies.
So who are you?
This is, uh...
Bobby, this is, um...
Sam.
Nice to meet you, Bobby.
Your mom and I work together.
We just came here to get some files.
Oh.
What are the pennies for?
Ninety-nine cent burgers.
So you're paying in pennies?
Yeah.
Well, that makes, uh... sense.
Oh.
- Yeah, that's... that's... - That's good?
...that's kind of... funny.
I'm seeing this man. We also work together.
He is a good guy and not a replacement for your dad.
Obviously, please take as long as you need to process this.
And remember that I love you and you sister so much.
By the way, don't tell her. Let me tell her 'cause she'll freak out.
I'm gonna drive you back to school. Are you missing class right now?
Do you remember cousin Tito?
- Okay, I'll stop. - Yeah.
Chill.
Should've double-bagged it.
Hello, class.
So, I'm here to talk to you today about a specific part of World War II
which I find interesting and elaborate on it.
Per the assignment, which I, of course, completed in full.
During lunch, I actually learned something extra interesting...
about this period.
In 1939, when the war broke out,
the world was a big, frightening place.
Times were not as simple as before.
The population was larger.
People were changing, becoming better or worse versions of themselves.
Getting popular for various, perhaps stupid and dishonest reasons.
In short, it was a jungle out there.
So, countries decided to form alliances.
Band together to fight the rampant terror, despite the chasms between them.
They became the Allied Powers.
And because of their connections to other powerful countries,
they were able to defeat the Axis Powers.
They rose above their differences,
and together they were able to win the war.
Jessica, when we go to the mall,
let's hit Coffee Joe's, then Zoey & Till, then Trendsetter Etcetera,
- and then massages at Gadgetorium. - Okay, we get it.
You can go to many places in the mall unaccompanied.
No need to rub it in.
The only things we'll be rubbing in are concealer samples from Persepha.
- Right, Jessica? - Let's leave these two alone.
I mean, we gotta hit the mall before the big line at Coffee Joe's.
You're right. I'm, like, craving a spicy mocha blend whip.
With extra caffeine.
Elena, what just happened?
Jessica was, like, 20% less mean to us.
Wait. Could Jessica be my ally?
My dad loved words, and he used to write in his journal all the time.
He said when he needed help figuring things out,
he would write it all down.
And now it's my turn.
Hello, world. Or should I say...
"Dear Diary."
- Bobby. - Hey, Bobby.
How's Elena? She in, in her room?
Yeah, I'm gonna do it. I am going to introduce her to Sam.
Chill.
"Chill" that I'm gonna introduce her to Sam?
Or Elena is "chill"?
Elena's never chill.
Oh. She called me today in a panic about transferring schools.
You know what? Maybe you should meet her another time.
Like when she graduates from high school.
- Gabi. - I'm sorry.
When she starts high school?
Look, middle school is tough enough on her already.
Another time, I promise.
We can wait.
Diary, middle school is bigger and scarier and harder than before.
I have way more classes. I have one less friend.
But if I could handle the curveballs of today, then maybe I'll be okay.
It's like my mom said,
"How we handle the unexpected, that's what matters."
Wait, what?