Some people would call me crazy. Others call me wild. Still others would call me rambunctious. But I'm just me. I mean, maybe you could describe me as any of the above, but to my friends and family I'm just me. That crazy girl, Leslie Hefhent would call me. That hyper girl, Renee Dernkey would refer to me as. But to my real friends, Ellen Branson and Gretchen Tobasson, and to my family, I'm just me. I act like this because it's the only way I know how. If I didn't act like this, I wouldn't be acting like me now, would I? I can't change the way I am. My little sister Jena is shy. She can't help it. My other sister Aleesha's a loudmouth. She can't help that. Vida is very refined and calm. She can't help it. Duscha is the type of person who is very motherly; she's constantly admonishing us. And she can't help that either. But you know what? Without them being like that, they wouldn't be them. I mean, I guess they WOULD kind of be them in a sense, but not the real true them. If I really wanted to, I could be sporty and smart like Mikayla. Or I could be smart-mouthed and savvy like Clarisa. But if acted like that, I wouldn't be letting the real me shine through, which is really missing out on a lot. I mean, every group needs to have someone like me. Otherwise it seems incomplete. Believe me, our group [family] has a lot of personalities in it. But without a me, without a Zela, the group would be incomplete. I guess you could say I stand out a bit. My personality does, but also my name. I mean, come on! If you met someone named ZELA with a really spunky personality, would you ever forget them? Probably not. But I like myself this way. It's the way I am, the way I've always been. My friend Ellen is funny and smart and kind of outgoing. Gretchen is sly and sweet and more to the quiet side. But it makes things nice and interesting. My family is really different. Maya is cute. Allegra is bouncy. Dayton is bubbly. Eva is practically ubiquitous. Aleesha always has something to say about everything. Vida is very proper. Jena is very quiet and softspoken. Carrie is really girly. Christa is sporty. Mikayla is saucy and sporty. Rachel is a huge flirt. Clarisa is a knowledgable wisecracker. Duscha is a motherly figure. Dalia has total savoirfaire. Sheena is really responsible and trustworthy. And me, I'm just a crazy girl with a really weird name. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
