Unlovable

Five

~Isabel~

"Don't be ashamed of your story. It will inspire others." - Anonymous

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This is a memory of Isabel's. It takes place about two years prior to the original storyline.

⚠️TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT
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Isabel sat at her desk, awaiting the teacher'd directions for class that day. If there was a word for being energized and exhausted at the same time, that would describe Isabel right now. Her excitement showed across her face with her light blue braces. This was her first day back in school since last week.

She visited Athens, Greece with her parents, as she was really interested in Greek Mythology. She wished she had more time to sleep, but she missed school. She loved learning, and being with other students, even if she wasn't friends with many of them.

She enjoyed coming to school mostly because it was her freshman year, and every time she thought about her future, an ear to ear smile would bloom across her face. Isabel had yet to know what she wanted to be one day, but the thought that she could do anything she wanted, was so exciting to her.

"Good morning, class," she greeted. "Today you will be presenting your projects from last week. Your topic should have been about something strongly like or dislike. Remember, this is worth 60% of your final grade. You must have it today, or you won't get another chance to present it. If you don't present, it will be an automatic zero."

Isabel froze. They were presenting today? But she wasn't ready. She wasn't even here at all last week. She was only introduced to the project two days ago!

Oh this was not good. The smile on Isabel's face went from joy to sadness in a blink. Would her teacher force her to present? She knew Isabel wasn't here, so maybe she would get a pass.

"Would anyone like to volunteer to go first?" the teacher asked.

No, not me, she thought. But no one else raised their hand to volunteer, so it was the teacher's decision on who would present their project first.

It's fine, she thought. Out of 25 students, the odds that she would choose her-

"Isabel, why don't you come present your project?"

Shit. Of course this is how it goes. Why  wouldn't the teacher choose her. She could deny, say she didn't have it, but this project was 60% of her grade. She needed to do it today, or it was a zero. And she was already on the verge of a D in this class. She must pass or her parents would likely disown her.

She would wing it. Something you like or dislike? Sure, she just needed to talk about it long enough to make it seem like she had something prepared. She could talk about how she hates sports, how she loves reading, or maybe a deeper topic. A 'from the heart' piece.

Body positivity, lgbtq+ acceptance, love...

That's it, she would talk about love. Not that she knew much about it, but a deep topic and sure to wow the teacher.