Always And Forever

Chapter 5: Stephanie's POV

I've been staring at my reflection in the mirror for the past few hours, ever since I got back from school.

Fine. I get it; I'm not perfect or clever, I'm ugly and stupid.

Maybe Nancy is right. Surgery should fix all of my problems. I'll be popular, get loads of friends, get a boyfriend and of course, I'll be pretty.

But why doesn't that make me feel happy?

Because it's wrong.

I shake my head to clear all of the thoughts that are confusing me.

My parents are always travelling around the world. Why? Because their doctors, and of course, there's a need for doctors in every country.

My parents and I live in a mansion with a gorgeous fountain sitting right in the middle of the entrance.

But they are hardly ever home and don't really give a toss about what I do or who I hang out with. So they leave me in the care of our maid, Natalie and our chef, David.

"Natalie, do you think I'm ugly?" I ask her as I chew my toast.

Her eyebrows knot together in confusion as a puzzled look forms it's way onto her face. "No, of course not. Why in the world would you ask me such a question?"

"I-I...I don't know. I just..." I tail off, unsure of what to say.

With Natalie, I can talk to her about anything. She's like a second mother to me. I feel comfortable around her and I don't have to worry about being embarrassed in front of her.

"Sweetheart, your one of the most gorgeous girls I have ever met. If anyone's putting you down or you have an issue, you can tell me and I will hunt them down with a saucepan, okay?"

I smile weakly at her, "Okay."

Call me crazy but I don't believe a word of whaf Natalie's just said. I'm ugly. I know for sure. I've been told many, many times by girls from my primary school, young teenagers who live down the road from me, even my crush had called me ugly and said he'd rather date a gorilla.

Obviously, thise words hit me like a ton of bricks. All of this happened in year seven when, Nancy was bullying me. My life wasn't going great and I couldn't cope.

So I cut myself.

I still do sometimes, but I don't do it as much as I used to and I don't plan to either.

I finish off my toast and grab my school bag on the way out. Once I've firmly shut the door I make my way over to my desk and start doing my math homework. I stare blankly at the list of equations on the worksheet in front of me.

I've never really gotten the purpose of algebra. I mean, when am I ever going to use simultaneous equations in my daily life?

I finish my maths homework in less than ten minutes and lean back on my swivel chair.

Unsure of what to do to entertain myself, I decide to go for a walk and get some fresh air.

I walk downstairs and search for my trainers in the shoe rack. Once I've found them, I pull each one of them on and tie up the laces in a neat and tidy bow. I hastily get up and swing the door open. Just before I step out, I call out to Natalie, "Natalie, I'm going for a walk!"

She appears in the hallway with a slice of chocolate cake in her hand. "Okay, that's fine, dear. Don't come back too late now," she says through a mouthful of cake.

"I won't. Bye!" I shut the door carefully and jog down the stairs leading up to the porch.

I don't know where I plan to go or what I plan to do but in the end I decide to follow the roads. Soon enough, I'm at the shopping centre and it's full to the brim of people busying themselves and rushing about from one shop to another with handfuls of bags in each of their hands.

At the corner of my eye, I spot a large Starbucks shop. I look inside the window and I can just about make out people sitting at tables, sipping their Starbucks and to say my mouth watered would be an understatement.

I take hurried steps towards Heaven before my stomach makes a whale noise and embarrasses me.

As I push open the door, I am greeted with the magnificent smell of coffee. I inhale deeply and smile. I order a coffee latte and wait patiently while the lady makes.

"Here you go, love. That'll be four pounds," she smiles at me as she hands me my drink.

I smile at her gratefully as I take the drink and dig around in my pocket, trying to find some money. I pull out a fiver and place it in her outstretched palm."Keep the change."

I turn around but just as I do, someone bumps into me and my drink spills all the way down my shirt. I let out a gasp as I look at the big stain on my new, white checked shirt.

"Oh my God! I am so, so sorry! I'll buy you a new drink!" I hear a feminine voice say.

I look up to see a girl just a little bit smaller than me with wide eyes as she looks at my stained top.

"Aha, no, no. It's fine-"

"No, I insist," she says as she gestures towards an empty table by the window, "Wait at that table, I'll be right back!"

I'm about to protest but before I can she scrurries off to buy me a new drink.

I pull out a chair from the table she pointed at and take a seat, watching her as she orders a new drink. She returns a few minutes later with a cup in each hand.

"Here," she says as she hands it to me. "I'm so sorry about your top too. I'll buy you a new one."

I smile at the girl who is now sitting opposite me. She seems really nice and I have come to the conclusion that I like her.

"What's your name?"I inquire.

Her long, brown highlighted hair falls back as her head snaps up at me. She cracks a smile and her big, blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight that's coming through the window.

"Elisa."