Hooded Beauty

Chapter 10

Ally's POV

Okay, this is the part where I run for it, only if I hadn't noticed my hoodie in Jenna's hands.

"Thank you!" I said and I grabbed my hoodie and put it on. Nick was still standing there, staring at me. Ugh. "What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Nothing" He shrugged.

"Whatever, come on, we need to talk." Jenna said as she clutched my wrists and pulled me into the girls' locker room, again, leaving Nick behind.

"Hold on!" Nick said as he grabbed my other wrist right before I went in there. I yanked it off him instantly. When he got the message, he stepped a foot away, "Why are you -- you know?" He stuttered.

Then I stared from Nick to Jenna, then back to Nick, "Why am I not wearing any pants?"

Nick's eyes widened.

"What? It covers my necessities right to my knees! Almost. So what?" I protested.

"That's not what I meant." He said.

"Why am I obsessed with cookies?"

"No."

"Bananas?"

"No."

"Chuck Norris?"

"No! Why are you -" Nick was interrupted by the sound of guffaws coming from the right side of the hallway getting closer by the second. I looked towards the source of the sound just to find that it was the boys' locker room, and the boys were planning on coming out. To see me. Hoodie-less. With no pants.

"Come on!" Jenna groaned as she yanked me back into the girls' locker room. Leaving Nick behind, again. And saved my Saint Jenna!

"Thanks for the save Jen!" I said as we stood there, in the locker room.

"Yeah yeah, now do you mind telling me what's so wrong with your face - and your body" she added once she gave me the up-down look, "- that you just had to hide it?!" 

I blushed. "Oh, yeah. About that -" I searched my mind for any reasonable answer, but there were too many to count. So I decided to let it all out.

"My face? My face is the reason that people pretend like they like me, pretend like they care, pretend like they're my friend. It is the epitome for all the reasons to pretend. Nothing is ever real. My face is the reason for all the perverted ideas guys get, the reason they pretend like they're listening, but really, they're just plainly staring at you. Yes, staring. That's all I get. It's bad enough that I feel self-conscious.

Everywhere I go, people stare. This -" I said as I pointed at my hoodie "- this makes me blend in, this is what keeps me normal. It keeps me from getting hurt. Keeps me grounded. Keeps abstinence intact. Everyday people don't realize how lucky they are to be average. They don't. Only I get that, because I don't have that. This is why I'm hiding my face."

I was unaware that during my speech Jenna's eyes were welling up. Was she - crying? Nah, that's Jenna we're talking about! Until she hugged me tightly. Really tightly, sobbing, "Oh my god! I had no idea! I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that! Trust me, I'll be there for you, for real this time." She said as she was backing up, wiping off her tears.

Jenna? Crying? I couldn't do the math. Who knew someone like her could be so - sensitive?

"Aw Jen, don't worry about it." I said as I put back on my hoodie, "Come on. Let's get out of here. We have a lousy gym class to attend." I held her wrist and dragged her towards the exit.