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𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇'𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋, 𝐆𝐖𝐄𝐍 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐕𝐀 wasn't always the gorgeous, yet scathing, bitch they knew her as. She started as an intricately constructed alter ego that had become all too easy to get lost in.

She'd personally sterilize you if you ever mentioned it, but before ninth grade, Gwen was just a four-eyed, scrawny-legged, frizzy-haired, science nerd with a hint of a unibrow if you looked close enough. She was so far off of people's "pretty radars" that even the gawky middle school boys on her robotics team wouldn't give her the time of day.

For the most part, she was okay with this. She didn't mind that she would simply disappear into the background if she didn't put in a concerted effort to remind people of her existence.

It was a little pathetic, sure, but it was also simple and that's what she liked the most about it. Her lack of memorability allowed her to really focus on her schoolwork, get her braces on and off without anyone noticing, recover after humiliating interactions, and more!

Being forgettable was a good thing. (This is what she tried to convince herself of for years, all while scribbling her real feelings on the matter along the pink lines of her diary.) And the sad thing is, Gwen probably would have lived the rest of her life like this if it weren't for her mom.

Chloe Cassidy-Villanueva, Miss California 1997.

She was naturally beautiful, built like a Greek goddess, and knew how to dress herself in a way that both demanded attention, yet still seemed effortless. And while her mom was a literal angel sent to walk amongst the mortals on Earth, women like her certainly didn't have kids like Gwen. This was an unspoken fact that they both had been aware of since Gwen had been old enough to talk and dress herself.

The worst part, though, was that while Gwen hadn't gotten any of her mother's natural grace and beauty, she had certainly gotten a few unmistakable traits from her dad.

Jericho "The Villain" Villanueva, six-time WWE champion.

Most notably to everyone around her, she had gotten his horrible temper. Out of the rather stacked genetic lottery she should have had going in her favor, that was the only characteristic they could trace without a doubt. However, while Jericho was still known to be a good person despite his... anger issues, Gwen was never totally sure that the same could be said about her.

She had always loved a competition, in any format, but constantly found herself with a less-than-charming reputation no matter the environment. She was always too rough, too bossy, too brusque, not enough of a team player... the list could go on and on. Gwen was an awful winner and an even worse loser.

But even back then, some part of her reveled in the notoriety, because for just a moment, she was memorable. There was something about her for people to talk about—stories to tell, behaviors to discuss. She could permanently etch herself into the grooves of someone's mind that way and it was delectable.

The one competition that Gwen never really fell in love with, though, was the Little Miss pageants that her mom consistently signed her up for. She never had any friends to reunite with and she never got the scores she wanted. Not to mention the pure torture of hair clip-ins, hours of makeup application, and itchy, sparkly dresses.

But she did it to make her mom happy, to see her unadulterated joy as she watched her only daughter strut awkwardly around a stage. No matter what the judges said, Gwen's parents always treated her as if she had won the biggest and best prize they had to offer. The two of them, despite their flaws or lack thereof, always had more than enough love to go around.