One of a Kind

It's Not Fair

The next day at school, Bunty and Zooey continued to hound Ramiro whenever he crossed paths with them, to his annoyance. Milagra still hadn't told Ramiro her answer yet, so she decided to wait until lunch to talk to him.

The whole morning went by, and now it was time for lunch. Bunty was with the popular girls, and they were all on their way to the cafeteria. Bunty and Zooey were each desperate for Ramiro's affection.

"Ramiro is sure to love that I'm getting into his favorite book," Bunty said, holding up a copy of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"Please, Bunty," Zooey scoffed. "Ramiro will love even more that I'm getting into his favorite movie." She had a paperback book based off Encanto.

"You're going to read the junior novelization of Encanto instead of watching the actual movie?" Bunty asked.

"How else would I get him to see how much I like it?" Zooey asked. "Nothing is sure to top this."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Zooey," Bunty sniffed. "Nothing anyone else does will top that I'm reading his favorite book."

But as the girls entered the cafeteria, Tori saw something that neither girl will like. "Someone here had better tell her that," she pointed out.

The girls turned to see that everyone in the cafeteria was lovingly watching Ramiro hold Milagra's hands, and she had something important to say.

"I got your postcard in the mail yesterday, and I just want to say that yes, I will be your date to the Homecoming dance," Milagra smiled. She and Ramiro shared a hug.

Everyone in the cafeteria cheered loudly, and many of them were in tears because of how beautiful and adorable it was. Zooey and Bunty were shocked at what just happened.

"Wait, what is going on here?" Zooey asked.

"Yeah, what did we miss?" Bunty asked.

"Ramiro sent me a postcard in the mail, asking me to be his date to Homecoming," Milagra said.

Bunty and Zooey were horrified with what they were hearing.

"Ramiro asked you to be his date to Homecoming?" Zooey asked.

"And you just accepted?" Bunty asked.

"Yes, and yes," Milagra smiled.

Bunty and Zooey were horrified and angry. Ever since Ramiro hit puberty, they put effort into winning his affection, and he's only charmed by Milagra—and this made them both green with jealousy, greener than an emerald.

"It's not fair!" Zooey screamed.

"Totally not fair!" Bunty agreed.

Everyone in the room was shocked, especially Ramiro and Milagra.

"What are you talking about?" Milagra asked.

"What are we talking about, Milagra?" Bunty asked angrily. "What are we talking about? Can't you see? We look perfectly flawless, and we've been working hard to get your affection—but nothing we do impresses Ramiro at all."

"Then you come waltzing in with those big goofy glasses and a mark on your belly, and you do absolutely nothing—and then Ramiro instantly loves you," Zooey chimed in. "Why, Milagra? How could you do this to us?"

"Yes, why are you making Ramiro like you more than me?" Bunty asked.

"Maybe because he knows the truth?" Milagra sniffed.

"What do you mean?" Zooey asked.

"I like Milagra more than both of you combined because she was nice to me," Ramiro frowned.

"But we're nice to you, too," Bunty protested.

"Only because I look different," Ramiro sniffed.

Bunty and Zooey were confused.

"I don't follow," Bunty said.

"Me neither," Zooey chimed in.

"My whole life, you girls picked on me for being an ugly duckling," Ramiro glared. "You always made fun of me because I had a cleft in my lip and I was a late bloomer—you always judged me for the way I looked, and you always told me it was something I have to live with and accept. You only like me now because I finally hit puberty, and it turned me into a swan. Milagra never did that—she was nice to me from the start. She didn't flinch when she saw my cleft, and she didn't care that I was over a foot shorter than her. She even offered to pay for my surgery when my family's medical insurance wouldn't cover it."

"Well, how can anyone be nice to an ugly duckling?" Zooey asked.

"Yeah, you were really impossible to look at," Bunty said.

"Well, there you go," Ramiro glared. "Can't you see? I like Milagra more than both of you because she was nice to me and didn't care how I looked."

"Bunty, Zooey, I'd like to see you both right now," Principal Winston frowned.

"Yes, sir," the girls chorused.

Ramiro and Milagra sat down at their respective table, disgusted at the girls' attitude.

In the office, Principal Winston was scolding the girls for their behavior. "I've never seen such disgrace," he frowned. "You both threw a tantrum over Ramiro liking Milagra more than you because she was nicer to him than you could've ever been. Ramiro was right—if you'd been nicer to him from the start, he'd like you."

"We're sorry," Bunty sighed. "It's just not fair."

"Life isn't fair, and I'm sure Ramiro knew that, being born with a cleft and not finding the help he needed," Principal Winston frowned. "Just think about how Ramiro must've felt, being bullied for his cleft and short height."

"Yes, sir," Zooey and Bunty sighed.

Zooey and Bunty retreated to the cafeteria and sat at their respective table, and they saw Milagra and Ramiro from a distance.

"I wonder if Milagra ever buttered up boys in her country the way she does Ramiro," Bunty sniffed.

"She's going to have to accept that she's in a different country now," Zooey said.

Bunty opened her lunch bag and pulled out a granny smith apple, and she bit into it only to feel something in her tooth. "Oh, my tooth!" she groaned.

Milagra and Ramiro heard what Bunty just said, and they were a little concerned. They hoped that she didn't have a cavity.