TANGLED PLANS

6

I'm not sure why I agreed to this. I'm not sure why I thought that the guy going along with my makeover was the same guy that I liked was a good idea. In what world could that turn out to be a good thing?

I wasn't technically all dumb, I had asked him what he would want from me in return. The thing is, he hadn't answered the question and only said "let's just worry about you becoming attractive."

I didn't know if I should take offense to the fact that he had used that phrase. Make me become attractive. Did he not think I was at least a little appealing to look at? I guess he was indifferent to my looks.

Before I leave the house for school the next morning, my brother says he needs to talk to me. There is no way my brother knows everything that goes on between me and his best friend but he does. Max always seems to tell him everything regarding me. I didn't know how I felt about that.

I head over to the living room and am putting on my shoes as I listen to him. "I don't like the idea of you needing a makeover, Dais."

"It's not going to be that dramatic", I say to him with a roll of my eyes even as I am not looking at him. Brayden sighs from behind me and says, "I don't know what is wrong with you looking the way you do now."

"Only that no boy ever wants to be interested in me", I say to him flatly even if the statement makes me a little sad. I wanted for guys to be interested in me and even if that sprung from wanting a certain someone to leave my mind. I wanted for other guys to take an interest in me for myself as well. My confidence regarding anything social was lacking and I didn't want it to.

"You're only sixteen, Dais. You don't need dumb boys' attention", he says to me. After I lace up my first shoe, I turn around to him with a scowl on my face. "Brayden, do you know how much that plays on my self confidence? Do you know how much the fact that a guy frowned at me after noticing my body hurts me? You may not know but it's true. I'm sorry If I need to get over that."

"Oh", Brayden says with a frown and I nod, turning back to my work. I didn't know that my shoes were this dirty and worn out. I never really cared to buy a new pair. I've grown accustomed to these black pairs. I shake my head as I lace up my shoe. My brother lets the topic go, "Fine. I'm okay with it. But be careful around Max why don't you."

"Max?", I ask with a frown.

"He is my best friend but he is also a guy with stupidity. If he says anything dumb, ignore him okay?", Brayden says and I nod, looking at him. Max has never done anything to hurt me intentionally but I didn't think he was a saint either. I knew that he could hurt me. I mean, it was possible.

"I'll be careful", I say to my brother and he looks at me for a very long time. His eyes stay on mine as if he knows something he doesn't want to share with me. Did he know that I have been blushing around his best friend for the last few years now? Did he know that I had liked him in a way that I was trying to get rid of?

In the end, my brother doesn't say anything and only shakes his head as he walks past me and toward the front door. I follow after him with a shrug.

🌼

Brayden tells me that I cannot ride with him back home after school later that day. He says that his friend is waiting for me to go over to his own car. I know that he means that Max wanted me to go over to his car for the makeover today. I was still not sure how I felt about this whole deal but I drag myself over to the car parked in front of the student parking lot. Figured, Max was very popular amongst the student body and no doubt they would let him get the best parking space every day.