MAKA MORRE IS MY LADY

Her Beauty?

She was the very essence of beauty. I first met her in Mr. Hodges' classroom, where she stood out, embracing solitude unlike most. The charm of Maka Morre was beyond words. I'll never forget when the teacher called out her name and she looked up from her desk - her beauty was simply breathtaking.

At school, every boy seemed to be enchanted by Maka Morre, and it's easy to see why, though I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable with the way they sometimes didn't see her full value, especially Micheal Anderson, our school's athletic hero. But then again, who was I to judge? To Micheal and some of the other big names at school, I, Lonnie Smith, was just another face in the crowd. Micheal had this knack for winning over anyone he fancied. But, oh, why did it have to be Maka, the one girl I truly felt a spark with?

Soon, Maka and Michael started to show their affection for each other more openly, doing sweet things like holding hands, sharing meals in the cafeteria, and hugging near the lockers.

Even though I hadn't gotten to know Maka well, I felt a little down for not having caught her eye before Michael did. But really, what were my odds? I was your typical nerd, and Michael was the quintessential tough guy, the kind everyone seems to swoon over, a role I knew wasn't really for me.

Though that changed when I ended up next to Maka and became her partner in Mr. Hodges's class. I've never been good with words, so every time she spoke to me, I'd either stumble over my words or just stare at her until my face turned tomato red.

And as if that wasn't embarrassing enough, my older brother Ardy decided to pick me up on his motorcycle one day after school. Now, don't get me wrong, I think motorcycles are cool; it was just that standing next to Ardy, I felt like a little kid. He's got this whole bad boy vibe, and there I was, the textbook definition of a nerdy sibling. But the most cringe-worthy moment? Maka was there, watching, as she seemed to only have eyes for my "too cool for school" older brother.

After coming back from school, feeling even smaller than before, I found myself lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I knew, deep in my heart, something had to change. I had to become more appealing. So, I did what many 15-year-olds might do - I cried, convinced I'd never have a chance with Maka.

But then, my older sister Arleen barged in, not to comfort me, but to complain loudly about her missing bottle of soap, which I hadn't even touched. Turns out, our younger sister Lily had used it for her teddy bears' spa day. Funny how it turned out that Lily, who walked into the room and noticed my tears, was the only one who seemed to care about how I was feeling.

But I was used to this, and I was used to my younger sister Lily being the only one who picked up on my feelings. In our bustling family of 10 with 8 kids - Aslan, Adrian, Andy, Arleen, Archil, myself (Lonnie), Lily, and Autumn

it was always Lily who showed she truly cared. And after dinner, Lily sweetly persuaded Arleen to lend me a hand in the big makeover, to which she finally agreed to.

We stayed up all night picking out the perfect outfits and hairstyles, and I even let Arleen pluck my eyebrows.