True Beauty

Chapter 3

A small tear slid down my cheek as I wrapped my arms around Belinda tightly.

"Thank-you," I whispered, pulling away from her and wiping the tear away with the sleeve of my pajamas.

Smiling, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her black sweatpants while I ran a hand through my damp, blond hair.

"Well let's go into my room so that you can tell me what you came over for," I suggested, leading her towards my bedroom.

We plopped down onto my bed. Lounging on my stomach, I propped my feet up into the air while Belinda made herself comfortable. A yawn escaped my mouth as I rubbed my tired eyes.

"Okay, so I went downtown to meet my cousin for coffee at the little cafe by the park. I saw Tyler there with Emily. I didn't think much of it. You know how they're great friends, but I got concerned when he started holding her waist and her hand. I just thought you would want to know," she explained, twisting a loose string from my comforter around her index finger.

"I was just with him like an hour ago," I objected not wanting to believe that Tyler would cheat on me with someone like Emily.

"I'm just telling you what I saw," she replied, folding her hands together and placing them on her lap.

"Just don't worry about my relationship," I said, not understanding why it was any of her business.

Even Tyler didn't want me. Maybe he actually did see my blemish, and he was just lying about it. My heart started to pound in my chest as perspiration formed above my brow. I wiped the perspiration from my palms onto my pajama shirt.

"I didn't mean to upset you," she murmured, watching my reaction closely.

"It's fine. It's just he almost found out about my birthmark. Maybe he was just pretending not to see it," I explained, hopping off the bed and pacing back and forth across the room.

"Honey, I'm sure he didn't find out. Calm down. Hey, Laura. Everything is going to be okay," she comforted, grabbing my arm and pulling me back on the bed.

"Should I ask him about it?" I fretted, turning to her.

"No, let me take care of it. I'll talk to him," she said, patting my hand. "I'll take care of everything."

I sighed and nodded. She ran a hand through her straightened, corse, black hair and climbed off the bed.

"I better get home before my mom freaks out. She barley let me come over, but I convinced her that it was important."

"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow," I replied, wrapping up in the thick, soft blankets.

"Bye, Laura. Don't worry about anything," she said, smiling, flipping off my light, and exiting my room.

"Goodnight, Laura!" my mom called from the kitchen.

"Night!" I shouted back as I closed my eyes, and my mind drifted to the thought of Tyler being alone with Emily.

****

When I woke, I sprung out of bed and went to my closet to pick out my outfit for the day. I threw on a pair of black skinny jeans, an aqua, sheer button up shirt, a white tank top underneath, and a pair of gray ankle boots. Pulling a brush through my perfect, blond hair, it fell gracefully to the small of my back. I applied my usual pound of makeup, making sure the stain was perfectly covered.

When I was finally presentable, I went out to the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of Corn Flakes. After I ate, I rushed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Moving the brush, over my straight teeth, froth started to spill from my mouth. Once my breath was minty and fresh, I exited the bathroom.