True Beauty

Chapter 4

"You really think it will work?" Belinda asked skeptically.

"I've got nothing to lose," I replied, opening my compact mirror and examining my reflection.

"Well, what if it doesn't work?" Belinda asked as I brushed a layer of powder over the invisible mark.

"Then I'll try something different to get it to disappear," I replied simply, closing the mirror and placing it back into my backpack.

"So when is your appointment anyways?" she questioned, coping a few notes onto a sheet of notebook paper that were scrawled across the whiteboard.

"It's scheduled for this Friday at two in the afternoon," I answered as the bell rang, and we packed up our belongings.

"I hope everything goes well," she said swinging her backpack onto her shoulders.

"Me too," I replied as we made our way out of the classroom and into the chaotic hallway.

"There you are," I heard Tyler yell as he grabbed my arm, twirled me around, and planted a rough kiss on my lips.

My eyes widened at the unexpected display of affection. He pulled away quickly before a teacher could spot us. Interlocking our fingers, he walked me down the hallway. The corridor was filled with noise as high school students rushed to get to their next class on time.

"We better get to study hall," I told him, leading him to the study hall room.

"I'll meet you at our spot in five minutes," he said, letting go of my hand as we entered the room.

He strode over to his friends and took a seat next to a boy named Derek. Sighing, I took my assigned spot next to an emo girl who had black hair, a nose ring, a tongue piercing, and wore a spiked choker necklace that reminded me of a vicious Rotwieler's collar. I opened my Biology textbook and started an assignment on frogs and their living habits.

"May I go take a test in Mrs. Lazarillo's room, Mrs. Hester?" Tyler asked which was my signal that he was ready.

I rose from my seat as Mrs. Hester nodded her head, not looking up from the pages in her romance novel that she had been reading for the last few days. Approaching her desk, I watched Tyler exit the room and disappear down the hallway. I cleared my throat.

"May I go to the restroom?" I asked, noticing the title of the book was "Keep Holding On", a book that was one of my favorites.

"Sure, dear," she replied, still not looking up from the page.

I hustled out of the room and turned towards the auditorium. Tyler and I had made up our spot one day when we had nothing better to do in Study Hall. It had been a rare day that he had actually decided to break the rules and sit next to me. The plan was always to meet on the stage, behind the heavy, red curtain.

Climbing up onto the stage, I ducked underneath the curtain and spotted Tyler sitting in a lounge chair that had been used in the school play last semester.

"Hey," he huffed, rising from the chair and snaking a hand around my waist and resting it on the small of my back.

"Hi," I replied as he pressed his forehead against mine and brushed his lips against mine softly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer against his chest. Our bodies fit together perfectly like two jigsaw puzzle pieces. A small smile tugged at his lips as my hands tangled into his hair. He left a trail of kisses from my jaw and down my neck as a shiver of pleasure ran up and down my spine.

His hand slipped up my shirt as he traced across my navel and farther up with the tip of his finger. My breath caught in my throat as I heard a snicker escape his lips. I slipped my hands out of his hair as he continued to trace invisible lines up and down my torso.

"Stop," I whispered, trying to catch my breath.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, dropping his hands to my hips.

"This is school. We cant-" I broke off.

"Emily would've done it," he muttered, letting go of my waist and running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "Why don't you just go find the slut yourself then."

I spun on my heel and slipped underneath the curtain. Walking as quickly as I could, I fled the auditorium and headed back to the Study Hall room. Anger and betrayal simmered deep inside of me, threatening to boil over. The rest of the day went by as my anger smoldered while I made it a priority to avoid seeing Tyler in the hallways and went straight home after last period, not allowing him to walk me to my car like he normally did.

"You're home earlier than usual," my mom commented, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Rough day. I'm going to go get in the bath," I told her, setting my bag full of textbooks and car keys on the counter and slipping off my shoes.

Nodding, she opened the oven door and slid a cherry pie into it. I sauntered to the bathroom and shut the door behind me tightly. Pushing the plug into the drain, I turned on the hot water and watched the steam roll out of the tub. Undressing, I sunk into the water.

My tense muscles relaxed as the water removed the tension and stress from my body. I snapped my eyes closed and sunk deeper into the tub. After I soaked long enough, I lathered my hair with shampoo, washed my body, and scrubbed my face free of makeup. Pulling out the plug from the drain, I watched the dirty water spiral down the drain in the shape of a tornado and disappear from sight.

Wrapping a towel around myself, I exited the bathroom and went to my bedroom. I picked out a pair of black yoga pants and white, v-neck tee shirt. Changing, I tied my wet, blond hair into a high ponytail.

"Laura, do you want a piece of pie?" my mom shouted from the kitchen.

"No, I'm going running," I replied, grabbing my iPod off my dresser and my headphones.

Placing a pink, baseball hat on my head, I pulled the bill down so that my imperfect face was hidden from sight. Pushing my ear buds in my ears, I turned on my music and left my room. I laced up my colorful tennis shoes and jogged out the front door. Turning left, I jogged down our long, winding driveway and towards the gravel road I always ran on.

After I passed Old Jenkin's house, I turned around. I knew the house was exactly one and a half miles from my own home. While I made my way back home, songs from my playlist played through the headphones reminding me walking was not an option especially not right now.

Once I arrived back at my tan ranch house, I slipped off my jogging shoes, grabbed a bottled of purified water from the fridge, and went to my bedroom. Plopping onto my bed, I grabbed my backpack that my mom must have brought in and pulled out a Spanish assignment that needed to be finished.

Starting with the first question, I heard the doorbell ring, and my mom greet whoever was at the door. Ignoring the minor distraction, I continued on with my homework until my mom called my name.

"Laura! You have a visitor!" my mother yelled as I rolled my eyes and climbed off my bed, abandoning my Spanish assignment.

Opening the door, I stepped out of my room. Sighing I crossed my arms tightly across my chest.

"Who is it?" I asked, looking in the direction of the front door.

"It's me," Tyler replied, stepping into my house.

I froze as I realized I didn't have any makeup on. Oh my god. This is bad.