The Truth About Beauty

Chapter Five

Hey peeps! Just thought I'd write a quick message imploring you to PLEASE listen to the song on the right hand side (Demons, Imagine Dragons.) This song sums up Austin's and Victoria's emotions about themselves and their relationships with others perfectly, particularly Austin's!

Much love,

GeekReader xx

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“Hello everyone,” the guidance counsellor, called Melanie or Marie or something beginning with an M, began. I’d been too busy daydreaming about how good that cigarette had tasted to register the exact name when she’d introduced herself, smoke-stained breath giving me a feeling of relaxed invincibility.

Glancing around at all of the other ‘alcoholics,’ they replied with a reluctant “Hello.” I remained silent, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Of course, that hadn’t stopped all the women in the room gawping at me, even drooling, like dewy-eyed dogs who’d just seen a tasty bone.

Defiantly, I stared up at the counsellor, who was continuing with her speech. She didn’t appear to be so flustered by my presence, though I’d witnessed her nose scrunch when she’d passed me, no doubt disapproving of my tobacco infused stench that had mixed in with the designer cologne I’d sprayed on afterwards in a vain attempt to hide the habit.

“Now we have some new faces here. If you’d like to introduce yourselves, Emily, Carla and Austin.”

Perplexed, I blinked, aware that this new technique of keeping my head down and staying away from the spotlight wasn’t going to work.

And I’d been doing so well.

A dark haired beauty rose up from her chair, addressing the counsellor. She was wearing a navy jumper and some skinny black jeans that showed off her curvaceous figure to perfection. Eyes the colour of topaz were framed by a thin layer of mascara and her narrow straight nose was centred above blush-coloured lips. If we were anywhere else, I’d have already made my move on her.

 “I’m Emily. I’m twenty five years old and work for an accountancy firm in London,” she said, with a voice that could cut glass.

 “Thank you Emily,” the counsellor chirped, smiling warmly at her.

The girl settled back down onto the plastic blue chair, catching my eye in the process. When I held the stare, persisting to pierce her with a seductive expression I could tell made every woman swoon, her face flushed red and she looked away, a smile curling at the edge of those bud-coloured lips.

Twisting my neck to see the other new person, Carla, rouse from anonymity, I also noticed that Ray was nestled onto the chair neighbouring her. He was scowling at me with a face of pure hatred, no doubt having witnessed the interlude between Emily and I.

Like the prick I was, I raised my hand at him, wearing a smile of spite.

He continued to seethe, perfectly resembling the comicality of a blowfish...only less attractive.

“- and I work as a carer in Surrey,” the woman was stating, her blonde hair tied up into a ponytail showing the effects alcohol had had on her face; it looked withered and raw, the skin almost translucent. Emily didn’t appear to have such side-effects.

Inspecting the room more closely this time, I noticed how this was unusual. Everyone had dark circles underneath drooping eyelids, and one middle-aged man even had a bulbous pink nose, covered in purplish veins that seemed to protrude out of the skin.