Ugly is Beautiful By: Audrey B. Holley

Chapter 4

Without opening my eyes, I know it's morning and my alarm clock should sound any second. I press the button before it can ring out its annoying awakening beeps. My clumsy feet lead me with stumbled walking down the hallway, and into the small bathroom. I yawn along with a full body stretch. After stripping off my giant night shirt, I decide on wearing a large sweatshirt that comes a few inches above my knees, and a pair of black tights. Searching for my green toothbrush, I soon find myself gazing at a reflection that has the same exact appearance as me. I watch as the light blue eyes stare with disgust at the ugly scars covering parts of my skin. Forcing myself to look away, I proceed with my morning routine and work on the next before school task, which is brushing my teeth. I wipe away the minty paste from my lips moments after washing out my mouth. I sigh, and then let the hair brush do its job, freeing my hair from the clumps of tangles that always seem to form over night. Hating the way the person turns out in the mirror, I snip off chunks of my light blue hair, only to find her looking more displeasing.

"I hate this." I say, and watch as the girl begins to cry. I feel the tears scampering down my cheeks. "Why do I look this way?" I ask myself, but don't hear a reply. My long bangs fall over my puffy eyes, while my ears stick out, showing off my small flower earrings. Hair that used to lay upon my boney shoulders, and cover some of my scars, now has the effect of making my jaw and lengthy neck become quite seen. You can visibly see the small heart shaped birth mark on my left color bone that was always hidden.

"I hate this." I say again, not crying anymore. "I hate you." I say to the person in the mirror. "You disgust me with the face that you wear." Closing my eyes, I search through my memory of faces, hoping to find someone beautiful, and land on Gaven. His brown wavy hair falls partly over his irises in an unforgettable cute way. I find myself staring down at the long blue locks of my hair that surround my feet, but don't remember ever opening my eyes. I sigh, and then run to my bedroom, noticing I've already wasted too much time, and quickly slip on my dirty tennis shoes. I've decided to ride the bus, so I hurriedly grab my red bag, and run out the front door while locking it behind me.

Walking down the street to my bus stop, I see five or six figures shaped like people all huddled together, except one. His lanky body straightens when he sees me. Laughter floats in the air as I gain closeness. Sierra, one of Mindys best friends, stares at me through her purple colored contact lenses. Her greasy looking stick straight black hair is flattened against her head as usual.

In grade school kids would call her grease head. When she was made fun of, she'd say it was just the type of shampoo/conditioner she used, but once Mindy moved into the neighborhood, things changed, and the torture for me had begun.

The guy beside her, Denis, looks at me too. He flips his blond hair from his brown eyes, and clears his throat. "Hey Flora, is it just me, or did you get uglier over night?" I wince at the harsh words he says in his deep voice.

"Yes." I reply, holding in the tears.

He chuckles and says, "You're so stupid."

"No, you're so stupid." I hear someone say. Turning around, immediately, I recognize Gaven standing a few feet away. My heart rams into the walls of my chest, unable to calm itself.

A memory of the dream that comes to me every night, now pops into my mind like several pictures. The eyes that belong to the human like animal, seem to resemble the eyes of Gaven.

"Why do you have to be that way?" He says. "Why can't you just leave Flora alone? Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?"

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'shut up?'' Denis grumbles, along with raising his voice.

"Yes, and I bet you use it quite often, don't you? Me personally, I don't because it's rude." Gaven hollers. Denis walks up to him, his tall frame reaching the same height as his. Gaven clenches his jaw, determined not to throw out the first punch. His broad chest heaves up and down as his breathing deepens.