Ugly Girl

Chapter One

A/N: Dedicated to strawberry crush for my super cute cover!!

Chapter One: Zoey

                “Ugh!” I screamed at the large movie screen with disgust. It was the same story, every single time! The nerdy boy falls for the pretty girl and gets her! Why is it never different? I angrily threw a hand full of popcorn at the screen. “I hate chick flicks!”

                The lights came on as my two friends and I leaped to our feet. Lizzy chuckled loudly, “Oh Zoey, you’re so angry sometimes!” Lizzy was like me, not very pretty but very nerdy. I say this as kindly as I can. Her frizzy red hair made a triangle around her pale face. A collection of freckles decorated her nose, but they were very cute and I loved them. She was rather chubby, making her even more insecure.

                “For once, I agree with her!” Ally said in her usual loud voice. “Chick flicks are total trash!” Ally was very, very pretty. She got asked out on a regular basis, not that she’s ever said yes. She was on the feminist side, believing all boys were pigs. Her long blonde hair flowed down her shoulder blades in thick sheets, her eyes were the same color as the ocean, and she had long, skinny legs. The reason she wasn’t popular was mainly because she loved us more than being popular.

                I giggled as I chased them down the winding ramp of our small city’s movie theater. “I don’t hate romantic movies, just ones were the nerdy guy-“

                “Gets the hot girl,” my two friends said I unison. “We know!”

                I smiled at them. We exited the dark theater into the bright sunlight of California. We piled into my jeep and took of towards home. School was tomorrow and I was dreading it, another day another butt load of stress. We were stopped at a red light and a slight, but noticeable beep sounded.

                Ally picked up her phone and answered her text, from my peripheral vision I saw a smile creep on her naturally pink lips.

                “Oh my gosh, Lizzy!” I screamed loudly. “It’s her boyfriend!”

                Ally blushed and shot a glare at me, “Johnny isn’t my boyfriend, okay? We’re just really good friends!”

                Lizzy winked at me, “We never said we were talking about Johnny.”

                Ally shut her mouth after that. Johnny was a rather popular and extremely attractive from New York that had a huge crush on Ally. Usually when a boy confessed their attraction to her, she’d ditch him. Not Johnny.

                After dropping Lizzy and Ally off, I pulled into my own driveway and parked my yellow jeep behind my dad’s car. “Daddy, I’m home!”

                A tired, stressed looking man appeared from behind the kitchen door. My father worked two jobs to keep our heads above water. After my mom left, he got real depressed. He drank, got fired, and nearly lost me to child services. However, he got his act together and fixed everything. “Hey honey.”

                I smiled at him weakly before shuffling off to my room, ready to fall asleep.

                I walk into school the next day wearing a mustard colored dress with black polka dots and flats. I may not be very pretty but fashion is my passion, despite how lame that sounds.

                “Hey Zo!” I hear someone call from behind me. Johnny runs up beside me with his cute crooked grin. “What’s up hot stuff?”

                I roll my eyes and laugh, “I’m assuming you want Ally?”

                He shrugged and grinned even wider. He ran a hand through his brown hair before saying, “Maybe I just want to hang out with my best friend!”

                Johnny was a pretty cool kid, he always made us laugh. Occasionally, he hung out with us more than his best friend Mace whom he shared a bromance with.

                “Mace!” he screamed loudly when he spotted him. They ran to each other and hugged. “Man, I haven’t seen you since yesterday!”

                “It’s been way to long!”

                I giggled at the two as they broke away, grinning like two idiots.

                “Oh, Mace this is…Zoey…” Johnny was staring past Mace and me, right at Ally as she walked in.

                She had an oversized peach t-shirt with black shorts and sandals, her blonde hair was curled and her lips were glossy and pink.

                Johnny wrapped his arms around Ally and squeezed her.

                “Johnny, I can’t breathe.”

                Johnny released her just as Lizzy came up to us. Together, we walked into the small school like we owned it.