Mark
Mark sniffed delicately at the tubes and sprays on his desk. They smelled so lovely, delightful, but none quite as good as the vanilla-cinnamon lipgloss he had offered Maria. He stared at the family picture on his wall that his mother had tacked on 2 years ago after she took some weird medication that a strange witch doctor had sold them at Britney Spears' doorstep during a crazy stalker montage. She was never the same again.
She had drawn moustaches on everyone except for her husband, where she pasted on the head of Britney Spears. Mark was dressed up like one of those attractive emo guys. Maria had gotten a moustache, frilly ribbons, a frilly dress and a frilly nose. Everyone was deeply insulted. Mark had stomped right up to his mom and informed her that he didn't want to look like one of those emo guys; he just WANTED one of them. Anyways, that's what he wished for for Christmas. She promptly broke down and wailed "WHY ME?? OF ALL THE PEOPLE, WHY MEEEE????" Mark, noticing her tears of utmost sorrow, attempted to comfort her by cuddling her with his giant stuffed scented pet unicorn named Gecko. It came in a matching set with Maria's giant stuffed scented pet gecko named Unicorn. Gecko was one of the only people who he'd share his jewelry with.
Looking at Maria from 2 years ago, he realised how much boys had changed her. Before, she was a bubbly, bouncy boy-crazy freak who shared boyfriends with her used-to-be BFF Jessica. She bought a new set of lotions and creams and sprays in a specified scent from Bath and Body Works for every new boyfriend she had. Eventually there wasn't a single product she didn't own and had to turn to Victoria's Secret Garden. Then, she falls in love with a hamster. A HAMSTER, OF ALL THINGS! Well, it was pretty cute. Kind of girly-looking for a supposed guy hamster, but if she really loved it, why not? Their family was weird. He was the only normal one in a group of freaks... it was so sad.
Maria looked so much like him; the same flawless skin. The same perfectly sculpted eyebrows carefully shaped by their hot exotic personal groomer. The same not-a-hideous-fagness that Candace had pointed out to him before; and of course, the same artfully drawn line of kohl around the eyes mirrored on their stunning faces. The more he stared, the more beautiful she looked. As he marveled at their model-worthy complexions, Maria walked into his room. She lightly coughed from the aromas of the products on Mark's desk. He turned, knowing that the same beauty of a sister in the photograph would be there in real life right there sitting on his bed. She wasn't.
Her chestnut brown hair was messed up, and all disheveled and oily from a week of no washings, something Maria would have despaired at a mere 2 months ago. Her skin was oily, pale and disgusting. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, with bags under them. Her eyebrows...were a disaster. Makeup? There definitely was. Her mascara was dried on her pasty cheeks, her eyeliner smeared, black against red. IT WAS TERRIBLE. HORRENDOUS. WORSE THAN WHEN HE EXFOLIATED BEFORE REMOVING HIS MAKEUP.
"I'm having a funeral for Ethan."
Except to Mark, it sounded as if there was no sound, just a visual of Maria, in all her ghastly horrendous glory. It was terrifying, to know that one could go from chic beauty queen to...this. He needed a reprieve from this disease. Maybe it was contagious! Without another look at Maria, he ran out of his room, straight through the front door, and stumbled onto his friend Juliano's porch.
"MARK, DEAREST!"
Juliano was one of his first friends in the group of Candace's old friends. He was just like him in a way. They both adored makeup, fashion, prettiness, girls... okay no. They didn't have that much in common. Mark liked those things. Juliano? He liked boys, but they had so much in common anyways. It didn't matter that Juliano might possibly have a crush on Mark. They were inseparable.
Juliano
After telling him of all the horrors in Mark's own home, Juliano decided to cheer him up using his favourite things in the world. Well, no. This WAS his world. The world of fashion. The world of WOMEN'S fashion. Not male fashion. That seemed to boring, so drab. Formal was suits and ties and dress shoes. Preppy was pastel Hollister t-shirts. Emo was Adam Lambert (which wasn't quite so bad, but he wasn't looking for a black on black on silver piercings, but something with more COLOUR). With women's fashion, you could do anything you wanted to. A man wouldn't be able to walk outside in a tube top and micromini and still be seen as a normal person. Any (well, most) girls can. A guy can't go outside with hair curled, eyes mascaraed and shadowed and lined, nails done with pink and yellow polka-dots (well, maybe with the polka-dots, and if his hair was naturally curly) and stepping out of the spa freshly waxed in a bikini. Males just didn't have the same freedom. Really, it was so tragic, but in a time of crisis, what did society's rules matter for?
"...And not only is Maria looking like a demented hag, Candace wants us to be more than just makeup buddies, like we started out as. Why are all the forces of the world turning against me? How has all this happening?? Is it the apocalypse? WHY ME?? OF ALL THE PEOPLE, WHY ME????????" Mark wailed. Candace? What Mark said finally registered with Juliano. All those months of secretly pining after Mark, but knowing he couldn't have him because Candace was in the way, everything he knew of their relationship, it was all a lie? They were never actually going out? Finally, it was his turn. To turn him against her. To keep them apart. To make Mark just like him. To be with Mark. Forever. But one step at a time. First, he had to cheer him up.
- Lucy
(well, lucy isn't publishing it, but she wrote it)
anyways, vote & comment please :D
