The Headturner

The Revelation

Chapter One- The Revelation

Anne had always been a shy girl. She liked the company of books and TV as compared to people. People tend to judge, books give you company unconditionally.

She used to have a best friend during her elementary days. That is before she moved away with her parents, leaving Anne behind alone, to fend for herself. Anne never seemed to move on, she never made any friends. She was a loner and she liked it that way.

One day, a new boy joined her class. The boy was creative, in all sorts of ways. He was a dreamer too and he initiated conversation with her. Nobody else had even bothered to notice her, for she was an average student, in all matter. She was average looking, average scoring student who never involved in any extra-curricular activities, for she was too clumsy for it anyways, and hated any sort of attention.

He showed her his sketches, paintings and what-not. She thought he was the male counterpart to her personality and maybe she could befriend someone else after all. That is when another boy joined the class, befriended her potential friend, and started bullying her.

"Holy cow!!!" He had exclaimed dramatically at seeing her for the first time. "How did they allow a cow to attend the class?"

To her dismay, the boy who she had gotten along with, was actively participating in the name-calling fiesta. They openly snickered and tears were threatening to flow down her eyes, when the teacher entered and hushed the howling students.

She had always been a little plump, but that never bothered her before. Not until her schoolmates started taking it upon themselves to make her life a living hell about her weight.

It was okay at first, at least she was getting noticed. She started wondering, was she really worthy of such name calling? After all she had done nothing wrong, nothing to piss anyone off. She tried complaining to the school authorities, which helped, to some extent, but not for long. As a result, she began getting more awkward and non-confident about her appearance. She could not make friends, or look anyone in the eye, let alone have a conversation with them.

Every day at school started with boys commenting on her appearance, comparing her with animals such as cow, elephant, hippopotamus and the likes of it. Every day she passed the laughing gang with her head hanging low, as if it was her own fault that she did not meet with their standards of how a girl should look like. 

  Nobody talked to her, in fact they avoided her like the blubonic plague. She tried to be likable as she observed other girls who were generally adored by everyone, students and teachers alike, but to no avail. She was always the misfit cow among the beautiful swans. 

She would stand in front of the mirror in her undergarments, to figure out what was so wrong with her body that people could not stand it and just let her be. She was happy the way she was. Why couldn't people just leave her alone. Eventually, she started finding the flaws, the flabs in her stomach, arms and thighs, the roundness of her cheeks and the double-chin in the making. She started to see herself through the eyes of her bullies, and she hated it. She hated her body. She hated herself for existing. She hated others for not standing up for her. She hated that she was so helpless. She hated them for being so inconsiderate. The hatred was seeping inside her, making her bitter and even more guarded.

One day however, was not like other days. A cute boy who had transferred a week ago to her class smiled at her, not laughed, but smiled at her and asked her for her Chemistry notes. 

"Hi, I'm Adam. I recently transferred to this school and needed Chemistry notes. Teachers recommended me to ask you. Could you help me out?" He said awkwardly. 

It took all the willpower she could muster, to not pass out. It had been so long since someone had talked normally to her. It was like she had forgotten how to communicate. All she could do was give him the damn notes without even looking up. For the first time in her life, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach. But she felt helpless as she could not utter a simple welcome when he thanked her. 

Her self-esteem was shattered to bits and she realized it was unhealthy for her future. She decided there and then, she would make others feel the same way she had felt. She would turn the tables, no matter what it took. She would prove to everyone that she can also be lovable. She would get the hottest guy of them all to fall head over heels in love with her, no matter what it took.