Handsome and the Hideous

Chapter 11

My dad and my sisters came over again. It was becoming a habit and I questioned it. During the first month I lived at the mansion, they only visited me once. Now they were visiting me every few days, which made me wonder more about what was going on.

I was standing in the kitchen, staring at my feet as I leaned against the counter. Evelyn and Darcy were also in the room, but they were crowding Cody who was leaning against the fridge. Glancing at them, I noticed Evelyn was being excessively touchy with Cody. She was basically pressed against him and I looked away, feeling uneasy. Even though Cody wasn't mine, I didn't like the idea of anyone, especially my sister, touching him.

"You have beautiful eyes," Evelyn said, making me look at her. "They're hazel, right?"

Evelyn was staring up at Cody with her big, brown eyes. She was leaning in and Cody was staring down at her, seeming unfazed by their close proximity. The sight made me feel nauseous, so I decided to leave. I wasn't doing anything useful, so I decided to go outside to breathe.

Walking to the front door, I noticed Cody's eyes were following me, but I chose to ignore him. A part of me didn't like the fact that Cody didn't push my sisters away, but I also knew Cody didn't have the heart to push people away. The thought left me frustrated and I decided to just focus on getting fresh air.

Stepping outside, I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. The sun beat down on me and I exhaled heavily and looked around. Jumping, I became surprised when I saw that my dad was at the corner of my house, standing beneath the camera.

Staring at him, I saw that he was staring up at the camera. His eyes were hard and he seemed annoyed, and I watched him, wondering what he was doing. Thinking about the camera and the footage it carried, and how it was supposed to help me, questions filled my mind. Knowing my dad would have the answers to my questions, I decided to ask him them.

Walking up to my dad, I said, "Hi."

"Hi," my dad responded, looking at me with tired eyes.

"Is there any way I can see the footage on the camera?" I asked. "I know they're meant to make sure no one breaks in, so wouldn't it be good for me to see what the cameras see?"

"No," my dad said flatly.

His flat, dull response caught me off guard. My dad looked away and I stared at him, wondering why he seemed so annoyed. I hadn't done anything wrong, so I decided to keep pushing. For once, I wanted answers.

"Why not?" I asked. "If they're meant for me, I should be able to see the footage."

"Don't worry about it," he said, rolling his eyes. "I have it under control."

"Can you just answer me," I said, exasperated. "Why can't I see the footage?"

"Just go, Charlotte. Leave me alone, I was fine outside."

My heart dropped at his words and I stared at him, struck. He wouldn't look at me and went back to staring at the camera, which left me feeling worse. Sometimes, I couldn't but wonder if my dad actually cared about me.

Upset, I decided to leave. My dad wasn't going to answer my question and being around him was upsetting. So turning around, I walked to the front door and reentered the house. Sighing lightly, I realized being inside wasn't much better.

Walking to the living room, I had to suppress a groan when I saw Cody and both my sisters there. They were sitting on the beige couch with Cody in the centre and my sisters on both his sides. Evelyn and Cody were laughing, and Darcy was smiling shyly. The sight made me sick, but Cody looked at me before I could escape.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "Come hang out with us."

I nodded, not knowing what else to say. Walking over to the couch across from them, I sat down and stared at the ground.

"Are you okay?" Cody asked.

I looked up and blushed when I saw that Cody was talking to me. I didn't like it when people knew how I was feeling.

"Yeah," I said, forcing a small smile. "I'm just tired."

Cody stared at me, looking unconvinced, and I stared back at him. Lately, I found it easier to stare at Cody. He wasn't like other guys, snickering at the sight of me, so I didn't feel scared of him staring at my face.

Evelyn also began to stare at me and she seemed confused by the sight of us staring at each other. A look of annoyance flashed across her face and suddenly, she had her hand on Cody's cheek. She gently pushed his face so that he was looking at her and she smiled at him warmly. Cody looked confused.

"I have something to say," Evelyn said quietly.

"Okay," Cody said, clearly confused.

"I think you're amazing," she confessed, blushing. "And I'd really like to go out on a date with you. So, let me take you out?"

Evelyn was staring up at Cody with her big, innocent eyes, looking as hopeful as ever. My heart had dropped and my mind was screaming at Cody to say no. I always knew Evelyn liked Cody, but I hadn't expected her to ask him out. Struck, I stared at Cody, watching as he stared at Evelyn.

"I'm sorry, but no. I... I don't want to go on a date with you," Cody said.

My jaw dropped and so did Evelyn's and Darcy's. We all stared at Cody, stunned that he rejected her. Evelyn was beautiful and no one would have ever expected her to get rejected. Although I should be happy, I was too stunned to feel joy.

"Why?" Evelyn asked, snapping out of her own daze.

"You're not my type," Cody said, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly. "It's nothing personal."

Evelyn grew annoyed. "Well, what is you type?"

"Someone who is sweet, kind, and understanding," Cody answered. "I want to be with someone who's fun and makes me feel at ease."

"First of all, are you saying I don't have those traits?" Evelyn's eyes narrowed at Cody. "Second of all, why are you only describing personality traits? You don't care about how she looks?"

I stared at Cody, waiting for his response. The traits he liked were cute and as he thought about an answer, I slowly began to hope that maybe, somehow, Cody wouldn't care about looks. It was wishful thinking, but I hoped anyways.

"Yeah, I guess I do care about how she looks," Cody said, crushing my hope. "But, personality matters more. I rather have a girlfriend who is ugly on the outside than a girlfriend who is ugly on the inside."

His last few words gave me hope. They left me smiling to myself as I realized that somehow, I could get Cody to be mine. If I worked on making Cody fall for my personality traits, then how I looked on the outside wouldn't matter.

"Ugh, you're a loser," Evelyn said, getting up.

She stalked off and Darcy followed her, shooting Cody a dirty look. I rolled my eyes at Evelyn's reaction, knowing she was just upset. No one had ever rejected her before and it had to hurt.

Once both of them were gone, Cody looked at me and asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I am now," I answered, smiling.

Cody seemed surprised by my answer and reaction, but he soon broke out into a smile as well. We stared at each other for a moment, smiling at each other, and I felt hope bloom within me. Maybe, for once, being hideous wouldn't ruin my chances with a guy.