lookism fanfic

prolouge

"Hey, Daniel!" I smiled cheerfully, walking towards him.

He stopped walking and turned. A smile spread across his chubby face when he caught a glimpse of me. "Hi, Alice!"

"Wanna walk to school together?" I suggested.

His face lit up with joy. "Sure!"

We walked to school, talking and laughing. We were in Seventh Grade. Daniel and I were close, and I'd always defend him from the bullies.

Well, I'd try to defend him. But that only led to me getting hurt, too. Daniel was grateful. Everyday, I'd walk home with him and we'd treat each other's wounds.

We were a pitiful pair, but we were happy. At the end of the day, we'd vent and support each other.

One day, near the end of eighth grade, my father received a job offer in another city. We left right away, leaving behind all of our belongings and headed straight for the train. But I did leave Daniel a letter.

Dear Daniel,
       I'm leaving right away and moving to a new city. Even though I will no longer be able to comfort you or defend you, know that I am with you in spirit. I don't think I'll be able to visit, but I will try to send you a letter every week. Please know that by leaving, I'm not forgetting you,
Love,
              Alice

I settled into a new city. I built a new life for myself and soon, with my dad's new job, we had money. We were no longer poor like we were where we used to live. My dad quickly climbed the corporate ladder. And soon, he was CEO and we were much richer than the average person. Although my father rarely came home from work, he bought us an even larger house.

As our living circumstances changed, I changed. I adopted the elegance of the rich and was the perfect daughter. In return for not embarrassing the family name or company, he would give me a weekly allowance of $100,000.

Soon my first year of high school came around. My father insisted that I attended a private school but instead I wanted to attend Jae Won. In a private school I would just be another rich kid, ordinary. But at a poor school like Jae Won... I would be a star.

Even through all of this, I never stopped sending Daniel letters.

So I attended Jae Won high school. My assistant, Grace, signed us both up for the Baking Dept.

Grace is basically a friend who goes everywhere with me. A bodyguard, a tutor, and a chef who is my same age. She's protective of me and handles most everything, from outfits to food, for me.

Today was our first day. She was determined to make everything go perfectly. Grace spect hours researching current trends and style, then she spent a few thousand dollars on accessories, coats, shoes, and backpacks to go with the uniform. Her effort was limitless and always is.

In the end when I came to school, everyone stared. Suddenly, self consciousness creeped it's way into my mind. But I course, I refused to let it show. I continued to hold my head high, diamond earrings dangling from my ears that costs more than some student's house.

I walked down the halls to the classroom, Grace at my side. Students we passed by were hushed from their usual chatter. Although I had only entered the school moments ago, I could already feel rumors spreading.

~~~

I tapped my pen against my chin, wondering what I should write to Daniel. I guess I'll write about my first day at school.

Dear Daniel,
How are you doing? The first day of school for me was quite interesting, a lot of new faces. I go to Jae Won Highschool now. I think you'd like it. Grace signed us up to join the Baking Dept. I don't know anything about cooking, hell, I can barely boil water without setting the house on fire. But let's talk about you. I hope your doing well. Did you make any new friends? Knowing your friendly personality, you must have. I wonder what department you would join if you came to Jae Won Highschool... Definitely not Fashion. Daniel, your my friend and I like you, but you have no fashion sense. Maybe Vocal & Dance... I remember hearing you sing. You have a truly angelic voice. Do you still sing? ... I should stop asking questions... this isn't really a conversation since you never respond. Why don't you write me back?

As I wrote this final words, a weird sensation rose on my stomach. A certain stirring. No, it wasn't light gentle butterflies. It was heavy and painful.

Suddenly, I heard the doorbell ringing. I turned over the letter and walked across the house to see who it is, my short loose silk nightgown hugging my every curve.

I opened the door to see a fellow student from the baking dept. Alex, I think his name was. A rush of cold air entered the house as the door swung open.

I debated how I should respond... like a friendly classmate or a cold heiress.

I decided to go with friendly classmate. Putting on a concerned face, I ushered him inside. "Eh? What are you doing out there? It's freezing! Come on in, I'll get us some tea."

"Ah... okay." His face was red. It must've been from the near freezing temperatures.

Alex entered and closed the door behind him. He sat on the couch as I walked towards the kitchen and made some warm tea.

I sat down next to him on the couch and handed him a cup of tea. "What brings you here?" I looked into his brown eyes as I sipped my tea.

"Uh..." He looked away briefly, blushing. "I'm your neighbor and classmate and I was wondering if you ever needed a tutor... I'm top of the class."

Suddenly another thought came into my mind. I could always use a pawn to serve the queen.

The corners of my lips lifted, revealing my pearly white smile. "That's so kind of you." I rested my arm on his leg and leaned forward, pushing my breasts up slightly. "So, I can count on you for anything I need?"

His face turned a deep shade of red. "Uh, yeah...!" His eyes darted right where I thought they would.

I looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh, gosh... it's late! You should be getting home. Your parents will worry."

"Eh...? Oh... Uh... Yeah..." And with that, I guided him out the door.

I smiled a waved. "Please don't hesitate to come by if you need anything else, Alex!" I shut the door and plopped back down on the couch.

Guys are all the same... Suddenly a certain familiar face popped up in my mind.

Daniel... where are you now?

~~~

I tossed and turned in bed, the silk sheets of my bed twisted. Every movement I made, his image flashed in my mind. I turned on my phone and searched what's happening to me. I listed my symptoms and clicked search. Clicking the first thing that popped up, it said I'm suffering from a case of heartbreak.

Eh...?

We were never together in that way. We were just friends. I turned off my phone. It's clearly wrong. Maybe, I just miss my old friend. My pure, gentle friend who liked to be with me for nothing in return. He wasn't with me for money like Grace. He wasn't with me for social status like my dad. He was with me solely because we were friends.

Then suddenly the question popped up again in my head. Why isn't he writing me back?

He must be busy... right? Then something dawned on me. Was he only with me because I protected him?

Oh.
Now it makes sense.
I thought he was different.
But he's not.
He's just another selfish person is this cruel dog-eat-dog world.

So from that day, I stopped sending letters.

Unedited
—a/n—
At a no electronics camp for two weeks so no update, sorry
(Do you think I'll survive?)

Oh and don't expect future chapters to be this long