The Price of Beauty

Original Version (2016): I

Eva pulled the glass door to the school open and tried her best to push past the swarming sea of high school kids.

"Excuse me, sorry. Excuse me," she said in her soft squeaky voice. An older boy accidentally shoved her shoulder back with his own and the books Eva was holding tumbled out of her arms and onto the floor.

"Watch it!" the boy yelled down to her as she scrambled to pick up her things. The other boys around him just laughed as they left, without offering a hand to help.

"Sorry," Eva whispered, even though they were out of earshot by now. A lot of the papers had flown out of her books and Eva scurried to pick them up. She noticed one had drifted further down the side of the hall and she maneuvered over to get it. Just as she knelt down to retrieve the paper, a white strapped sandal stepped right on the corner of it. Eva's breath caught in her chest as she looked up to see Lissa Fox, the head of this year's Ball Night and probably the prettiest girl in their grade, towering over her. Her friends were right by her side as they always were.

Lissa smirked. "Well well, what do we have here?"

Eva gulped as she glanced down at her paper still on the floor. Oh no, she thought as she realized what was written on it. She tried snatching it, but Lissa pulled it toward herself with her foot. She bent down and picked it up as Eva quickly stood, her face reddening as Lissa read the notebook page out loud.

"'Vincent x Eva-One True Love. xoxo,'" Lissa read as her cronies giggled. Under the writing, Eva had drawn a cartoon of her and Vince holding hands with a big heart surrounding them. Little stars were drawn all over the page and underneath the heart, Lissa read in that same high pitched mocking voice: "'Yours forever, Eva <3.'"

They cackled. Other kids who had overheard Lissa looked at Eva and whispered to each other, laughing as they did. Eva had never felt more humiliated until now. She had drawn that picture when she was bored in Algebra. She never thought it would come back to bite her. She tried snatching the paper again but Lissa held it out of reach.

"I really wonder what Vince would have to say about this. Don't you, Eva?" Lissa said, emphasizing Eva's name as if it were a joke.

"Give it back Lissa," Eva demanded meekly.

Lissa chuckled. "No, I think I'm just gonna save this. Who knows when I might need it." She smiled slyly at Eva as she folded up the note and put it in her handbag.

Eva could feel the tears prickling her eyes. Her face was still hot with embarrassment as she heard other students whispering around her.

"Please give it back," Eva pleaded, her voice wavering.

The girls just laughed.

"You're pathetic you know that? Do you honestly think Vince will ever give you the time of day?" Lissa snarled. She stepped forward until she was inches away from Eva's face. "Vince may be your friend for whatever reason, but he sure as heck won't ever think of 'loving' you. Do yourself a favor, and drop the fantasy." Lissa then looked down on Eva, then back up to her face, and added: "You're too hideous for this world anyway."

And with that, she and her friends turned up their noses and strutted past Eva and down the hall. Angry, hurt, and embarrassed tears streamed down Eva's face as she ran past the snickering kids and into the girl's bathroom. She shut herself in a stall and sobbed. Once again, Eva wished she was a completely different person.

~~*~~*~~

Eva stepped out of the restroom. The halls were clearing out as homeroom was soon about to start. She looked around, then headed for her locker.

She shoved the rest of her books in the locker and took out her Algebra workbook. Oh how she despised even thinking of Algebra now. It only reminded her of the disaster that occurred earlier this morning. She wondered anxiously about when Lissa planned to use that paper to ruin her life. Eva couldn't have Vince knowing how she really felt about him. It would destroy the friendship they already had. He wouldn't speak to her again. He would think she was pathetic, just as Lissa had said.

Eva closed the locker and started heading to class. Halfway down the hall, she saw a familiar tall and built figure walking towards her. It was Vince.

"Hey monkey," he said with a grin and pinched her arm lightly. It was what he used to do a lot when they were kids goofing around on the monkey bars on the playground. Sometimes, he didn't mind reliving old memories, as cheesy as they were.

"Hey," Eva replied.

"Something wrong?" Vince asked upon noticing her tired, slightly red eyes.

"Eh, it's nothing."

"Okay then. Hey, do you think you could come over after school today? I got--"

"Oh my gosh Vince!" a shrill voice called from down the hall. Eva groaned. It was none other than Lissa.

Vince's eyes lit up as Lissa walked towards him. "Hey, what's up?" he said, giving her a hug. Eva wanted to sink into a hole and never come out as she watched Lissa and her best friend make googly eyes at each other.

Lissa proceeded to move right in front of Eva, blocking her out of Vince's way and ignoring her completely.

"How are you doing handsome?" Lissa flirted.

"Pretty good, now that you're here," he said, glancing at the large Ball Night poster pasted on the bulletin board across from them. "Hey I was thinking..."

"Yeah?" Lissa said.

Vince took a deep breath and smiled down at her. "Would you like to come to Ball Night with me?"

Eva could feel the blood draining from her face as her heart shattered into a million pieces. Lissa smiled smugly as she glanced to her side. She knew Eva was still behind her. She looked back at Vince and flashed him a picture perfect smile.

"I would love to," she said sweetly, lifting her hand to the side of his beautiful face and stroking his cheek with her thumb.

The blissful, happy look on Vince drove Eva over the edge. She had enough of this and didn't want to stick around to watch more of this sickening scene. She dropped her workbook, turned and started running down the hall, away from Vince and Lissa.

"Eva, wait!" Vince hollered. "Where are you going?"

Eva didn't answer, nor did she turn around. With fresh tears pouring out of her eyes, she burst out the main doors and didn't dare look back.