Plain Until Proven Beautiful

Chapter Seven

Nicole 

                    

          I close the door as Christopher walks away. I lean my head against the door and squeeze my eyes closed. My head throbs as it has ever since Christopher kissed me. The moment my hair changed is stuck running through my mind. It was maybe thirty seconds of my life and yet it feels the most impactful. My breathing quickens and I fall to my knees. I put my hands to my ears and my head in my lap. I start to hyperventilate. My heart pounds. The tears running down my cheeks began to run without my consent. I’m scared. It feels like hours, but I know it isn’t any more than a few minutes. My breathing slows along with my intense heartbeat. The tears stop. I’m finally able to stand using the doorknob to lift myself up. I stumble to the couch and lay on my back. The house suddenly feels so small. I need to get outside. 

          The morning dew fills the air with its beautiful sweet scent. I close my eyes and breathe in the morning air. I open my eyes and start to walk as my eyes fill with tears. I’m suddenly crying about nothing. But it must be something. I sit down on a nearby bench and rest my head in my hands, hiding the tears. People walk by or jog by and I go unnoticed. Just like always. I don’t mind. I’m used to it.  

          “Are you okay?” The words are whispered right in front of me. 

          I look up to see a concerned face in front of me. I know this face. The boy is crouched in front of me, one hand on the bench.  

          “Dylan?” I ask him, wiping away the leftover tears. 

          “Nicole? Wow. It’s been a really long time,” He looks me over. 

          I remember Dylan. Middle school was exactly the same as high school with the one exception being the height of the students. Because of the similarities, I was constantly ridiculed and excluded. Except for Dylan. We were never best friends and barely even acquaintances, but he gave me a smile every single day. If it weren’t for his ocean blue eyes, I wouldn’t recognize him because his hair is natural blonde locks. It isn’t colored anymore.  

          “Your hair. What happened to it?” I inquire. 

          “I’m not really sure. It started fading slowly. Instead of rich colors, they started to be dim and dull. And then one day, it was just gone. I heard of this place and left. I told my parents I’d be home for Christmas. I don’t think they’ll miss me seeing as I have five siblings to take my place. What are you doing here?” As I take a breath to respond, Dylan moves to sit on the bench.  

          “I just needed to get away from home,” I respond.  

          “Well in any case, it’s really great to see someone I know here. It’s really great to see you,” He says this to me kindly. I feel my face grow a little warmer. 

          “Yeah it’s great to see you too,” I respond.  

          Dylan gets up and waves goodbye as he starts to jog away. My head has cleared at this point and I’m ready to talk to Christopher. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and dial his number. He answers quickly and I get the information I need to get to his house. Every house is rather similar from the outside, so Christopher’s looks almost identical to mine. Little brown steps, windows on either side of the wooden door, small shrubs under the windows.  

          I take a breath and walk up the steps. I knock on the door and just a moment later, Chris opens the door.  

          “Nicole! Hi come in! Sorry it’s just a little messy. Um- sit down- or don’t. Whatever you want,” Chris talks a mile a minute. 

          I step inside to see the house. The layout is the same as mine, but the furniture is completely different. The living room is filled with tones of brown. There’s a black rug on the floor and a wooden end table by the couch. There’s a little table in the kitchen and dishes piled up in the sink. I don’t see why there are so many dishes seeing as we’ve only been here for only two days.  

          I sit down on the couch and Christopher does the same. I turn towards him and take a deep breath. Ready to say what I need to.