Being Pretty

Chapter 3

  I walked out of my Algebra 2 class, glad that the school day was finally over, although I'm not complaining too much about it.

  In Algebra, I sat at the back with the popular kids, instead of in the front where I got multiple spitball ambushes.

  Infact…I threw one or two spitballs, and it felt really good being on the other side of the straw.

  "Hey Rose." I turned to see Eloise walking up to me. "Ready for the party?"

  I shook my head. “I forgot that I have plans with Shane tonight, I won’t be able to make it.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “Look, Shane is freaking hot and all, but you’re in a whole different league now. If you keep hanging out with him it will ruin your reputation.” She told me.

  I shrugged. “He ruined his for me.”

  “Look Rose, you have the choice but if you don’t come to this party, you’ll be nobody, so be there if you really are one of us.”

  Oh great.

  What am I going to do now?

  I walked up to the porch steps of the house and took in a deep breath.

  Nobody will care that I came here instead, right?

  Shane will forgive me…

  He has to.

  I could hear the music blasting from out here and I opened the door and was immediately met with the horrifying stench of alcohol and sweaty bodies.

  Why the hell does everyone enjoy these so much?

  Right now I’d much rather be hanging out with Shane at my house, watching a movie or something, rather than being in a congested room with so many sweaty teenagers eye raping me.

  I almost threw up at that smell because I’d never been to a high school party before. This much alcohol is never in the same room as me.

  Granted, I have been around a few bottles of beer and some drunk people once or twice, it does take the edge off of all the ridicule, but I’ve never been around this much booze.

  “Hey, I see you made it.” Someone whispered behind me, sending shiver up my neck and I turned to see Chase smiling at me.

  Gosh.

  He looks so hot even when he’s not trying.

  He had two plastic cups of beer and handed one to me.

  Well I sure as hell am not going to enjoy this party if I’m sober.

  I took the cup and took a huge gulp out of it and smiled at Chase.

  “I hope you can hold your liquor.” He said, throwing his hand over my shoulder and walking up to the middle of the dance floor.

  “So do I.” I muttered.

  The song changed and everyone started jumping up and dancing and going crazy because of this song which was apparently really popular, but I don’t even know the name.

  I just awkwardly stood there until Chase wrapped his arms around me from the behind and he started grinding on me.

  I would have complained at this situation if it were any other guy, but let’s face it, there’s no way I’m not grinding with Chase. I’d probably jump off a cliff if he told me to.

  I’m pathetic.

  “Looks like the whore made it.” Someone sneered.

  I turned to see Mandy glaring at me.

  “Back off Mandy.” Chase said.

  “Why are you defending this little slut, what has she ever done for you?” Mandy asked him.

  “Mandy, back off.” He said sternly.

  “Or what?” She challenged.

  Next thing I know, warm beer is poured on top of her head and it’s running down her hair and into her clothes making her a warm sticky mess.

  I looked up at Chase with wide eyes to see him glaring at Mandy.

  I mean I would love to join everyone else at the party in laughing at what just happened, but I can’t believe that Chase just did that to a girl.

  I get that she’s a total bully, but I’ve never seen a guy really disrespect a girl like that.

  Shane makes threats about Mandy all the time, but I know he’d never actually hurt her unless she touched me…yeah if that happened he would probably kill her for me, but Chase just dumped warm beer all over her all she did was call me a slut.

  I could have easily just called her one back.

  “Ugh!” She screamed, stomping her foot dramatically, then running out of the house.

  “Now that that’s done with.” He said, pulling my hips to his body and continuing to drunkenly grind me.

  We continued dancing until the song was over and he took my hands and took me out to the back of the house.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Some of my friends are having blunts, thought you could join.” He told me.

  “Blunts?” I asked. “As in…marijuana?”

  My question was answered when we walked up to a group of guys who were smoking behind the house.

  “It’s okay, the cops aren’t here.” Chase told me as he rolled up some marijuana and started smoking it.

  “I didn’t know you smoked.” I informed him.

  He shrugged. “Everyone does it.”

  “Not me.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “You’ve never had weed?”

  I shook my head.

  “Here it’s easy, basically like a cigarette.” He took his out of his mouth and handed it to me.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

  “Just smoke it, these things are amazing.”

  “You want me to put that thing in my mouth?” I repeated.

  He nodded. “It’s easy.”

  Wow.

  This side of popularity is one that I did not expect.

  I shook my head. “I’m not smoking marijuana.” I told him.

  “You don’t have to call it that, and come on, just once? You’ll love it.” He assured me.

  That’s what I’m afraid of.

  “Sorry…I think I’d better go.” I stood up and started walking away.

  “Wait!” Chase called.

  I turned around to face him.

  “You’re not mad are you?” He asked.

  Well apart from the fact that you just asked me to take drugs then no. I’m not mad.

  “I’m not mad.” I told him.

  “You sure?”

  “I’m fine.” I snapped, before walking away and leaving the house.

  And it’s not that I’m mad at Chase, but I’m more mad at myself for falling into that kind of situation.

  I got a taxi and went home and I checked to make sure it was before my curfew.

  11:02.

  Almost made it.

  My curfew is 11:00 but my mom never enforced it because of two reasons; One, I never go out late because I had one friend in the entire world, and two, because she didn’t give a damn about me either.

  I opened the door quietly and snuck in, hoping she wouldn’t be out waiting, but as I slid by the parlor, she was sitting there, waiting with Preston Taylor and his mom Linda.

  “Rose, so nice of you to join us.” She smiled at me.

  She’s not even mad that I broke curfew?

  I gave her a small smile and kept walking, but she told me to come join them.

  I reluctantly went and took a seat next to her and Preston and his mom couldn’t stop staring at me.

  “Rose?” Preston asked.

  I rolled my eyes and didn’t say anything to him.

  “Rose, why don’t you and Preston go upstairs while Linda and I talk, okay?” She said sweetly.

  “I’d rather claw my eyeballs out.” I muttered.

  She then proceeded to laugh as if what I said was a joke but I’m pretty sure she knew I was dead serious.

  She gave me a look and I sighed, getting up and walking past Preston to go upstairs and he got up to follow me.

  When we were in my room, I went and sat on my bed, pulling out my iPod so I wouldn’t have to talk to him.

  “Rose, what happened to you?” He asked. “You used to be so ugly and repulsive.”

  Well he sure does know how to charm a girl, huh?

  I ignored him, putting my earbud
s in, but he quickly snatched away my iPod.

  “What the hell dude?” I demanded.

  “You look divine, you know that?” He told me. “You’d look more divine without those shorts.”

  I faked a gag. “I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.” I muttered. “Now give me back my iPod you obnoxious twat.”

  “Mother said that we need to practice for the ball.” He informed me.

  “Oh, you mean the one that I’m not going to? Yeah, I don’t think so.”

  “But you have to go my Rose.” He said, trying to look seductive.

  Since when am I his Rose?

  He always bullied me and called me some unrepeatable names.

  I held out my hand. “iPod.”

  “Dance.”

  Alright pretty boy.

  I got up from my bed and took his hand and he pulled me closer to him and he started swaying side to side.

  Ew.

  He smells like asparagus.

  “Hey, hey hey! Watch the tweed!” He warned me, moving my hand from his shirt and he put my hands down on his butt.

  Really?

  He gave me a toothy smile and I held back the urge to throw up all over his tweed outfit.

  I feel so disgusting, I’d rather be back at the party smoking marijuana right now.

  I gave him a super sweet smile, before I brought my knee up and kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine and his eyes bulged out as he fell to the floor in pain.

  I grabbed my iPod out of his pocket and smiled at him. “Get off the floor Preston, you’ll ruin your tweed.”

  I walked over to my bed and hopped onto it, playing my music so that I couldn’t hear his small outbursts of pain.

  It’s been two weeks since I became pretty and life is going great.

  I’m popular.

  I actually have a social life now.

  And best of all, Chase Baxter is my boyfriend.

  I walked up to Chase’s locker where he was leaning with a bunch of girls surrounding him.

  When I walked up to him, they quickly skittered away.

  “Well I see you’ve been having company.” I muttered.

  “Babe, don’t worry, they’re nobodies.” He assured me and I smiled at him.

  He leaned forward and pressed his lips on mine and I smiled at the feel of kissing him, he ran his hands up and down my back and I would’ve loved to run my hands through his hair but he has it in a buzz cut so whenever we kiss, I don’t know what to do with my hands.

  We pulled away after a few seconds and he winked at me.

  “Hey, just a question.” I said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you like the volunteer work you do for charity? Because you’re never there.”

  He looked at me for a few second, then he did the last thing I expected and he burst out laughing.

   “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “You think that I actually do that stuff? I have a life Rose. I just say that so I can get a good image, we can’t have the star with a bad rep, you know?”

  Wow! I had thought he actually did good things….but maybe he’s right.

  You can’t have a life and help charity.

  It’s not my fault I’m better off than them so why should I feel bad?

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Is that a problem? Don’t tell me you’re a charity geek babe.”

  I shook my head frantically. “What? Me? Charity is for losers and dorks.”

  I can’t have Chase think I’m uncool, he’s the definition of popular.

  “Good.” He gave me a quick kiss on my nose. “Some of the boys and I are ditching class, you in?”

  “Yeah I’m in, let me just go put these books back in my locker.” I told him.

  I turned and headed to my locker.

  “Hi Rose.” Some random girl said to me on my way.

  I ignored her and kept walking, but she didn’t leave.

  “You’re really pretty.” She said.

  I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. “May I help you?”

  “Um, I just wanted to know what you did to get so pretty…” She admitted.

  “Well from the looks of it, you’re a lost cause so scram!”

  Her eyes got wide and we quickly went away from me.

  Gosh, I can’t be seen talking to a loser like her, who does she think she is?

  Not even Mandy can talk to me anymore.

  I shoved my books in my locker quickly and when I closed it, I saw Shane standing beside my locker looking at me.

  “Oh hi.” I said, checking to see if Chase could see me.

  Okay good, he can’t see that I’m talking to someone like Shane.

  “What you did back there was pretty harsh, don’t you think?” He asked.

  “You wouldn’t understand okay, you’re not popular.” I snapped.

  “Rosebud-”

  “It’s Rose to you, thanks.”

  “Okay, Rose, what’s going on? First you ditch on me, then you don’t return my text or answer my calls and now you won’t even talk to me in school?” He asked.

  I sighed. “Look Shane, I’m popular now, and you’re not. I’m sorry it has to be like this, but people like me don’t mix with people like you.”

  A look of hurt crossed his face before he covered it up. “So what? We’re not friends anymore?” He asked, the hurt clear in his voice.

  I put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s for the best.” I assured him. “I have Chase now so I don’t really…need you…”

  This time the hurt and anguish were clear on his face and he couldn’t cover them up.

  I felt a pang at my heart but I pushed it away.

  Being popular means making sacrifices.

  “Rose. Don’t.” He said quietly.

  I shrugged. “Sorry Shane, I have to go.”

  I ran off to where Chase was waiting for me.

  “What took you so long?” He asked.

  “Just some losers holding me up.” I said quietly.

  He nodded. “The others left but we can catch up.” He told me. “We’re going to get so high today!”

  Over the past two weeks I’ve done a few blunts and he was right, they really do get your mind off of things.

  But they’re also addicting and I’ve been doing it more and more often. It might be getting to a problem.

  I smiled at him as we snuck behind the building, but I couldn’t help looking back, and I saw Shane still standing against my lockers, as if he was waiting for me to come back…but I can’t.

  I can’t go back to Shane, all he will do is drag me down, and it’s not like he needs me.

  Right?

  I looked away, unable to keep staring at him.

  If you do need me, I’m sorry Shane.

  * * *