Avery gasped for air. Covered in sweat, she looked around her room, her breath slowing down. It was just a dream. A dream she was having for weeks now. The same damn dream thats been talking to her as if it was an actual person. A castle hidden in a mountain far away from a place she's ever known. She stood a little taller, a little smarter, braver, like shes never stood before. As if she were a different person entirely. She sighs. Looking at the clock on her wall, 7:20. Her eyes shit open as she leaped out of bed and ran to her bathroom. A girl stares back at her, blinded by bad thoughts, freckles, twisted teeth, and plump cheeks. Avery refuses to look at the mirror as it makes her cry everytime. After getting ready for school with only 15 minutes to spare, she walks down stairs to see her mother sleeping on the couch from last night with a bottle of booze still in hand. Avery takes the booze from her hand and threw it away, cleaning up the rest of the mess her mother has created. Avery looks at the time again, seeing that she only has 10 minutes, leaves the house without breakfast. The walk to school is usually takes no more then 7 minutes as it is only a few blocks and turns. Avery dreads the place of school, she dreads the word of school as it makes her heart drop to her feet. Avery has no friends, no best friends, no boyfriend that she could talk to in her time of need, but no, no one. She hasn't a pet that can just listen to her problems. No mother that will put in the effort to even be a mother in the first place. Avery reaches school just as the gates close for the morning. She puts her bag in her cubby and takes of her shoes to put on her school shoes. She braces herself for the loudness and drama she is about to endure. The classroom is full of talking students, all faces changes when Avery steps in to the room. They're eyes are like predators hunting prey. Some smile, others role their eyes and go back to their conversation. Avery quietly walks to her seat and gets ready for class as other classmates looks at her and whisper things loud enough for her to hear. The teacher walks in and starts the first lesson of class: math. Though Avery isnt good at it she still tries to aleast make it through the first lesson. As she us working and is feeling pretty good about her work, She felt a small tap on her shoulder. That has caught her off- guard , she turns around to see another girl smiling at her and handing her a note. She was a tad bit confused as she thought it was for someone else. However the girl told her open it and went back to writing. With hesitation, opened the note expecting to see the most gut- wrenching compliment but no, it said "surprise at lunch time, meet us in gym". Avery felt a content and unsure. Shes never seen this kind of bullying before but never has made a friend before. So she eagerly waited for the clocked to strike 11:45.
She walked to the gym imagining what could it be, an apology, an invite? Maybe just an event that they invited her to or had to. She walked in the gym to see, the smiling girl waiting for her on the stage. " OH, yay! I was almost expecting you not to come since your not well, the social type", she said. Avery stopped in her tracks,she felt a bad feeling about this. Her mind was telling her leave but her heart was screaming for her to stay. The girl ran to her and pulled her to the stage where there was a table of makeup and concealer. Avery was confused but walked along anyway. She was pushed into the chair. " now the reason why I wanted to bring you here was because I felt sorry for you and looked like you need some friends but, I want you look different a new you" she said picking a makeup brush. " lets start with your blush" she applied a dusty makeup product to Avery's face making her cheeks a warm pinkish color. Then she added a some foundations and lip stick. Avery felt different as the girl added makeup to her face. She felt pretty for once. The ugliness was dripping away as finally showing the true self of Avery. "Ok, almost done keep your eyes closed"! Avery smiled, she was at the edge of her seat, she could wait until it was time to open her eyes. She the girl started to giggle she could could hear the steps of someone walking away and the lights shut off. She opened her eyes to see nothing but darkness. All of a sudden, FLASH! A camera light flashes onto her face then another one, then another, until the gym looks like a paparazzi for a gala. The lights made her look in the mirror she saw what was so funny. The makeup that the girl put on her looked ugly it was too much of everything. She felt humiliated. All the thoughts came running back. She felt so humiliated that she ran off the stage and into the bathroom but they kept following her, pointing at her, laughing at her. She was pushed into a corner. She felt like a turtle that has been strapped of its shell and now she wants to die.