?Pretty’s On The Inside?
[The World thinks She’s ugly but He sees her Beauty?]
By; Authoress Kamara
Episode 2
?Paris Myers?
“But we are not any of those things, right?”. Rio looked up at me.
“Right!”.
“And don’t listen to Tiffany”. Rio continued talking. “You are more beautiful than she is”.
“You know I’d have believed that if I were blind but I’m not”.
He sighed softly. “Paris”.
“Its the truth, Rio. You don’t need to say all those lies to make me feel better, I know I’m ugly”.
“Ugly doesn’t you. Like I always say even before all this happened, you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen”.
“Even more beautiful than Rachael?”. I ask teasing him.
Rachael is actually his girlfriend.
He chuckles in response and I notice a sad gleam in his blue eyes indicating that either he’s disturbed by something or he’s sad.
“Rio. Are you okay?”. I hold his hand. “You can tell me anything, remember?”.
“No. Everything is okay”. He shakes his head in negation.
I nod still suspecting something, I went to the back of his wheelchair and helped him move it down the stairs carefully.
“Aunt Jenny made a welder build a tramp for you outside the porch just incase you need to go outside”. I informed him.
Rio laughed. “Why will I want to go outside ?”.
“Maybe to go out on a date with Rachael”. I say glancing at his expression. “Or maybe with another girl”.
“Who in their right mind will go out with someone like me?”.
“Rio, you are the one who’s telling me that we are not any of those things so why are you mentioning it now?”.
“‘Cause its my condition. I’m confined to a wheelchair, Paris. How do you want me to feel about it?”.
“What happened?”. I ask finally getting his chair downstairs.
No response.
I stare at him as he frowned thinking about something.
Just staring at Rio is like staring back into the mirror. Our blue eyes are so identical but other features are different.
“Rio?”.
“Rachael broke up with me!”.
Huh? I remember them being the sweetest and popular couple in sophomore year.
“What? Why?”.
“I guess she didn’t want to be with a guy whose life depends on a wheelchair”.
“Did she really say that?”.
“Come on, Sis. Lets go for dinner”. He says wheeling the chair away to the dining room.
I sigh and trail behind him as we got there, Aunt Jenny smiled on seeing us arrive.
Hm. Seems like Uncle Jerry isn’t around.
“About time!”. Tiffany muttered rolling her eyes.
“What took you two so long? I asked Tiff to get the two of you”.
“We just got kind of confused on our way here”. Rio answers.
I nod in agreement as I helped him out of the wheelchair and then he sat on one of the dining chairs.
He winced slightly before relaxing on the chair giving me an appreciative smile. I sat next to him as well.
“I made you both favorite, Paris”. Aunt says speaking up. “You both will like it. Its the way your__”.
“Thank you, Aunt”.
I just didn’t want her to mention my Mum or I might just get emotional right now.
I grip hold of the cutleries and dished out my food onto my plates. I look at Tiffany to see that hateful glare in her eyes again.
But she wasn’t glaring at me instead.
“Don’t tell me you are crippled in the hands as well”. Tiffany say watching Rio stare at his empty plate.
“Tiff!!”. Aunt Jenny shunned her. “Let your cousin be! He’ll dish out his food whenever he wants”.
I place my hand on Rio’s thigh but he shrug it off raising his hand to his ears. And I knew immediately that he was reduced the ability of his hearing aid.
He doesn’t want to hear Tiffany speak.
“So Paris. How would you like to school in Berkeley?”.
I pause looking at Aunt. “Berkeley?”.
“Yes, Berkeley. Don’t you know the school ?”.
“How is she supposed to know it, Mum?”. Tiffany replies with an eye roll. “We are in Los Angeles and she came from Britain”.
For a short moment there, Tiffany was right about us for once.
I certainly didn’t know anywhere in Los Angeles. Rio and I had lived in Britain all our lives until that incident.
“It doesn’t matter if she knows Berkeley or not … “. Aunt was saying. “She’s going to school there”.
“What?!!”. Tiffany shrieked. “Mum! You can’t do that, there’s no way I’m going to the same school with the both of them”.
“They are your cousins, Tiff”.
“And who cares? First, you brought them here and now I’m going to the same school with them?”.
I look down at my food unable to eat due to the heated exchange between she and her Mum all because of Rio and I.
I glance at Rio who was eating quietly not even looking up a bit. His hearing aid was in his left palm which means he can’t listen to the conversation going on right now.
“Mum, come on”.
“Give me on good reason why Paris can’t go to Berkeley just like you!”.
“I don’t want to be tagged as the cousin of both ugly and crippled !”.
And that was it!
The only resolve I had was broken down.
To be referred to as ugly really broke me.
I never chose to have a scarred face, Rio never chose to have his legs broken by the pillar falling on it.
We never chose for our home to be burnt or for our parents to die.
But this is life after all.
I just have face the fact that I’ll be tagged as ugly by the whole world. And the fact remains that my life will never be normal.
?Next Day?
I stare at my reflection in the mirror as I smoothened my dress before grabbing my backpack.
Somehow looking at myself in the mirror lowers my self-confidence. I got burn scars running down my cheeks.
I sigh and reached for my hoodie wearing it over my grey shirt. I pull the cover over my head and tucked my hands in the pockets walking out of the room.
Better go check on Rio.
I stop by his room and knocked before walking in. I sighted his hearing aid on the bed while he was still on the bed.
“Rio ?”. I whispered going close to him.
He held his phone in his hand staring into blank space. I touched him and he blinked rapidly before noticing that I was there.
“Are you okay!”.
“You ready for school?”. He asked instead ignoring my question.
“Yeah. You sure you don’t wanna go today? I can stay back and take care of you”.
“I’m fine, Paris”. He smiled a little. “I’ll just stay back at home. Besides, Aunt wants to get me a motorized wheelchair anyways”.
“Your legs will be fine. I’m sure you’ll be able to walk if the surgery gets done”.
“You need to stop worrying about me and go on to school. I’ll be fine, Paris”.
“Bye”. I muttered kssing his cheeks.
I stood straight and went out of his room going to the living room downstairs. I got down to see my Aunt there.
“Just in time, Paris. Come on, I’ll drive you to school myself”.
“I thought I’ll be going with Tiffany?”.
“She doesn’t want to go with you”. Aunt said sadly. “But I’ll drop you and help you with the registration and stuff, so lets go”.
“But what about Rio? Who’s going to take care of him?”.
“Rio will fine, now lets go ?”.
“Sure”.
“And remove the hoodie from your head, Paris. Why are you hiding your face?”.
I remove the hoodie fro my head and she smiled walking out through the entrance. I put the hoodie back over my head following her.
I can’t take any chances. What if those students doesn’t like me because of how I look?
I got into the car with Aunt Jenny and sat at the backseat. I immediately retrieved my headphones from my backpack putting it on.
Music. The only thing that calms me down.
I played my favorite duet ‘Shooting Star’ by Violet Summers and Xavier Marion.
Xavier Marion …
I researched about Berkeley High yesterday and found out that it was a school for the rich, like only for the wealthy personalities.
And also Xavier Marion attends it along with his childhood friend, Violet Summers.
Its odd that she’s the only girl that has ever sang a duet with him and yet they are not in any r©mantic relationship at all.
Well Berkeley High is owned by a board of some wealthy personalities who own shares in the school. Most of the teenage celebrities attend it as its the best in Los Angeles.
But Xavier is rarely seen as the media says he’s an introvert and always is on his own.
“We are here!”. Aunt Jenny’s voice broke into my thoughts and I look out the window glass.
I remove my headset and gape at the sight in front of me.
Aunt Jenny unlocked the car doors and I step out slowly mesmerized by the sight of Berkeley High.
I look around aware of different cars stopping as well and different classy girls and boys stepping out heading inside.
Oh Jeez! How’s it gonna be like schooling here?!.
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