𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞| 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗎𝗌 𝖻𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗋

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞

( 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 )

GWEN MARTINEZ HAS always been an overachiever, ever since she learned that she had to be smart to get validation from her parents, or from anyone.

Sure, it got her bullied, who would bully the nerd, let alone someone they called 'Mad Scientist' due to their curly hair. Each kid would tease her for her smartness and her tangles. Or at least that's what they called them. A birds nest, always asking why don't you straighten it?.

She'd rather have them bully her for being smart. Gwen knew better, she knew that they would be working for her one day, begging for money. As for her hair, now that was something she hated, ever since they pointed it out it was something she hated.

Her mother and father both had straight hair and then their one and only child comes out with curly hair. Type 3b-3c hair. More on the 3c type. Never the less, she hated it, kids teasing her, trying to put stuff in her hair to see if it'll stay and not fall out, constantly asking why don't you brush it?.

So she gave in one day. 6th grade, she brushed and straightened it, although her hair smelled burnt and oil mixed together, people looked at her differently. They actually talked to her, they didn't ask about the tangles, they said she was prettier now.

All except for one.

Marcus Baker came up to her after a week of straightening her hair everyday, the damages was starting to catch up to her a little. "You look stupid" Marcus said.

The two were outside of the school, it was 4pm, both waiting for their parents. "Excuse me?" She asked. Her and Marcus never talked, sure they shared classes in Elementary school, but once they got to Middle school, she got put in smarter classes while he stayed behind in on level.

"You look stupid" He said once more. "The hair" He said as he gestured to it.

Gwen was confused. Everyone else loved it, complimenting her on the length of it, how soft it was, how much prettier and put together she looked. How she looked cleaner.

"Everyone else seems to like it" Gwen dismissed as she stared at her shows. It was silent for a few moments before he spoke up.

"Well everyone else is stupid"

Gwen scoffed at that. She knew Marcus Baker's intelligence was less than most. "That's rich coming from you"

"You look prettier with curly hair" He said and she looked over at him. His face was so serious, she couldn't even believe those words came out of his mouth. He was chewing gum, it was something Gwen noticed a lot about him, always chewing gum, green, mint, always chewing it.

"Everyone else said I looked like a mad scientist" Gwen brought up as she looked back down at her shoes and the pavement. It was more interesting than looking at him, chewing his mint gum.

"They're just jealous they have boring hair" Marcus said and she heard his smirk. She hoped he would choke on his gum and stop talking to her.

"And I don't?" She asked.

"Your hair is boring now, but when it was curly you looked more like you" He said and Gwen still couldn't believe she was having a pretty decent conversation with Marcus Baker. Maybe that's why she wanted him to choke, he was actually being human.