Her

Chapter 6

A few weeks had passed, and school didn't seem to get any better for me. I hadn't succeeded in making a friend yet. All throughout the day, I was alone. I had no one to chat with beside me in class, no one to sit with at lunch, not even someone to tell my thoughts to as school dragged on. It was a very lonely feeling. Everyone else seemed happier. Laughing, gossiping, talking with their friends. It may seem simple, but those small things are what I really wanted the most.

I found myself staring at Elena from across the classroom in one of my classes. The teacher was writing on the chalkboard and explaining a lesson. But I was distracted by Elena. I wasn't trying to be creepy or stalkerish, but I just sat and admired how she looked. Every single perfection she had reminded me of a flaw I have. Her skin was tan and sunkissed, her light hair was curled and her face was perfect. She had voluminous eyelashes that accentuated her eyes, and her cheekbones looked as if she wore a gentle swipe of bronzer.

After school, I decided I was going to try to look like Elena. I was going to try to do my makeup like hers, this time a little more natural. I didn't really want to look exactly like her, I just wanted to see if I would look prettier with a little bit of makeup. Something that would highlight my features and make me look more noticeable. In the hallways at school, I was a ghost to everyone around me.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror with my sister's makeup on my lap. I took a small amount of bronzer and swiped it on my cheekbones, making sure it wasn't too harsh this time. I applied light mascara, and even a little bit of neutral colored eyeshadow to make my eyes pop. I still looked horrible compared to all of the other girls, but I felt a little.. prettier.

"Dinner!" My mom called.

I walked downstairs and was greeted by my family sitting at the table waiting for me. I took a seat and started eating from my plate when my sister opened her mouth to say something.

"Is that my makeup you're wearing?" She frowned. "I was looking for it earlier."

"I was just using some to practice with." I said after swallowing a bite of chicken pasta.

"You don't need to be wearing makeup anyway. Aren't you like, twelve?"

I shook my head. "I bet you wore makeup when you were in middle school too." I retorted.

"Yeah, but not until the end of seventh grade." Mireya rolled her eyes.

"I agree with your sister, Stella. You shouldn't even be wearing makeup." My mom chipped in and offered a disapproving look.

"Whatever. I was just practicing!" I defended myself.

"What is going on with you lately? Is everything alright at school?" My mom asked me.

"What? Everything's fine, why?"

"Because you've had an attitude lately and all of a sudden you need to wear makeup." She answered. I picked at my plate.

"Oh, leave her be. She just entered middle school, it's a lot different. She's growing up and wanting to experiment with makeup and what not." My dad surprised all of us by saying.

"Well, look. You can talk to me if anything's going on. That's all." My mom finished the conversation.