The Ugly Side of Beauty

Chapter Twelve: Hello Stranger

A/N: Guys, I'm sorry for putting this off for so long, but I plan to be more diligent in updating this story. Please comment or vote, as your commentary encourages me to continue with renewed zeal, thanks!

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"Wait, what?!" 

They more or less exploded out of their seated spots in unison, all jumping up and backwards, like my words had been a tidal wave, wiping them out. 

"That's, like, a joke, right?" Jolene chuckled weakly, and the rest of them stared at me like I was about to grow eight more heads. 

I slowly shake my head. 

"But," poor, handsome Dan looked so lost in amazement. Nick's shrewd eyes had widened only minutely, but then I think he had suspected it all along. Chocolate was, as usual, inappropriately enjoying their reactions, snapping away and taking videos with her phone. Cindy had flown backwards and her mouth was still flapping open as she gaped at me. As for Tom...okay, although I said I was somewhat over him, I still didn't have this urge to look and gauge his reaction either. 

No, more like, I wanted to see his reaction more than the others', and that was just not right.

"I'm really that Lorelei D'Vina," I say again, and nod to affirm it, though I didn't think it made a difference at all. 

"But..." Cindy finally managed to make a sound, but then she looked me up and down, obviously comparing me to my modelling photos. "Show us...your face...?"

My heart leapt into my throat, and it pounded heavily there. I could feel my blood rushing in my veins and roaring thunderously in my ears. My hands shook, and my whole body rejected the idea, shuddering almost violently.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," Jolene immediately came to my defense, scowling at Cindy. 

I gave a singular, quick shake of my head. "No," I force out through chattering teeth. "I have to." It was ridiculous to be shivering at this high, island temperature, but I was. I lifted my hands to my face, and gripped the glasses hard. Today, just for this reveal, I didn't put any makeup. No makeup at all, nothing to make me ugly. 

No makeup, meaning all my natural, beautiful glory. The glasses were the only thing that hid it, along with the thick, unruly wisps of hair that I'd ruffled to cover my face. 

Now, trembling, I shoved my hair back and quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid, pulled off the cloudy glasses. There was a sharp intake of breath that was universal, and they stared with eyes so wide I thought their eyes were going to fall out of their heads. 

"Um, guys...?" I cringed back from their shock. I didn't know how to feel right now; as if I was feeling all the emotions in the world and yet none at the same time.

Chocolate recovered the fastest because she had seen the filtered version just yesterday, and nudged the others. "Hey, come on y'all, you're boring holes into her head-lah." 

"Diam-lah, Chocolate," (shut up, Chocolate) Nick playfully shoved at her, and the intense moment was broken. The others looked at each other uncertainly, as if knowing what my face looked like changed things. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, I just..." I didn't know what to say, and so let my sentence trail off.

"PTSD, right?" Jolene murmured sympathetically. 

They grinned and shrugged, seeming to struggle a little, but for the most part, they already accepted it. 

I didn't deserve any of them as friends. When I thought 'friends', I immediately thought of Tom, and risked a little peek at him, hoping to see something positive reflecting back. Instead, his face had become unreadable. It wasn't the open, smiling face of the guy I'd been fighting an attraction to since going to our school.