The Brighter Side of Things

Chapter 27

It never occurred to me that I had to wear a freakin' small scrap of clothing as was a requirement for all muses. I had expected to wear a dress, sure. But not the kind that was so short that the hem of the skirt ended mid-thigh! To make matters worse, it had to be color yellow because I was representing Aureus Polaris (I wasn't paying attention when they came up with the team name. I was told it should mean Golden Star).

I didn't know which one to be appalled by—the length of the skirt or the color of the dress. I knew I had once dreamt of wearing yellow-colored clothing. But only if I wasn't tan at birth!

"What are you so worried about?" Lexi seemed perplexed at my predicament. "You're wearing cycling shorts underneath. Even if the wind blew and lifted your skirt, we won't see anything."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Lexi, thanks," I sarcastically muttered, looking at my reflection in the mirror wearing the hideous thing.

"And you have great legs. You have to show it off more often."

I waved my hand at her, dismissing her patronizing comment. "This is just... do you see the effect of yellow on my skin?" Take note, it wasn't pale yellow. It's the shade that hurt the eye when under direct sunlight. I was afraid anyone who looked at me would get visually impaired.

"It's bright. You'll stand out. If you'd ask me, that works to your advantage," Lexi pointed out and headed to the door to open it after we heard several knocks.

Right. This looking for a silver lining in everything took practice. Especially for someone like me who had been in a gloomy, negative mood for all of my life.

Mama came in with refreshments. She managed to put down the tray on my study table before gushing, "Oh my goodness! You look absolutely gorgeous, Felicity!" For her satisfaction, she requested for me to do a complete turn which I reluctantly did. "Kalagu mo! You're so beautiful!"

"I told you," Lexi seconded matter-of-factly. "She's concerned that yellow doesn't fit her skin color, Tita."

Mama shook her head and held my shoulders at an arm's length. "Any color will look good on you." She led me to the full-length mirror and stood beside me. "You just have to stand straight," she pushed my back inwards, pulled back my shoulders and gently, lifted my chin up. "And feel confident knowing that you are beautiful. Repeat that over and over until you start to feel that way. Don't forget to smile. It will radiate to people around you."

🏀🌞🏀

It was the opening day of St. Matthew's Intramurals. And I had been receiving odd stares when I emerged from the Home Economics room (it was Aureus Polaris' assigned dressing room) wearing the short, bright yellow dress. I wore an equally-bright yellow headband, pulling my bangs back which was something new. I had been so used to hiding behind the wall that was my hair, hunched my back, so that I wouldn't be a walking target. To be honest, I still felt like one. My brain still churned out nasty comments just by the fact that out of all the more eligible females in our team, I was voted to be the muse. From the years of paying more attention to the negative comments, it took a while to block the snickers, to ignore the shady looks thrown at my direction. Remembering Mama's words, I headed to the area where I knew the people who mattered, waited for me.

The people who mattered were much more than a handful, it seemed. Because Mama, Papa and Kuya Six—came with moral support—the entire San Rafael Voyagers—to see the Intramurals. 'Embarrassed' wouldn't even describe the way I felt when I met with my parents only to find out there's a whole battalion of them waiting for me at the canteen. The way they started fussing all over me, shoving at each other for selfies with me, turned curious heads and I wanted to sink into a hole.