There is little time before I say farewell to the school life. The guys started to get ready for the graduation party a few months earlier, picking up hairstyles and clothes and thinking about who they can invite. Girls want to show everyone their best dresses, and boys hope to have a lot of fun. But it's clear, because the prom happens once in life. It will be gone soon, and only memories will be left. Nice for one and bad for another.
Most likely, for me, it will not be the best moment in my life. I am not actually sure if I will go. Nobody is waiting for me there. And there is not a girl that would agree to accept my invitation to go to the prom with me. My shy attempts to invite someone led to an absolute failure. They were openly bullying me. Yes, I am not the most popular guy in school. And how could I be the one when everyone considers me ugly? In their opinion. The worst bullies in the school and all their friends constantly laugh at my appearance and mock me in all ways. Just because I do not fit the standards of beauty that they came up with. Because I am not the dream of all girls and the mean guy they have a crush on.
It hurts that people sometimes judge you by your appearance and do not even want to try to get closer to you. Why do some people ignore you just because you are not beautiful enough for them? Yes, I do not have an incredible six-pack and tough biceps. I have serious issues with the skin of my face. I look too pale and skinny. I know I am too far from the perfect handsome boy that all girls dream about. But alas, I am not guilty that I was born like this. I did not choose my appearance. However, I do not even try to make someone sure that they are wrong. It's worthless. I was bullied and will always be. I am just silent and thinking of my studies. Thinking about where I can go to study after graduation from school.
Chemistry was the last lesson for today. After it's over, I take my stuff from my personal locker and leave the building of the school. On the way, I sometimes watch what guys are doing. Some girls are laughing at someone. Some boys are talking about something. Showing off for each other, I guess. They do really love to measure their strength and do something for a beat. They are hardly worried about their studies and think about their future. They only want to have fun and laugh at someone. And watch some tough guys mocking weak ones. While someone gets on the school bus, and someone gets into their personal car, I decide to go to my home on my feet and breathe in some air. I love walking somewhere without a rush and admiring the incredible beauty of nature, enjoying the good weather.
Luckily, I do not see anyone of my offenders. They use any free second to annoy me and tell me about my shortcomings for the hundredth time. That's why I am starting to doubt myself more and more every day. And think that my mother is lying to me when saying I am the prettiest and sweetest boy in the world. She always tells me not to pay attention to their words, but it's madly hard. Sometimes I want to get up and show those bullies where they belong so badly, but I understand that I am weaker than all of them and might regret opening my mouth. Nevertheless, I am happy everything will be over soon, and the guys will stop reminding me that I will never be successful with an appearance like mine.
At some moment, I think about one girl that makes my heart beat faster. She is slim, with long brown hair and amazing gray eyes. The most beautiful girl in our school, in my opinion. I have been having tender feelings for her for a long time, but I hide it so hard because she does not need such an ugly man. She would better prefer the six-foot, big guy that she is dating. One of the worst bullies in school that literally hates me and turns every single day that I spend at school into a real hell. However, I have already understood that I should count on nothing. I do not dream of going to the prom together and dancing a slow dance, as we look at each other with a tender smile. That's why I just watch her from afar. I secretly admire her stunning smile, imagine how her glossy long hair smells... I am happy for her when she has a good mood. And I am sad when something happens to her.
I let my fantasy get deeper and imagine her and myself spending time together. How we would be laughing, having fun, doing something together... It's probably stupid to dream about the one that will never be with me. She hardly knows about my existence and does not notice me when our eyes meet somewhere in the school halls or one of the offices. But because I have already accepted the fact that luck would never run to me, it no longer hurts my heart so much. Yes, I waste time imagining myself next to her. But I feel in this case. Thoughts about that girl help me hold on and not to go crazy two months before I get the certificate for graduating from school.
But when I barely fall into my fantasies deeper and smile shyly with a feeling of something nice that is spreading over my whole body, someone comes to me from behind, sharply takes my backpack off my shoulders, and throws it on the asphalt rudely. It's the main offender that I talked about before. The one, who probably spends a whole day in a gym class, judging how many muscles he has got. And he stands in front of the mirror for a half hour to get his thick light brown hair done. I also see one more boy, who is two or three times bigger than me, and two girls. One of them is a brunette with short, loose hair, and another is a blonde with hair brushed into a tail. They are one of the most popular girls at school. But they have a deeply low IQ and care only about cosmetics, hair, and clothes.
"My backpack!" I exclaim with horror in my eyes.
"Oh, here's our ugly boy!" the bully laughs evilly.
"Where are you going, loser?" his best friend asks, putting his backpack on the bench placed not far from us. "Are you rushing to see your mommy and make her happy with good scores?"
"What does he have to do when he's got an ugly face?" the brunette shrugs. "So, our loser is trying to work off his gold medal. So, his mommy puts it on the shelf later."
"Oh, yeah, and then she will tell everyone how smart her sonny is," the blonde laughs evilly.
Everybody starts thrilling with loud laughter, while I move my eyes down shyly, and my heart starts beating faster from the fear caused by the fact that I stepped far enough from school, and there is nobody around.
"Hey, Clarke, did you swallow up your tongue again?" the bully asks and strongly beats me on the back of my head. "Why aren't you talking to us?"
"His mommy whispered in his ear that if he was as quiet as a mouse, we would get sick of annoying him and leave him alone," the brunette replies confidently.
"Oh, not, such defective and ugly fellows must know where they belong and remember that they are worthless," the friend of the bully smirks evilly. "So, they don't even dare to think about becoming the most popular ones in school."
"Serious?" the blonde chuckles loudly. "This slim pale fellow? Huh! I wouldn't lie in a bed with this ugly nerd even for money!"
"Stop, please," I make an attempt to say something hesitantly and quietly.
"Aw, look, our Peyton is saying something," the friend of the bully smiles widely.
"Maybe, let's make his ugly face a little worse?" the blonde suggests with a mysterious smile, putting her bag on the bench.
"Oh, yeah!" the brunette agrees happily, doing the same thing.
"Hey, Ronald, do you have some food?" the friend of the bully asks.
"Today, I have something very special," Ronald smiles mysteriously, taking his backpack off his shoulders. "Perfect for making Clarke wash all of it off his clothes and curly hair."
Ronald throws his backpack on the ground after taking a little box from it. It's something from food, undoubtedly. Something with a lot of oil, ketchup, and mayonnaise. This guy loves fat and caloric food. It's amazing that loving this kind of food does not turn him into a huge elephant. I believe his intense workouts lead to some good results... And at some moment, I move his scared eyes aside and see the girl, for who I feel sympathy, standing not far from us. She is standing aside shyly and looks a little timid, as she squeezes the handle of her bag.
"Hey, Meredith, where's your lipstick?" the brunette asks the one, who just came to us.
"Yes, friend, let's write something on his forehead," the blonde suggests.
"Uh-h-h, I don't have it," Meredith, the one, the sympathy of who I can never count on, replies hesitantly in a quiet, thin voice.
"What do you mean?"
"No. Mom took it from me."
"No, no, you must have it!"
Meredith's friends take her bag without permission and start looking for something that they need, while she embraces herself with both arms tightly. At some moment, I see that girl glancing at me with sympathy, as if she apologizes to me for what's happening but lets me know that she can do nothing. At least, I do not feel hurt that the girl, who I like so much, never participates in the bullying over me and always says nothing. She is actually not very talkative and does what her friend tells her obediently. She never goes against Ron, who sometimes treats her too terribly. I have become a witness to him screaming at the poor girl, making her do something rudely, and even daring to criticize her appearance rudely. If she is not beautiful enough for him, she has to get over hard things. But I cannot protect her.
"Gosh, Meredith, you're an idiot!" the brunette resents. "Why didn't you the hell take it?"
"You've got a long-lasting one!" the blonde adds. "This pizza face would spend a lot of time trying to remove it."
"C'mon, girls, don't worry!" Ronald's friend exclaims funnily. "Let's use markers! I have all the colors! Whichever you want!"
"So what, freak, c'mon, bring your face here!" Ronald laughs evilly. "We will have a lot of fun now!"
"No..." I pronounce.
"Hey, Bryan, video! Girls, do it, too! So, we post it on the Internet!"
Bryan does not have to get orders. He earlier took his mobile phone and started recording a video, looking forward to what is going to happen right now. I barely realize how Ronald throws a part of what there is in the plastic box on my head. That's why my hair gets oily because of oil and starts to smell like ketchup. Bryan thrills with loud laughter, and Meredith's friends do not hide their smiles, taking their mobile phones and starting to take photos.
"C'mon, buddy, again, again!" Bryan encourages funnily. "Not enough! Not enough!"
"Stop, please!" I beg with despair.
"Shut up, freak," Ronald throws rudely. "Sit and be silent!"
Ronald already dirties my snow-white shirt with his burger with a cutlet. That's why it gets a big oily spot. Which my mother will have to wash off for two or three hours again. That's good I am now wearing a dark coat, so I can hide it by closing the zipper.
"Yeah, that's right!" the blonde exclaims loudly.
"This defective one deserves it!" Bryan says.
"Look, look, our boy is gonna cry now," the brunette laughs with mockery. "He barely holds his tears down."
"Because he is a mamma's boy!" Ronald smirks evilly. "A girl, whose tears always must be wiped off by someone."
"Why are doing this to me?" I wonder, while my eyes get wet. "Why do you hate me so much? What did I do?"
"Because you just came into this world, stinker."
Ronald sharply takes the glasses off me and dirties them with the same cutlet with a lot of oil on it.
"I would not feel sorry about sacrificing my burgers to make your face much uglier," Ronald says rudely.
"Please, leave me alone," I beg in a shaking voice. "I've gotta go home."
When I barely move off and want to take my backpack and go far from this gang, Ronald tightly grabs me under an arm, turns me on himself, and beats me in the face so strongly that it immediately starts burning. While his friends put their phones in their pockets and follow him. This big guy does have a very heavy hand. He can easily strike down such a skinny and weak boy like me.
"Hey, trash, where are you going?" Ronald resents. "Did you really go insane?"
"How do you dare to turn your back on the most popular and handsome guy at our school?" the brunette resents.
"Didn't your mommy teach you good manners?" the blonde asks. "Didn't she explain that everyone must respect the best and most imitable fellows?"
"Yeah, such ugly people like you must be silent, incline their heads and do everything they are told!" Bryan adds rudely. "And you, bastard, dare to run away from Ron!"
"Exactly!" Ronald roars. "Who are you to treat me like this? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"
I get a strong slap in the face from Ronald again, while he gets literally green from anger and clenches his hands into fists with a heavy breath.
"You, asshole, must eat the ground that I walk on. Kiss my legs and ask for permission for ANY action."
"He hasn't learned it for so many years," Bryan laughs evilly.
"I am talking to you, defective nerd! Hey, Clarke? Are you deaf?"
"He is just staring at Meredith!" the brunette says funnily. "Look how he's drooling now!"
"Hey, why would she need him?" the blonde laughs evilly. "Meredith would never pay attention to such an ugly idiot."
"The hottest and most beautiful girl cannot even just stand next to this pathetic reject," Bryan says confidently.
"Yes, yes, I see how this deadbeat stares at my girlfriend," Ronald says in a low, rude voice. "I see how long he looks at her!"
"Relax, Clarke, you will never get Meredith," the blonde says confidently.
"And don't even dare to think about inviting her to the prom," the brunette adds.
"Crystal and Paige are right, she will never agree to go with you," Bryan adds.
"Right, because Meredith will go with me," Ronald says. "And ONLY WITH ME! BECAUSE SHE IS MINE!"
"Please, guys..." I try to speak again.
"Remember, Clarke, I will not forgive you for staring at my girlfriend. I will not close my eyes to imagining her lying in the bed with you."
"Ugh, I imagined something like this and am gonna get sick," Crystal, the girl with blonde hair, winces strongly.
"Yeah, lying in the bed with this freak that is able to do nothing," Paige scoffs loudly. "No, come on!"
"No, Meredith will not go so far," Ronald says confidently. "She knows what she is and does not doubt that she deserves the best."
"Yeah, such a handsome boy like Ronald Palmer," Crystal adds with a wide smile.
"Though, I'm not afraid of you," Ronald says confidently. "You aren't my opponent. Meredith will not waste time on the mammy's boy. And you are too cowardly just to talk to her."
"Yeah, Clarke has had a crush on her literally since Class 6 or 7," Bryan reminds. "And all this time, he has been just hiding behind bunches of books and watching her."
"Even if he got the most popular girl at school, he would not become the all-favorite boy anyway," Paige says. "He would keep being an outsider."
"And the guys would wonder how such a gorgeous girl like Meredith could pay attention to this defective creature," Crystal smirks evilly.
"Stop, please!" I beg with despair, understanding that I am starting to get sick of these people bullying me. "Leave me alone."
"No, Clarke, don't even hope!" Bryan shakes his head. "We will not get off you. You will have to have a deal with us if you're a few miles away from us."
"I shall do anything you want... But I'm begging you, stop mocking me."
"Huh, you will do everything we tell you anyway! Do our homework, help us with tests, and make any project... You, freak, will not dare to refuse."
"Yeah, and you will say nothing if we tell you to do something," Ronald agrees.
"Please, guys..." I beg with eyes that got wet from tears.
"On your knees, freak! ON YOUR KNEES, I SAID!"
I feel a strong hit on my back and, losing my balance, fall on the asphalt immediately. After this, Ronald grabs me by the hair painfully and leans my head back sharply, literally killing me with his icy look. And I barely notice how Meredith standing aside and watching this with horror in her eyes, but not finding the courage to meddle and make the lads stop mocking her.
"Close your mouth, nerd," Ronald hisses through his teeth. "I swear, if you say just one word, you will regret it."
"Ron, please, stop," Meredith begs quietly, hesitantly for the first time in a while, making my heart stop for a moment.
"Shut up!" Ronald cuts off rudely. "Stay silently while I am taking to some deadbeats."
"If someone sees you, you will ask for trouble. People will call the police, and you'll be taken to the police station."
"Didn't you understand what I just said?"
"Ron, please..."
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"Don't talk to her like this," I try to protect Meredith.
"AND YOU SHUT UP BEFORE I SEW YOUR MOUTH!"
"Hey, guys, let's write something with pens and markers on the pizza face of this freak?" Paige suggests cheerfully.
"Yes, yes!" Crystal agrees. "So, he goes home with this beauty and wonders why people stare at him so amazingly."
"Leave me..." I beg with despair.
"Hey, I've got a black waterproof marker!" Bryan says happily, checking out his black backpack and taking something from his pencil case.
"I've got a red one!" Paige exclaims.
"Excellent!" Ronald smiles widely with his head proudly up. "That's what we need."
"He will not wash all these signatures off his face with water," Crystal assures.
"Don't do this, guys!" I beg a little louder. "I don't want!"
"Nobody asks you, Clarke," Bryan cuts off sharply. "C'mon, bring your piggy face to us."
"Guys, stop!" Meredith begs with tears in her eyes. "Leave him."
"If you don't shut up now, I shall make your face ugly, too," Ronald threatens. "And I will tear your clothes that make you look as ugly as this scumbag does."
"I don't want my mom to swear at me for everything you're doing."
"Alright, fellows, don't listen to her whining." Ronald tightly grabs me by the shoulders, not letting me get on my feet and making me sit on the cold and dirty asphalt. "I'm holding Clarke."
"Come here, nerd," Bryan pronounces with a sly smile, squatting down, squeezes my jaw, and turns my face on himself by force. "We will draw something now."
"Don't do this!" I shout with widely open eyes. "Stop it!"
"C'mon, guys, I give absolute freedom to your fantasy," Ronald says confidently.
No matter how hard I resist, Crystal, Bryan, and Paige start drawing something on my face with markers. It seems like Ronald's gang decided to mock me as much as possible and draw something that would make my hair stand. Today, I am going to catch bad looks from people passing by me and even answer questions about what it all means. And the fact that these people want to write tons of insults on my face is half of the problem. The worst thing is that they might decide to draw some bad things on it. Sexual genitals, for example. If it happens, I will have to feel a much stronger shame and do my best to hide it all from people. I will be terribly ashamed of going back home and getting caught by my mother, who will spend a lot of time removing these signatures and drawings. It's not so easy, knowing that Bryan, Crystal, and Paige use waterproof markers.
"Oh, look, how beautiful it is!" Bryan exclaims with a wide smile, drawing something on my face with a special pleasure.
"Now, everyone will know who Peyton Clarke is," Crystal says confidently, making some signatures.
"I'm so sorry that Barry couldn't go to school today," Paige adds. "He would be happy to help us."
"Oh, yeah, this dude missed all the best events," Ronald smiles slyly. "But it's okay, we will send him photos on WhatsApp and laugh all together."
Everybody thrills with loud laughter, and I pray to all Gods that this hell finally ends as soon as possible. Today is probably the worst day of my life. These guys always mock me. Everywhere. During the lessons, at the cafeteria, in the restroom, outside... With the pretense of fellows, with the pretense of teachers, when nobody is around... Always! Ronald, Crystal, Bryan, and Paige are heartless and do not even think about leaving me alone. They never miss the moment to steal my stuff, play with them, throw food over my head, splash water over me, push me in the ladies' restroom, or give me a couple of strong hits that are the reason why my whole body hurts.
At some moment, I glance aside and see Meredith barely holding her tears down, as she watches her friends and boyfriend mocking me. This girl has never hurt me and said even one bad word, even though the guys have made her do this many times. She just stands aside, cries quietly, and watches the cruelty they put me under. Ah, I wish I told Meredith that she does not deserve these friends and this boyfriend, who think she is nothing. I really want this girl to be surrounded by good people that would always listen to her and not mock weak and unprotected people.
"Listen, it's awesome!" Ronald exclaims with a wide smile. "Excellent job, guys!"
"I love it, too," Crystal says confidently. "It's some kind of masterpiece!"
"Let's take more photos!" Paige suggests funnily. "So, the guys admire this creature!"
"Bring your face here, trash!" Bryan demands rudely after he takes his phone from his pocket. "We will have a lot of fun now."
"Don't turn your head, idiot!" Ronald throws rudely, turning my head to the camera of Bryan's phone sharply. "Don't turn, I said!"
I hear multiple clicks that Bryan's mobile phone makes. He takes pictures of my painted face that I try to hide so hard.
"Damn, it's all blur!" Bryan resents.
"What were you told, brainless donkey?" Ronald asks rudely and grabs me by the collar of my shirt tightly. "DON'T TURN YOUR STUPID HEAD! DON'T DO THIS!"
"No, you just look at this insolent fellow!" Crystal smirks evilly. "He definitely went loose!"
"Do we invite the boys here and beat you as strongly as possible?" Paige asks. "To teach some little trash to obey popular people."
"Ar-r-r, this freak is getting me more irritated," Bryan growls irritably. "Stay the hell QUIET!"
"Please..." I make a moan full of pity.
"CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, REJECT!" Ronald gets wild and gives me a strong slap in my face with a loud shout. "SHUT UP BEFORE I STRANGLE YOU!"
"My God, you will kill him now..." Meredith pronounces in a shaking voice with a scare in her half-wet eyes, closing her mouth with both hands.
"If you aren't silent, you will ask for trouble, too," Bryan threatens.
"Yeah, here's the protector!" Crystal scoffs evilly.
"What kind of kindness?" Paige asks.
"Because I don't want you to kill him," Meredith says with despair. "You will not avoid the punishment if something happens to him."
"I don't care what you want!" Ronald says rudely. "If I said this freak would be dead, IT MEANS IT WILL HAPPEN SO!"
"Ronald, please, stop it..."
"Gosh, Meredith, what an idiot you are," Paige sighs tiredly.
"Just don't tell me you're protecting this defect of nature," Crystal adds.
"No, but..." Meredith tries to take a word hesitantly.
"Finally, I've got some good photos," Bryan smiles smugly, taking a few more pictures on his phone.
"Ah, it's so good!" Crystal pronounces with enjoyment.
"Send it all to the guys now," Paige says cheerfully. "So, they admire this beauty."
"Of course, there are many ugly guys and nerds at our school, but you're the ugliest of all of them," Ronald says with contempt. "There's nobody uglier than you."
"Why don't your mommy give you some money, so you treat the acne on your face somehow?" Paige asks.
"Ugh, dating a pizza face freak is the worst punishment for any girl," Crystal winces strongly, fixing her hair.
"Ha, even plastic surgery wouldn't help him!" Bryan smirks evilly, checking out something on his phone. "No matter how hard you try to dress up a pig, it will never become a deer."
"That's why he will be lonely all his life and reach for nothing," Ronald says confidently. "He was a pathetic loser and will always be the one."
"Yeah, it would be okay if his parents had a lot of money – we could stand him somehow," Crystal adds. "But he is a beggar! Without a father! He is raised by his mommy that got Clarke too close to her skirt."
"I would not bear this freak even if he was the richest man in the world!" Ronald says in a low, rude voice. "Standing next to someone like him is already disgusting."
"Why?" I make a quiet sob. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"We've told you about it many times."
"Yes, I've got skin issues. Yes, I've got acne. Yes, I'm not a jock. Not a handsome guy. But does it really matter? Who cares about how a person looks? What's wrong with not looking like a supermodel? Your appearance doesn't make sense when you feel good with someone!"
"Huh, did your mommy teach you this?" Paige smirks evilly. "Did she make you tell everyone that beauty doesn't matter? That even freaks have a right to be popular and successful!"
"It's stupid to judge people by the way they look."
"Listen, Clarke, if you've got an ugly face, use your brains at least a little," Bryan advises. "You should understand that such freaks like you have no chance to live a happy life."
"A beautiful appearance doesn't always decide it all."
"Hey, why did you become so talkative?" Crystal resents. "You were as silent as a fish in the water, but now you opened your mouth."
"Indeed, Clarke, did you go insane?" Ronald frowns strongly and grabs me by the collar tightly. "Did you forget who you are dealing with? Did you forget who we the hell are?"
"Some little trash will never tell such important people like us what to do, what to say, and what to think!" Bryan adds.
"Your status of beautiful girls and handsome guys will not make sense in your adult life," I say bravely. "You will be judged by your actions. Your character."
"Damn it, close your dirty mouth, at last," Ronald throws irritably and slaps me in the face strongly. "You annoyed us!"
"Listen, I think this asshole asks for some worse trouble," Crystal crosses her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, maybe, do we kick him?" Paige suggests. "So, he remembers well where he belongs. Remembers when he can say something, and when he cannot do it."
"Maybe, do we beat his face?" Bryan smiles mysteriously.
"What?" Meredith pronounces loudly, opening her eyes widely. "No! No, don't do this! Don't do this!"
"Excellent idea, guys!" Ronald rubs his hands happily. "I haven't worked my hands for ages."
My heart immediately stops when I hear it. If Ronald wants to beat me, I will spend a whole week coming to myself. He does not beat me often, but he does it as strongly as possible. The last time, it happened somewhere two months ago, when this boy and his friends caught me a few miles away from school and decided to work on some hits by using me. They beat me to blood. My whole body was strongly hurt. I could barely move. Thank God, I was saved by some strangers that were passing by, scared the boys, took me to the hospital, and explained what happened to my mother. Otherwise, that day would have been the last one in my life. That has never been sweet. But I am afraid I will not survive today because Ronald and Bryan are very determined to beat me together, not caring about what might happen to them if someone saw what is happening.
"No, Ron, don't d-d-do this..." I pronounce with horror in my eyes.
"The last time, you were madly lucky that I didn't kill you," Ronald says rudely and grabs me by the hair painfully, setting his bloodshot eyes into my scared eyes. "But this time, nothing can stop me."
"Please... No... I can do anything you want... Just don't beat me."
"Don't be a girl, Clarke. Stop crying with the hope that your tears would make me feel sorry and wish to befriend you."
"We will call the boys now and invite them here, so they help us and admire what's gonna happen right now," Bryan threatens.
"Trust us, nobody will refuse to come. Everyone will be happy to watch you lie on the ground and whine like a hungry dog."
"You're cruel..." I shake my head. "Why do you have so much hate? Why do you hate weak people so much?"
"This is the law of sociality, Clarke," Paige says confidently. "Only the strongest people survive, while the weak ones die."
"And you've never answered the boys back and tried to resist them," Crystal adds.
"Because he is scared!" Bryan exclaims. "He's afraid to mess up with those, who are two times stronger than him and able to bring this freak to another world."
"Well, he's got the brains to do this. He does know he cannot fight with such tough guys like you and Ronald."
"Alright, stop talking!" Ronald orders with his head proudly up. "It's time to work! Otherwise, we will be busy with this nerd until the evening."
"Yes, yes, boys, show him who decides everything!" Paige encourages happily. "So, this freak knows anyone would regret standing in your way."
"Hey, Bryan, help me! Crystal, Paige, Meredith, take your phones and record a video of everything."
"Pick up good views and try not to catch our faces," Bryan says. "We don't want to have problems."
"Right! What if there is a rag that can show our videos to adult people, who may love to tell the cops about us."
"No, no, we don't need it!"
"Don't worry, guys, we will make everything excellent," Crystal promises with a wide smile.
"Well, even if your faces are caught, we will cut them or blur them when editing it," Paige adds. "I can do everything good and quick."
"Thanks, dolls, you're gems," Bryan thanks with a tender smile.
"Okay, guys, let's go!" Ronald orders. "Let's not waste time!"
I am starting to be worried about my life and myself more and more. It seems like these guys are very determined. So, it means I will be dead if I do nothing and let them mock me. Not thinking much, I get up on my feet with a heavy breath and try to grab my backpack, and run as far as possible. But alas, I am a terrible sportsman. After running one meter, I start to choke, and Ronald and Bryan catch me for a few seconds.
"Where are you going, freak?" Bryan asks rudely and gives me a strong slap in the face, after which it starts burning. "We haven't dealt with you yet!"
"Don't even think of getting off us so easily," Ronald adds rudely. "You got it, bastard?"
Ronald pushes me in the back so strongly that I immediately fall on the ground and almost let my face meet the asphalt.
"And don't hope someone would help you," Ronald adds. "Your beloved mommy is far and cannot protect her dear sonny."
"Don't do this, don't beat me!" I beg with a scare in my widely open eyes. "Don't do this!"
"Girls, are recording videos?" Bryan asks.
"Yes, yes, Bryan!" Crystal pronounces funnily.
"C'mon, boys, show this defective freak where he belongs!" Paige encourages.
Bryan and Ronald give me a few strong slaps in the face, along with the evil laughter of Paige and Crystal. I do my best to protect the most vulnerable areas not to let these tough guys hurt me. And I do not even try to protect myself because I understand I, a short and scrawny boy with weak arms, cannot stand against these big guys.
"Yea-a-ah, guys, you're the best!" Paige exclaims happily.
"Oh, boys, you're so strong and brave!" Crystal pronounces with admiration. "For such guys like you, anyone could go through fire and water."
"Pity me..." I beg silently. "Pity me..."
"Don't whine there!" Bryan throws rudely and gives me a couple of slaps in my face. "Scumbag..."
"Get it, freak!" Ronald smirks evilly and beats me in the face with his fist. "Get it!"
At this moment, I feel a strong pain in my jaw that literally paralyzed my whole body. Biting the bullet, I barely hold down a wish to cry from pain and my wish to scream at the top of my lungs. The realization of the fact that I have nobody that could answer these big guys with dignity makes me much more frightened and dream of dying more and more. Well, or at least lose consciousness not to feel all this kind of endless hell.
"C'mon, buddy, don't hold yourself down," Ronald encourages. "Beat as strongly as you can."
"I don't even think about pitying this reject," Bryan says with his head proudly up.
"I want him to feel the UNBEARABLE PAIN!"
Ronald gives me such a painful hit with his leg somewhere in my stomach that I cannot just hold down a loud shout, and tears get out of my eyes by themselves.
"No!" Meredith begs loudly, with despair, running to Paige and Crystal, who are recording what's happening on their mobile phones. "Stop it all right now!"
"Serious?" Crystal wonders and scoffs evilly. "Never!"
"Stop, boys! You're gonna kill him now!"
"Listen, Meredith, if you have nothing to say, you better stay silent," Paige says rudely. "Or you better never speak. Because you're a brainless idiot."
"Why are you doing this to him? What did he do to make you treat him like this?"
"Huh, did you decide to become his protector?" Bryan wonders. "Since when have you stood by the side of this defective freak?"
"Peyton is not defective and ugly! You did decide that he was kinda different. Though, this guy is actually the same as you are."
"Your friends are right, Meredith," Ronald says in a low voice. "When you open your mouth, we want to put earplugs in our ears. Not to hear all your nonsense."
"My God, how did you get so much evil?" Meredith wonders. "People, hello! What's happening to you?"
"If Clarke didn't look like trash, he would have a chance to live a quiet life," Bryan says confidently. "But because he's got an ugly face and bad body, he will have to pay for this."
"So, do you think only handsome people from the cover of the magazine have a right to befriend everyone and be beloved? Do you think people with an ordinary appearance don't deserve happiness and cannot be successful?"
"Clarke will never be successful," Ronald replies rudely. "He will never become rich, meet a wife, and make children... He will always be next to his mommy until she dies."
"Gosh, why are you listening to this stupid idiot?" Bryan wonders. "C'mon, let's defeat Clarke!"
"Don't dare to hurt him!" Meredith says loudly and determinedly. "Stop it right now!"
"Meredith, don't do this, for God's sake..." I beg silently, being afraid that these people might get wild and do something to her.
"Hey, I did not understand something..." Ronald pronounces in a low voice and comes to Meredith in a quick step. "Why are you the hell protecting Clarke? Why do you the hell dare to go against me and TELL ME WHAT TO DO?"
"Don't you think you've become too arrogant?" Meredith puts her hands on her hips. "You mock everyone not to be able to stand for themselves every single day!"
"Don't make me wild, Young. If you don't close your mouth now, you will have to regret it very much."
"Yeah? Try then! What can you do to me?"
"I think you forgot you became a popular girl thanks to me. Thanks to the fact that you became my girlfriend and got everything possible from me."
"You know, my sweetie, I am starting to doubt that the decision to date you was right."
"What?" Ronald opens his eyes widely. "What do you mean?"
"I am starting to get really sick of you, your pal, and these two stupid bitches treating me like shit."
"What, what?" Paige resents. "What did you say? Are we stupid bitches?"
"I think it's time to think about whether you are the people that are my friends."
"Ha, you don't have friends!" Bryan smirks evilly. "Everyone befriends you just because of Ron. Because he asked the guys to be nice to you. And nobody actually needs you."
"You think you surprised me?"
"It's the truth, Meredith," Ronald confirms. "If I say at least one word today, the whole school will start to ignore you tomorrow. Or bully you as well as everyone does to this mamma's boy, Clarke."
"Do what you want!" Meredith says with her head proudly up. "We have very little time anyway! Two months before I never see you and those I study with again."
"And these two months will be the real hell for you if you don't shut up now and do not stand aside, as you've always done it before," Crystal threatens.
"I was such an idiot..." Meredith shakes her head slightly, looking at everybody. "Why didn't I notice that you all were real snakes? My mother warned me that I shouldn't befriend you so many times, but I never listened to her. I was happy I got attention from the most popular guys in the school. But I was deeply wrong about you."
"You know, we don't need you, either," Crystal says rudely. "I confirm the boys' words and say we really tolerated you because of Ron."
"Excellent! So, from this moment, you and I are no longer friends. I feel good, and you're happy."
"What?" Ronald resents, literally getting white from anger and clenching his hands into fists tightly. "Are you serious?"
"Like never ever! I don't want and will not communicate with the people that let themselves mock weak fellows and thin people around them are trash. And if someone has some shortcomings, you immediately add them to your blacklist and mock poor guys every day. And I am freaking sick of hearing your stories about how you and your friends mock and beat someone."
"Are you kind of hinting that you want to leave me?"
"Yes, Ronald," Meredith smiles innocently. "I am leaving you. We're breaking up. You can find another girl. And yeah, I will not also go to the prom with you. So, girls, it's your chance."
"No... You won't dare to do this... YOU WILL NOT DARE!"
"I will dare. Yes, my sweetheart, adios, chico!"
"Yeah, we're right when saying she's an absolute idiot," Paige laughs.
"To leave Ronald Stevenson himself!" Crystal exclaims.
By this moment, the guys literally forget about me and surrounded Meredith, who decided to give her claims for the first time. While I continue to lie on the ground and watch this girl with horror in my eyes, even if she no longer looks so scared and looks into the eyes of Ronald and his gang.
"You will not do this..." Ronald threatens with a finger, literally killing Meredith with his cold gaze and breathing heavily enough. "YOU WILL NOT! No girl has dared to leave me. NO GIRL!"
"Everything happens for the first time," Meredith shrugs.
"I will not forgive you for this, hear me? I WILL NOT FORGIVE! I SHALL DESTROY YOU, IDIOT!"
"So, did you decide to take it out on weak people because your father constantly humiliates you and beats you with a belt for any reason? Is this how you let your emotions get out and think you get better against them?"
"The girl speaks too much..." Bryan shakes his head. "It seems like nothing can shut her up now."
"You're all afraid to become outsiders to death. You fear failures and misfortunes. Every one of you loves being in the middle of the Universe and hearing praises. And the sufferings and tears of a weak person are like a nice melody for your ear. For you, insulting and humiliating a person for some shortcomings is super easy!"
"My gosh, now Young is gonna tell us about what her mommy told her," Crystal laughs evilly.
"Aha, did she learn from Clarke's mommy?" Paige asks.
"Don't tell us you actually like this freak," Ronald says rudely. "That you want to leave me because of him."
"I'm sure Peyton would be thousands of times better than you," Meredith says confidently. "He is not what you are."
"You will regret it. You will regret deciding to leave me. I will not forget it. I swear, Meredith Young. Someday, you will creep to me at your knees and beg me to start to date you again."
"No, Ron, it will never happen. I don't need you."
"Bloody hell!" Ronald throws loudly. "BLOODY HELL! THE GIRL LEFT ME!"
"Yeah, I can't believe you preferred this freak over my friend," Bryan throws rudely, looking at me with contempt, while I sit up slowly.
"And I don't regret it," Meredith says confidently. "I don't regret breaking up with the one, who never cares about what his friends and girlfriends love. And doesn't know what to gift to make a person happy."
"Serious?" Ronald scoffs. "You want to say my gifts are bad?"
"They're terrible! If you cared about me just a little, you would know that I, for example, adore dandelions, not roses. Or that I cannot stand rap that you listen to for hours."
"Do you know how much money I gave for all those things? How hard it was for me to get tickets for the music festival that took place the last year! I got into debt! I still cannot pay for what I borrowed a long time ago!"
"Yeah, but you didn't ask if I wanted it."
"You must be grateful to me for doing all of that for you."
"Oh, yeah, be grateful for being constantly humiliated and insulted. For being treated like a doormat. For closing my mouth and not getting permission to say a word."
"If you said something smart. You always say some nonsense."
"No, Ron, you always say nonsense. God made you eternally handsome but deprived you of some intellect."
"Oh, oh, as if you're smart," Crystal shakes her head.
"Much smarter than all of you!"
"So, are you ready to date the ugliest guy in the world if he's got brains?" Bryan wonders.
"True inner beauty is not about what kind of face and body you have. It's about what a person has inside. Their personal features make them beautiful. Not thick makeup, not gorgeous clothes, not bullying over weak people. Their character and the way they treat people."
"Gosh, what kind of bullshit!" Paige laughs quietly.
"I am very sorry you judge how beautiful the person is in this way and don't wanna pay attention to their soul and brains. Even if sometimes one ordinary person can be much better than hundreds of eternally handsome guys. And all of you prove it well."
"Oh, okay, Meredith, shut up!" Bryan winces strongly. "I am getting sick of listening to you."
"In this case, you're all free. I hold nobody."
"Is this your final decision?" Ronald asks. "I am giving you the first and last chance to change your mind and not to do what can make you regret."
"I can regret only if I don't get off you and your gang."
"So, alright then." Ronald raises his head proudly up. "Alright. We are breaking up. But I think it's good. I did not like you so much. I had much sexier and more beautiful girls. Against them, you are an ordinary thing."
"Thanks for your opinion. I will not mean it."
"You will regret it. From tomorrow, your life will turn into the real hell. The guys will know what you did to me today and start to bully you. I will not leave you alone. Moreover, you dared to stand by the side of this loser and protect him. I will never forgive you for this."
"I hope someday, you will understand that beauty starts from what you have inside, not from what you have outside. The real beauty is inside you."
"Anyway, I am very happy I finally got off such a stupid idiot like you." Ronald raises his head proudly up. "There will be hundreds of girls that would love to take your place and dream of being with such an irresistible guy like me."
"If you insult every single girl as well as you insult me, you will never be happy."
"Anyway, we're happy we'll no longer have to smile at you and pretend that you're our friend," Paige adds.
"You've never smiled at me," Meredith smiles slightly.
"Okay, I'm done with you!" Ronald throws gloomily. "Guys, let's get out of here!"
"Yeah, let's go to a more interesting place," Bryan agrees. "And you, Young, stay here with this ugly loser."
"We haven't dealt with you, Clarke!" Ronald throws a threatening look at me. "I shall deal with you and beat your face!"
"Alright, boys, get out!" Crystal exclaims. "We have nothing to do next to these pathetic rejects."
Ronald, Bryan, Crystal, and Paige take their bags and backpacks, turn around and leave somewhere straight with their heads proudly up. Meredith watches them silently until they hide somewhere in the corner, while I look into the distance with horror in my eyes, understanding that I am shaking slightly after everything that happened. At some moment, this girl glances at me, comes to me, and squats down, looking at me as if she shows true sympathy.
"Are you okay, Peyton?" Meredith asks with sadness in her eyes. "Nothing hurts?"
"Nope, I'm okay," I reply quietly. "My stomach hurts a little, and my face is burning."
"These guys beat you strongly."
"Yeah, but it's okay. I will lie in my bed today and will feel better tomorrow."
"Didn't they really beat you for the first time?"
"Really. But luckily, they do it very rarely. Ron and his gang usually insult me and destroy my stuff, my clothes, and my hair."
"Listen..." Meredith glances aside hesitantly. "I... I'm very sorry it all happened so. I'm sorry you have to get over this."
"It's okay, Meredith, don't worry..." I smile slightly, understanding that I get obsessed with a little excitement because Meredith is talking to me literally for the first time. "I'm used to this."
"Can you stand and walk? Let me help you get up."
Meredith gets up on her feet and grabs me under my arm, letting me lean on her, so I get up. Then she slowly and carefully brings me to the bench that is placed not far from us and sits on it next to me.
"You shouldn't have talked to them like this," I say with anxiety. "Now you've become an enemy to them."
"They can do what they want," Meredith replies confidently, putting her pure next to her. "I don't care."
"Those people made you feel worthless and treated you terribly."
"That's why I got sick. Sick of walking after them and tolerating the constant criticism. Now I just lost my patience."
"I don't understand why you actually befriended them."
"I just succumbed to Ron's incredible awesomeness. As well as all girls, I fell in love with him and wanted to date him. But now I really regret standing in his way. Because I never heard anything good from him from the beginning."
"Your parents know him?"
"Yup, I introduced him. Mother immediately said he wasn't good for me, and his friends were terrible people. And now I understand she was right."
"I'm glad you understood it."
"Anyway, I ain't upset," Meredith smiles shyly. "I wanted to break up with Ron and piss off Paige and Crystal a long time ago."
"It hurts that people may sometimes be too cruel. That they judge you by your appearance. If you're not beautiful enough for them, you'll ask for trouble."
"Don't listen to everything they tell you, Peyton." Meredith softly caresses my shoulders, while a nice warmth is spreading all over my body. "You are not ugly, you're a very sympathetic boy."
"Everyone says I'm ugly," I sigh heavily with sadness in my eyes. "I think I'm handsome only to my mother."
"No, Peyton, don't say that."
"I'm not guilty of being born like this. I'm not guilty of having skin issues."
"It's treatable. There are many good specialists that could help you treat your skin."
"I've tried everything. But I keep getting acne after I barely get rid of it."
"Even if you had scars, spots, or other defects, it wouldn't make you worse."
"You can't explain it to the guys. For them, it's a wonderful reason to mock me."
"You know what's your biggest mistake?"
"What?"
"You can't stand for yourself. You can't protect yourself and do meekly let people humiliate you."
"My mom says I shouldn't go down to their level and react to their insults."
"Right, but you can't also be silent. You should look like you let people know you can give a good answer to your opponent."
"You see me? It's even hard for me to run a couple of meters! I start to choke. Immediately."
"I don't mean you should fight. Raising your hand is bad. You should be confident. Any of your actions must show that you're strong and determined. If you whine something and shake like a bunny, your offender will feel that nothing threats them. They will start to bully you. For them, your weakness is like a red rag for a bull."
"I can't be strong."
"It's never late to learn," Meredith smiles shyly. "And you should remember that the one to give pain to someone is actually weaker than you, but is terribly afraid to show it. Ron is afraid that he is bullied and added to the list of outsiders. That's why he attacks first."
"Anyway, there is very little time. All these tortures will be over soon, and I will be able to live without fear."
"No, Peyton, if you don't learn to protect yourself and don't feel your confidence, you will be humiliated your whole life."
"I know, Meredith, but I don't know how to do it."
"Don't worry, I will help you," Meredith promises. "I will teach you to become more confident and stop being afraid of Ron and his pals."
"But you're also not confident."
"Maybe, Ronald made my confidence a little worse. But I have my parents. They help me feel better. Thanks to them, I didn't become a target for him. Mom and Dad made me sure to be braver and break up with the one, who didn't love and appreciate me."
"Maybe..." I move my eyes aside for a second. "If we stay together, would it be easier for us?"
"Lonely people are humiliated more often. The more people surround you, the high chance that a bully doesn't wanna mess up with you."
"Right... I don't have friends. Nobody wanna be a friend of mine and just talk to me."
"I feel lonely, too. So... I could help you stop feeling lonely. And do my best for the last two months of our studies to be a little better."
"Do you really wanna befriend me?"
"It would be great..." Meredith falls into silence for two seconds and smiles shyly. "You're very sympathetic to me."
"R-r-really?" I ask in a little shaking voice.
"You're not what all those evil people, who can only humiliate those, who do nothing to them. You're way better."
"Nice to h-hear it..."
"Hey, did Ron just tell me the truth about you liking me?"
"What?"
"Have you really had a crush on me for ages?"
"Uh-h-h... I..."
I feel how my throat gets dry, and my hands get sharply sweaty. I get obsessed with the fear that Meredith is going to laugh at me if I confess my sympathy for her. What do I do? What do I do? Say or be silent? I do not know...
"M-meredith..." I pronounce excitedly with a heavy breath.
"Don't be afraid, Peyton, tell me the truth," Meredith says softly.
"I... Uh-h-h..."
"Ron noticed that you watched me a long time ago. And I caught your eye on me multiple times. I... I saw how... Tender it was..."
"Won't you laugh at me if I say it?"
"No, of course."
"Really?"
"My word!"
Closing my eyes, I exhale slowly with a feeling that my heart beating fast is about to jump out of my chest. It seems like there is no way back. As Meredith saw everything and understood it, it means she will hardly believe if I say Ronald lied. Oh... Alright, may everything happen as it wants! I have got nothing to lose!
"Yes, it's the truth," I say in one breath. "I like you. I like you very much."
Meredith just looks at me with her widely open eyes for the first few seconds. But then I see a shy smile on her face, and her cheeks get a little blushed.
"Peyton..." Meredith pronounces in a shaking voice.
"I paid attention to you on the day when you came to our school for the first time. You were so nice to everyone. You wanted to befriend people. You gave something to someone. You didn't refuse to help. You tried to get the love of the guys by your actions." I sigh heavily. "I'm sorry that nobody appreciated it."
"Why nobody did? You appreciated it? Right?"
"Yeah..." I smile shyly, feeling that my cheeks suddenly start burning, and it's getting a little harder to breathe. "I... I often listen to Nirvana's album that you gave me. I wanted to buy it by myself for a long time, but then you gave me that gift."
"I just saw your t-shirt with the logo of that band multiple times and thought you were a fan of them."
"Really, Meredith, I am madly grateful to you for that." I take Meredith's hands a little hesitantly. "And I... I... I want to thank you for never saying anything bad about me. You never supported the bullying over me."
"It was madly hurt for me to watch you suffering, but I could do nothing. Ron and his friends always told me to shut up and made me stand aside silently. After any attempt to protect you, they started to shower me with hard criticism and humiliated me cruelly."
"I guess if you hadn't stopped Ron and Bryan, they would've killed me right here."
"I couldn't let it happen. That's why I meddled, despite all their threats."
"Thank you so much for that."
"Besides..." Meredith glances aside for a second. "Although we don't almost know each other, I... I want to get to know you better."
"Really?" I smile much wider.
"As I've said, you're very sympathetic to me. And... I don't exclude that I could look at you... As a boy... I can... Love you."
"Love me?" I feel how my heart starts beating much faster.
"I don't know what it's gonna lead to, but I think we should try. At least, I'd like to date such a wonderful boy like you. Such a kind, sweet, shy, and decent one..."
Oh, my gosh, do I really hear it? Meredith... Meredith Young just confessed her sympathy for me? She dropped a hint that something might happen between us? No, no, I must be sleeping! It cannot be the truth! It cannot be!
"Meredith..." I shake my head, not believing what I heard.
"So what?" Meredith smiles mysteriously. "Agree to try?"
"Y-y-yes..." I stutter strongly and exhale with a shake. "S-sure... I ag-g-gree... I wanna do this..."
"What about going somewhere? Don't you wanna eat some ice cream? Or a burger with a delicious cutlet?"
"With pleasure," I smile widely, throwing my look at my shaking hands for a second. "I really want ice cream."
"I know one cool place where you can something cool. I'm sure you're gonna love it."
"So, I trust you."
"And something else..." Meredith smiles mysteriously and takes my hands, hardly guessing what kind of hurricane she is waking up inside me. "As Ron and I broke up... I will not go to the prom with him... So, I don't have a companion... So... I would like to ask you... Don't you wanna go to the prom with me?"
"Serious? Are you inviting me to the prom?"
"I do."
"You know... Actually, I wasn't going to go to the one..." I glance aside for a second. "But... I can think in this case."
"Let's go, Peyton!" Meredith pronounces funnily. "I'm sure you and I are gonna have a lot of fun! Dance, eat something sweet..."
"What if Ron and his pals make the party worse for us?"
"We won't let them make our mood worse. We should say farewell to our school with good feelings. With nice memories."
"Maybe, you're right..."
"Agree, Peyton, agree!"
"Oh, okay, you won!" I smile widely. "I'll go to the prom with you. I'd do anything for you."
"Excellent!" Meredith claps her hands happily. "So, we agreed on everything."
"I'll take you when it's time."
"Imagine if we also become the prom king and the queen and kick the ass of that pretty boy Ron and those stupid chickens, Paige and Crystal!"
"No, Meredith, nobody's gonna vote for us," I laugh shyly.
"Why not? Anything's possible! I wish it happened so. I want Ron to explode from jealousy and anger."
"Let's talk about it somehow later. But now let's go for a walk and get to know each other better."
"Yeah, but first, we should get rid of these signatures off your face."
"Oh, gosh, I wrote something that's definitely gonna make me feel ashamed."
"I ain't sure if it's gonna work, but I've got an idea."
Meredith takes her bag that is lying next to her on the bench and takes a couple of cotton discs and a small bottle with some liquid a few seconds later.
"It's a makeup remover," Meredith explains. "I always have it with me in case I wanna fix or remove something."
While I sit quietly, Meredith wipes the skin of my face with a wet cotton disc for a few seconds, looking like her idea was good.
"Okay, it's done!" Meredith smiles shyly.
"Really?" I cannot believe it. "You removed it? You did it?"
"Enjoy." Meredith opens a small mirror and suggests that I look into this.
"Wow..." I carefully look at my face and see it looks almost clean. "Almost nothing left."
"I think you can easily wash off what you have with water."
"Thanks a lot, Meredith, you're a gem."
Meredith moves her eyes down with a shy smile, throws a dirty disc in the trash can placed near her, and puts the bottle in her bag.
"So, we can go now!" Meredith exclaims with a slight smile.
"Let's go then!"
At this moment, Meredith and I get up from the bench. I take my backpack from the ground, shake the dirt and dust off it, and put it on my shoulders.
"Hey, Peyton, do you know mathematics well enough?" Meredith asks.
"Yeah, well," I say.
"I didn't understand one thing that our teacher talked about one week ago. And we're gonna have a test after tomorrow. Can you explain everything again someday?"
"Sure, no problem! I will explain everything you don't understand. And I'll be happy to help you do homework."
"Thanks, Peyton, you're so sweet."
"Why I wouldn't help such a wonderful girl. That would definitely be grateful to me for my help."
"Don't worry, I ain't gonna overuse your help."
"Anyway, I'm always at your service. I can explain everything and help with anything."
Meredith says nothing and just makes me happy with her tender smile. And at some moment, she takes my hand, and we go somewhere straight together. We try not to think about what Ron wanted to do some time ago and what he can do tomorrow when the whole school will know about his breakup with the one that rejected him. And I cannot believe that I am going to walk with the girl that I like. That did not laugh at my confession and did let me know that something could happen between us.
Thanks to Meredith, I am starting to believe that there are actually people that choose friends and lovers by how good and decent they are, not by how beautiful they are. That there are those, who do not care about someone's appearance, status, and financial situation. You can be an ordinary or non-attractive person. You can be healthy or have some incurable illnesses. You can have some shortcomings or behave not as well as everyone does. But the one, who really loves you, will not care about all these things because the candy will be more important to them than its wrapper. Because true beauty is not what you have outside. This is what you have inside.