"I like you D-drew. I a-always have."
Mia stumbles with her words. She ruffles her already messy and frizzy hair that looked like she had just woken up from bed even if she had already washed and brushed it.
She stares blankly at the mirror, fiddling her fingers, looking far from confident, impressive, and out of Drew's league. And yet, she was still willing to push through with her confession -- the only risk in life she's ever dared to take, simply because she has always felt a connection with Drew who has been her best friend for what has seemed like forever.
Looking back, they almost didn't meet. The thought of it made Mia chuckle.
It was a bright Sunday morning, but for Mia, things weren't going peachy. Her older sister, her one and only playmate, had just flown to California for college and now, she felt as droopy as ever. The sole remedy that they had thought of for Mia's case of the blues was to help the Carlisle family who had just newly moved in. Of course though it took time for her parents to convince her how helping others can bring happiness and joy. All the energy her parents exerted on her was worth it though as she was able to cross paths with Drew.
The two were able to warm up to each other so naturally that Mia found him as a suitable playmate until they became inseperable best friends. No one could shake away the two. They were BFFs and partners in crime and for a while, Mia was content with that status.
That is, until middle school came. Puberty started to kick in, boys stopped running away from girls because of the cooties, and Mia began to develop a crush on her best friend. She couldn't remember how it happened or when it did. The only thing she could remember was that from a boy who did nothing but burp out loudly after softdrink challenges, he suddenly became the boy she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.
His emerald eyes that had seemed bland before eventually shone like stars in the night. His simple compliments suddenly made her heart race and her face blush. Mia was finally falling in love, hoping that one day her best friend could become her partner in life and today, the first day of senior year, was the day she had hoped to begin their whirlwind romance. She was determined to walk up to Drew and tell him how she felt deep inside. They could be like every single other romance, chick flick, or teen fiction novel. They could be a couple. They could finally--
"Hey guys, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Peggy."
--stay as friends?
Mia felt her heart sink in her chest or more accurately, break into a thousand pieces with the shards of her heart constantly pricking her.
What was she thinking? Did she really think Drew would like her?
Drew walks to me.
Mia plugs in her earphones, Taylor Swift's Teardrops on My Guitar blasting through her ears.
I fake a smile so he won't see what I want, what I need -- everything that we should be.
Depressing. Gloomy. Blue. Sad. There were unlimited adjectives to describe Mia's state and Bella hated the fact that they were all so negative.
Bella Cho, Mia and Drew's best friend since middle school, peered over her friend as they exit school.
"Hey, you all right?" She tapped Mia who had to remove an ear bud to hear her properly.
"I asked if you were all right," Bella repeated.
Mia shrugged. She wasn't even able to tell him he liked her. And why a girlfriend all of sudden? And of all days too?
Bella pouted, already knowing what was up with her best friend, considering that she had her memorized like the back of her hand.
"Drew and Peggy are going on a date by the way so it's just you and me today," she said. Mia's already sad look drooped even more.
"Y'know," Bella continued on, "I doubt Drew and Peggy are going to stay as a couple. They're bound to break up soon. And by soon, I mean as soon as possible," Bella snickered.
Mia rolled her eyes over to Bella. "You serious?" She asked. "Why would you think so though?"
"I heard Peggy's a huge heartbreaker. She hangs out with a bunch of guys. Cheats too. Rumors are all over school. And you know what they say? The rumors are usually always true. After all, ya can't have news smokin' up like that if there weren't a flame."
Bella's words made Mia's heart sink way even more. If it was all over the place, why would Drew get into some sort of mess like this? Why would he date someone who was bound to break his heart anyway? What does he plan to gain from all this? Mia just wanted to bury her face in her pillows back at home. The questions in her head seemed limitless.
"You know what? We should totally break them up," Bella uttered plainly. This made Mia's eyes widen as if they were about to pop right out of her head.
"What?" Bella carelessly said, clearly not at all fazed by the audacity of her statement.
"I'm not that kind of person." Mia uneasily gripped her backpack even tighter. It was something she did when she was nervous. Bella took notice of it right away.
"Look," Bella started, putting an arm over Mia's shoulders. "You're not going to be a snake. I have another plan."
"I don't like the look on your face," Mia muttered.
"Relax doll," Bella smiled. "Think about all the romance movies and chick flicks we watched that consist of the girl winning over the heart of the guy effortlessly."
"What about them? And also, you should stop calling me doll. Peggy obviously looks more like a doll than me," Mia pouts, mumbling the last sentence of her statement.
"Well, that's just isn't it? I can make you transform into a gorgeous doll. Think about it."
Mia shrugged off Bella's arm from her shoulder. "Like you could," Mia scoffed. "Since when did you learn makeup and fashion? And why would you though? Is this coming from the same girl who told me makeup is for losers? Who are you and what did you do with Bella?"
"I have my own reasons," Bella sneered. "Also, I learned over the summer by the way at Korea."
"Please don't tell me it's because of that guy. Mack, was it?" Mia asked as she let out a laugh.
Bella made a face. It took a minute for Mia to realize that the guy really was the reason Bella decided to learn how to "woman up".
"Guess love really turns even the most boyish people into a lady, huh?" Mia chuckled. She playfully elbowed Bella who had just laughed back.
"Sorta. And by the way, it's Zack. Zack Go. And also, he's not just that guy. He's my boyfriend now," Bella proudly declared, shocking Mia in the process. It seemed like it was just yesterday when Bella took some snaps of the guy to send to her and gush over. Now, she finally had her first boyfriend.
"Since when?"
"Since last week," Bella blushed. "I figured first day of school would be a nice day to tell."
"Even if we hung out at Drew's parents' diner last week anyway? And since when were you good at keeping secrets?" Mia raised a brow.
"It was just too good of a news to suddenly blurt out."
"Well, I'm happy for you. Never thought you'd get that far."
"What do you mean?"
Mia shook her head as she recalled all those crushes her middle school best friend had over the years. She claimed all of them to be her dazzling prince charming until she quickly moved on from each and every one, finding another interest, most times before the day would even end.
Mia let out a sigh before she explained. "You're just the type to fall in love only to fall out of love again the next day, you know?" Mia laughed. This made Bella giggle too in return.
"Yeah, well, Zack is different."
"Seems like it," Mia agreed, "since you've made it this far with him. Too bad you're all the way here. A long-distance relationship must be difficult when the relationship's at an early stage."
"Actually, he's here in America. Ohio too. And at the university that's just thirty minutes away from here."
"Seriously? Wow, well. Good for you."
"Thanks," Bella said, smiling a bit and trailing off to thinking about Zack before she made herself snap out of it, "Anyway, back to the task at hand. I could make you look like the girl you never thought you could be with just the swish of my makeup brush," she suggested, mixing in a terribly done British accent by the end.
Mia let out a deep sigh. She began to think about it really well. Was this something she really wanted?
"I'll think about it," Mia simply said.
The moment she got home, she ran to her room and threw her things on her bed. Her mother who was cleaning the kitchen asked her, "How was school today hija?" And she did it with a dazzling smile like always.
As usual, Mia faked a faint smile and told her mother that everything went smoothly when in reality, she had such an exhausting day. Nothing went according to plan.
She slumped against the chair by her study desk, hoping to let out the stress through grumbles as she spun the chair around and closed her eyes. As soon as she decided to open them again, she found herself facing the mirror.
She stood up, deciding to take a look at herself.
She scanned herself from head to toe. Her frizzy locks made her look like she had just grown into an adult Simba -- it looked more like a mane than actual human hair, a result from her constantly tying her hair into a messy bun.
She pressed her right hand on her cheek, looking at her face more properly in her reflection. She looked like she had just risen from her grave.
Lastly, she checked her outfit: a huge oversized blue jacket that looked like it could swallow her whole and baggy black jeans. She looked shorter and fatter than good ol' Peggy Smith too.
Maybe that was why Drew chose Peggy over her, she thought.
She threw herself on her bed just like her school stuff. As she stared into her blank ceiling she figured she should just throw herself into the trash bin. She felt like utter trash.
These were one of those days again -- those days where she felt down about how she looked. It usually didn't matter so much before, but now the weight of her insecurities from her physical appearance had just gotten heavier, because she felt like she could never match Drew's physical standards in women -- something she didn't even know he had.
She threw a pillow over her head. What was she thinking, though? Of course Drew would want someone extraordinarily beautiful. He was a guy after all. It only made sense.
She sighed, hoping that she could be pretty too in Drew's eyes.
I can make you transform into a gorgeous doll. Think about it.
And suddenly, Bella's words came swimming around in her head. Bella gave her the chance to be beautiful at least once in her life. It only made sense to try it.
She reached out for her phone, crossing fingers before she could text Bella.
For Drew, she thought as her thumbs went back and forth from her keyboard.
"I'll do the makeover thing," was written on the text box. She hoped for the best as she clicked sent.