away from Mia and her family. I stared at the screen of my phone for the longest time debating whether to buy the tickets or not. Maybe Harper kept Mia and her family a secret for a reason, maybe he didn’t want me hanging out with them. I glanced across the room and Harper’s eyes met mine. He gave me a subtle nod and a wink. No, this was right, he brought me here to meet Mia. He wanted me here, he wanted me in this part of his life. I looked back down at the screen of my phone. The tickets were almost three hundred dollars and I didn’t have much more than that in my account.
“Come on, you only live once.” Mia nudged my arm from beside me and without another thought I bought the damn tickets. “Yay!” Mia squealed, wrapping her arms around my neck for a hug. I had only known her for less than fifteen minutes and she already felt like a long lost friend.
“So, what you listening to on that thing?” I asked pocketing my phone in a moment of dazed wonder. Mia offered me the ear buds and I held them to my ears as she pressed the play icon. I Feel Pretty/Unpretty by the cast of Glee played loudly through my ears. After a short while, I pulled out the buds. The words to the song played over in my mind and resonated through my body. Feeling confident in your own skin was more beautiful than any aesthetic enhancements, true beauty reached beyond the skin. I knew I shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed by the way I looked now, but knowing and doing were worlds apart for me right now.
I couldn’t help but feel ugly, so I was ugly. My eyes saw what they wanted to. I could cover all the mirrors in the world and wrap my head behind all the fabric I could get my hands on, but if I didn’t feel pretty inside, I would never feel pretty outside. I looked at Mia and she was observing my scarf. For the first time since I had lost my hair I was feeling self-conscious for covering it.
“My mum made up a playlist for the days I feel yucky. Listening to these songs makes me feel better,” Mia explained. I nodded and handed her back the ear buds.
“That’s a good idea,” I murmured.
“I didn’t know Harper had a girlfriend?” Mia said with a bit too much enthusiasm in her voice.
My laugh was a little uneasy. “Well, no. Harper doesn’t have a girlfriend. We’ve been friends since we were kids, I’m his flat mate.” Mia glanced over to where Harper was. He was currently trying to play a dance game on the Nintendo Wii.
“He sure seems to like you,” Mia chuckled. With my confused look she nodded in his direction. I caught Harper looking my way and his eyes danced with happiness. “He keeps looking at you like a lovesick puppy, I’ve never seen him look like that.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, and what do you know about that?”
Mia shrugged. “I have a boyfriend. His name is Sam and he used to look at me like that when he wanted to ask me out.”
“Ohhhhh, do you have a picture?” I asked. Mia flicked through her iPod and pulled up a picture of her standing beside a tall blonde boy with a cheeky grin. “He’s cute,” I whispered.
“Yep, and he’s mine.” Mia grinned proudly. “And that over there looks like yours.” She nodded at Harper. I laughed at his goofy attempts to dance. “Come on, he is really embarrassing himself.” I followed Mia over to the gaming section where the girls were in fits of laughter at Harper’s very poor attempts to dance. I knew he was putting it on thick, he could dance just fine.
“Mia and I are going to take you down Harper Somerville.” I chuckled from behind him. He stopped dancing like a loon and turned to look at me with a raised brow.
“Bring it on, Breeze Delaney.” He grinned, giving Mia a hug. “How’s it going you little terror?” She punched him playfully.
“Pretty good, Jack’s home.” Her face lit up as she mentioned her brother’s name.
“Yeah well, he bombed out of the last round big time. I think I need to give him another surf
“Come on, you only live once.” Mia nudged my arm from beside me and without another thought I bought the damn tickets. “Yay!” Mia squealed, wrapping her arms around my neck for a hug. I had only known her for less than fifteen minutes and she already felt like a long lost friend.
“So, what you listening to on that thing?” I asked pocketing my phone in a moment of dazed wonder. Mia offered me the ear buds and I held them to my ears as she pressed the play icon. I Feel Pretty/Unpretty by the cast of Glee played loudly through my ears. After a short while, I pulled out the buds. The words to the song played over in my mind and resonated through my body. Feeling confident in your own skin was more beautiful than any aesthetic enhancements, true beauty reached beyond the skin. I knew I shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed by the way I looked now, but knowing and doing were worlds apart for me right now.
I couldn’t help but feel ugly, so I was ugly. My eyes saw what they wanted to. I could cover all the mirrors in the world and wrap my head behind all the fabric I could get my hands on, but if I didn’t feel pretty inside, I would never feel pretty outside. I looked at Mia and she was observing my scarf. For the first time since I had lost my hair I was feeling self-conscious for covering it.
“My mum made up a playlist for the days I feel yucky. Listening to these songs makes me feel better,” Mia explained. I nodded and handed her back the ear buds.
“That’s a good idea,” I murmured.
“I didn’t know Harper had a girlfriend?” Mia said with a bit too much enthusiasm in her voice.
My laugh was a little uneasy. “Well, no. Harper doesn’t have a girlfriend. We’ve been friends since we were kids, I’m his flat mate.” Mia glanced over to where Harper was. He was currently trying to play a dance game on the Nintendo Wii.
“He sure seems to like you,” Mia chuckled. With my confused look she nodded in his direction. I caught Harper looking my way and his eyes danced with happiness. “He keeps looking at you like a lovesick puppy, I’ve never seen him look like that.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, and what do you know about that?”
Mia shrugged. “I have a boyfriend. His name is Sam and he used to look at me like that when he wanted to ask me out.”
“Ohhhhh, do you have a picture?” I asked. Mia flicked through her iPod and pulled up a picture of her standing beside a tall blonde boy with a cheeky grin. “He’s cute,” I whispered.
“Yep, and he’s mine.” Mia grinned proudly. “And that over there looks like yours.” She nodded at Harper. I laughed at his goofy attempts to dance. “Come on, he is really embarrassing himself.” I followed Mia over to the gaming section where the girls were in fits of laughter at Harper’s very poor attempts to dance. I knew he was putting it on thick, he could dance just fine.
“Mia and I are going to take you down Harper Somerville.” I chuckled from behind him. He stopped dancing like a loon and turned to look at me with a raised brow.
“Bring it on, Breeze Delaney.” He grinned, giving Mia a hug. “How’s it going you little terror?” She punched him playfully.
“Pretty good, Jack’s home.” Her face lit up as she mentioned her brother’s name.
“Yeah well, he bombed out of the last round big time. I think I need to give him another surf
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