chapter 2: The Shocking return
1305 Words
CHAPTER 2: THE SHOCKING RETURN
The next morning, I woke up at 5 AM in my dark storage room.
I didn't wear my big ugly glasses. I left them on the cold floor, next to the rats.
I washed my face three times with cold water until my skin glowed white and pink. I brushed my long black hair until it was shiny and smooth like black silk, then tied it into a high clean ponytail. I took my Saint Ying uniform that I washed last night — white shirt, pleated grey skirt, small black tie — and ironed it with my hands until no wrinkles.
I looked into my broken mirror. The girl inside was not the ugly toad from yesterday.
Her small face was pale and glowing, her big eyes clear and watery with long lashes, her lips pink even without lipstick, her long black hair shiny. Even in old uniform that was a little too big, she looked beautiful enough that the old broken mirror seemed to want to shine more to match her.
For 16 years, I was Su Wan the ugly toad. Today, I will be Su Wan.
I went downstairs at 6 AM. The house was still quiet. My mother and Su Mei were still sleeping after last night's party.
Only the old maid Auntie Chen was in kitchen. When she saw me, she gasped loudly and dropped her spatula.
"Young... young miss Wanwan? Is that you?"
I smiled small. "Good morning, Auntie Chen."
"You... you... you look so beautiful! So beautiful that I almost didn't recognize you! Like a fairy!" She walked around me, eyes wide.
I lowered my head shyly and left house quickly before my mother woke up. I took the bus to Saint Ying Elite Academy alone, as usual. Su Mei never lets me sit in her red Ferrari.
Saint Ying Elite Academy is the most expensive private school in city. Only rich families and top 1% students can enter. The gate is huge, made of black iron and gold, with luxury cars lining up every morning — Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari.
I usually walk in with head low, trying to be invisible, because everyone points and says "Look, ugly toad of Su family, sister of school flower but so ugly, how embarrassing for Su Mei."
Today, I still walked with head low, but something was different.
As soon as I stepped onto school path, the whispers changed.
"Who is that? New student? So beautiful!"
"Oh my god, look at that girl! White skin, long black ponytail, so pure!"
"Is she a transfer? Which family? She looks like first love face!"
I clutched my school bag strap tightly, my hands shaking. No one recognized me. No one called me ugly toad.
I walked faster to Class A-3 building.
At the second-floor hallway, I met Su Mei.
Su Mei was walking with her two best followers, Lin Na and Zhang Yue. She was wearing her new Chanel uniform set that my mother bought for her birthday, her long wavy brown hair curled perfectly, her makeup perfect, her red lips smiling proudly. She was Saint Ying's school flower, everyone knew her, everyone loved her.
She was laughing and talking about last night's party. "Last night my party was so big, my mom booked the whole garden hotel..."
Then she saw me.
Her voice stopped mid-sentence. Her smile froze. Her eyes widened so big that her fake eyelashes almost fell off.
"You... you... who are you?" she stuttered.
Lin Na and Zhang Yue also stopped, looking at me with jealous shocked faces.
"So beautiful... but who...?"
I looked at Su Mei, my perfect younger sister who locked me in storage room yesterday, who called me ugly toad for 16 years, who stole my birthday.
I didn't say I am ugly toad. I said softly, "Su Mei, good morning. It's me, Su Wan."
Silence. Dead silence in hallway.
Then Su Mei's face changed from shock to anger to disbelief to panic, all in 3 seconds.
"SU WAN?!" she screamed so loudly that whole hallway turned to look. "You? You are Su Wan? The ugly toad? No! Impossible! You... you had plastic surgery! You must have had plastic surgery overnight! How can ugly toad become... become..."
She couldn't finish, because she couldn't find words to describe how I looked. Beautiful enough that even the morning sunlight from hallway windows seemed to gather around me.
Students started gathering around us, whispering louder.
"That is Su Wan? The ugly toad Su Wan? No way!"
"She is beautiful! More beautiful than Su Mei! Is she really Su Wan?"
"Oh my god, the ugly duckling became swan overnight!"
Su Mei's face turned red, then white, then green with jealousy. For 16 years, she was the beautiful one, the school flower, the princess. I was the ugly background that made her look more beautiful. Now, I was suddenly more beautiful than her.
"No! She is lying! She is not Su Wan! Su Wan is ugly! I am the school flower! I am!" Su Mei shouted, grabbing Lin Na's arm.
I didn't argue. I just lowered my head and walked past her towards Class A-3, my ponytail swaying.
As I passed her, I whispered so only she could hear, my voice soft but with small fire inside, "You locked me in storage room on my birthday, Su Mei. Did you think I would stay ugly forever?"
Su Mei's legs shook and she almost fell.
Class A-3 was on third floor. When I entered, the whole class that was noisy became silent instantly.
Thirty pairs of eyes turned to me.
"Who is she? New student?"
"Wow, so pure, so beautiful!"
Only the boy in last row by window didn't look up. He was sleeping, head down on desk, black hair covering his eyes, wearing headphones. He was tall, even sitting, his school uniform loose but still handsome. He was Gu Chen, Saint Ying's ice prince, top grades, coldest, richest, never cares about anyone. Su Mei had liked him for 3 years and he never looked at her.
I walked to my seat. My seat was second last row, right in front of Gu Chen. My old seat. But no one knew it was my seat because the ugly toad always sat there invisible.
I sat down, put my bag down, hands shaking.
The boy in front of me turned around, eyes wide. "You... you are sitting in Su Wan's seat! The ugly toad's seat! She will be angry!"
I looked up, my big eyes watery but clear. "I am Su Wan."
The boy's mouth opened so big an egg could fit inside. "WHAT? YOU ARE SU WAN? THE UGLY..."
He didn't finish, because at that moment, the boy behind me — Gu Chen, the ice prince who was sleeping — slowly lifted his head.
He must have heard the noise. He took off his headphones, his dark cold eyes still sleepy, and looked forward.
His eyes met mine. I was turned around slightly, so our faces were very close, less than half a meter.
His dark eyes, which were always cold and never looked at any girl, flickered for one second. Just one second, but I saw it — surprise, then something else I couldn't understand.
I was so nervous that my face turned pink, my long lashes trembling. I quickly turned back, my ponytail swishing, my heart beating so fast like drum.
Behind me, Gu Chen didn't go back to sleep immediately. He looked at my ponytail, at my thin back in clean uniform, for three seconds longer than usual, then put his head down again.
But he didn't wear his headphones again.
And from that moment, I knew my 16 years as invisible ugly toad was over.
The new school flower war had just begun.
- Writer
