It was a frenzied dawning, I woke up and slowly opened my eyes staring up at the ceiling. I stretched my arms lazily and I did not feel like springing up from the bed but my tummy was aching, I had just a slice of pizza last night.

I would have had a whole pizza but my six-year-old brother John, ate the biggest slice from my plate since I waited to finish doing my assignment before I'll eat. I'm actually used to him taking from my food. There were some sandwiches, and burritos left in the fridge but I did not have an8 appetite for any of it except for pizza.

I complained to my mum Juliet, and to my dad Dickson, but they did not take my complaint seriously.

My mum said, "oh let it be, he's just six, don't be a baby."

I felt insulted, "what? I'm a baby?"

And then I thought, maybe I'm actually being a baby since it's just a pizza. But it's not just nothing to me. I love having pizza, I wish they considered how I feel.

Anyways, I gave up. Fighting with my baby brother would seem childish and absurd.

I sprang up from my bed and I slipped into my slippers. Walking to the bathroom, I saw an irritating awful looking figure of me reflecting in the mirror.

I gasped feeling so surprised, and I touched my face, I felt swollen red spots.

It's actually me.

"What!" I exclaimed, "what happened to my face?"

I rubbed my cheeks and panicked and I recalled that last night before I went to bed, I held a new bottle of cream I bought yesterday specialized to smoothen the skin. The bottle has a tall neck and it's voluptuous. I pressed bottle, the cream flowed into my palms, and I applied it wholly on my face.

I snapped out of my thoughts and I walked Iver to the dressing table. I picked up the bottle of cream staring at it closely. As I was slowly rolling it, I noticed the expiry date marked on the side, and I gasped that the cream was already expired a month ago.

The bottle slipped off my hands, and I stood staring at my reflection in the mirror. I rubbed my cheeks, "my face. My beautiful face is gone."

Seeing the many red spots made me feel like drowning myself inside a pool. I felt like an ugly beast, I couldn't believe my pretty face was gone.

It was 8:25 am, I heard footsteps walking inside my bedroom. I already took my bath and dressed up. I wore a pair of black pants and a pink blouse. I was in my first year in the school-university, Maxwell university of the USA.

It's an expensive school, most rich kids were enrolled there.

Juliet was approaching me, and she paused feeling stunned by the several spots on my face.

"My goodness Trina, what's on your face?"

I shyly bowed my head feeling bad, "is it that bad?"

My mum is a straightforward lady, she is always honest. She works as a Barrister, so I knew she can not lie to my face. However, lawyers can twist the truth to favor their clients.

My mum touched my shoulder softly, and I looked into her eyes.

"It's really bad honey. Just what happened?"

"That cream did this to me." I pointed at the floor, and my mum turned staring at the bottle lying on the floor.

She picked it up and asked, "what's wrong with it?"

"It's already expired."

My mum gasped, "expired?"

"I bought it for two thousand dollars."

"You bought an expired cream for two thousand dollars?" She seemed shocked.

"I didn't know it was fake!"

"I'm going to sue the store right now. Come on, let's go."

"No mum. Showing my face at the store would be embarrassing with everyone there staring at me. I'll just go to school, I'm already late for lectures. Bye mum, kisses."

I kissed Juliet on her cheek, picked up my handbag from the table, hung it on my arm and walked away.

Juliet turned to stare at me leaving. She was feeling quite bad that I was sad.

I walked to the dining table, and I pulled the chair to sit down. John was munching on a huge chocolate donut. His face was smudged with splashes of chocolate.

I opened my plate, and I only saw a hamburger. I felt surprised that there were no hotdogs and seeing the way John was munching on the donuts, I sensed he had a hand in it.

"Did you take my hotdogs?"

John laughed, "your hotdogs seemed appetizing so I couldn't help it."

"But you were also served hotdogs," I argued.

"Yea."

I felt like pulling his ears but I restrained myself. I held the hamburger and sprang up to my feet, "I guess I will just have the hamburger." I walked out.

It was 9:06 am. I arrived at Maxwell University. My chauffeur drove my car to the school's parking area and parked the car.

I hesitated to open the door feeling jumpy thinking that Mandy, or that pestering McKayla, my course mates might spot me.

I glanced through the window and I felt calm seeing that they were nowhere around, and I stepped out of the car and quietly shut the door wrapping my face with my cascading hair.

I slowly walked out of the parking area and I spotted a young dashing tall lad walking down the hallway. I froze staring at him. His cheeks looked smooth and soft, his hair spiky and blonde. His lips were pink as rose. He has a long neck where the head sat, and I noticed an earring dangling from his ear. It was a shiny silver earring.

I stood admiring him wishing that he will notice me but I wouldn't want him seeing me like this. I felt like approaching him to introduce myself or at least get his name, but I had to resist my feelings.

Just staring at him from a far distance was okay. But I imagined myself hugging him. How I wished that fascination would be a reality, my first crush.

Jake, that was his name. He is in his second year in high school, and he is a vocalist. He performs at a band called The Jackson Fellas with his troop of friends, Ray, Nicky, Troy, and Bruce.

Jake was leaning by the stairs chatting with his bandmates. The whirlwind breezed through his hair, and he let the strands fall on his face. It made him look more charming, my cheeks were starting to ache from smiling wildly but I couldn't stop smiling.

A lady was walking towards the parking lot, she shoved me, I turned to look at her and she was still walking away and It seemed to me she didn't realize she shoved me then it dawned on me that I was having lectures by 9:30. I glanced at my wristwatch and I saw that it was 10:20, I gasped feeling nervous and I hurried towards the hall the lectures were holding.

I made sure to cover my face properly with my hair and I yanked the door open and stepped in bowing my head.

Almost everyone turned to notice me walking in. The professor, Fabian got interrupted and he paused and looked at me.

Mandy and Mckayla stared at me till I got to my seat. My face was still bowed. I sat down and flipped my handbag dropping it on my desk and I peeked under my lashes to see if anyone was staring at me.

I didn't spot anyone and I pulled out my book from my bag and my pen.

Mandy said to Mckayla, "what's up with Trina? Why is her hair hanging on her face? She looks like a mop."

"Yea, seems like she's hiding something on her face." Mckayla laughed silently showing her incisors.

"Can't wait to know what she's hiding and I'm gonna find out right about now."

Fabian glanced at his wristwatch, "alright class let's call it a day."

Fabian walked out of the hall and shut the door.

"Bingo!" Mandy slowly stood up from her seat and so did Mckayla.

I angrily muttered, "oh no class is over. I better start leaving before anyone approaches me."

I stood up, and slid my book into my back. I was walking past my seat when I felt someone nudge me. My bag slipped off my hands and I bent down picking it up not caring to see who it was. All I wanted was to leave quickly but I got pushed again and this time, I turned around bowing my head and peeking under my lashes to see who it was.

I wasn't at all surprised to see that it was Mandy and Mckayla. I tried to walk from them but Mckayla nudged my arms and I stood back.

"Guys will you let me leave?"

Mandy moved a few steps closer to me, "just what are you hiding?"

"Yea, why is your hair hanging on your face like a mop?" Mckayla added.

I felt shivers and my heart was racing feeling clueless about what to say or do.

"Guys please let me go."

Mandy and Mckayla smiled at each other and Mandy flipped my hair off my face and Mckayla grabbed my hair together.

Mandy gasped feeling spellbound staring at the red spots on my face.

I held Mckayla's hands trying to pull them away, "let go of me!" I yelled.

Mandy cackled loudly and the others in the room heard her laughing wondering what was really hilarious and they all turned and stared at me.

Staring at the spots on my face, they erupted into a serious outburst of laughter including Myles my studying buddy.

I stopped resisting from Mckayla's grip as it was already too late as everyone had already seen my face.

I felt really bad staring at everyone laughing at me. Their noisy laughter was echoing in my ears and I was hearing words like, hideous, monkey, monster, poop face, and a cabbage.

I ran out of the room feeling a lump in my throat running towards the basement on the down floor. I pushed the door open and I looked around the room. It was quiet and empty. No one was in the basement. I felt calm cause no one was going to notice me or my monstrous face like my course mates chanted.

"I can cry alone, no one is gonna see me whimper" I thought aloud.

I walked towards a huge karaoke machine. It looked quite old and there were several cartons around it and I thought no one was going to spot me if I hid there. I sat behind it and crossed my legs together and leaned against the karaoke machine.

It clocked 11:30 am. I was still hiding in the basement sulking like a lost puppy.

Mandy and Mckayla were seated at the cafeteria munching on spaghetti tacos. The cafeteria was quite noisy, there was humming in the air, and it was quite packed.

Kenzie and Sam who are Mckayla and Mandy's friends, approached their table grinning excitedly from ear to ear.

"Girls guess what?" Kenzie said impatiently.

Mckayla rolled her eyes and groaned, "you know I don't like guessing. Just spill it out."

"Okay, Jake is heading towards the school's basement."

"And he's alone." said Sam energetically.

Mckayla and Mandy gasped feeling stupefied, "What!" and sprang up to their feet grinning from ear to ear. They dropped their tacos and grabbed their handbag.

"Come on, let's go hurry to him." Mandy said and they walked out of the cafeteria.

Jake was singing as he was walking through the stairs towards the down floor. The girls spotted him walk past the library and they increased their pace towards him.

They swarmed him. Jake was startled and looked at them, he leaned against the wall as he got pushed and Mandy laid her hand on the wall. She shook her ponytail and laid her hand on her waist staring into his eyes, "Jake we heard you're looking for a female singer who will join your musical band, so we want you to interview us."

Jake looked at each one of their faces. He saw that they were beaming in excitement and he nodded, "okay."

"Let's go to the theater room." Mckayla held his arm, "let's go?"

Jake nodded and replied, "sure."

They reached the theater. An army of seats filled the room. Jake approached a seat in the first row, and the girls sat behind him.

He glanced at them, "who's going first?"

Kenzie quickly sprang up to her feet, "I will go first."

She stepped into the stage and Jake stared at her feeling eager to listen to her voice and as she started singing, he felt irritated listening to her husky voice. He gawked feeling quite disappointed. He couldn't take it anymore and he shouted, "please stop! Next!"

Kenzie paused and she turned to him, "what's wrong?"

"It's terrible, it's quite bad I'm sorry." Jake tried to catch his breath.

Kenzie looked at Sam, Mckayla and Mandy and noticed from the looks they had that they weren't impressed, and she quietly stepped down from the stage approaching her seat.

Mandy laughed silently and energetically walked to the stage in her pair of pink sneakers.

Kenzie sat besides Sam, and Sam whispered to her, "that was embarrassing."

Kenzie sighed and furrowed her eyebrows, "whatever."

Mandy stood on the stage and she tapped on the screen of her phone and a loud beat started playing.

Jake got excited. Mandy threw her pony tail and was singing melodiously, Jake nodded his head smiling wildly.

The beats stopped playing and Mandy walked down from the stage.

Mckayla sprang up to her feet, and she walked up to the stage.

"Now, it's my turn!" She said energetically.

Jake sprang up to his feet, "girls, I don't have any more time to interview you all. I gotta go to the basement to get my wristwatch and head out to the band. I'm supposed to meet with them by 11 and it's almost 12. Gotta go."

Jake walked out of the room approaching the doors.

Mandy and Mckayla stared at each other feeling dissatisfied.

"What're we gonna do?" Said Sam

"We cannot just let him leave." Mckayla added.

"Let's stalk him." Mandy said firmly.