His Marshmallow

“You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.-” Louise Hay. Maisie MY ALARM WENT off and my eyes slowly opened. I stayed as I was for a while, just staring at the ceiling and letting the alarm continue to ring. I probably looked like someone totally at peace on the outside but I was freaking out on the inside. School was starting today. A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I reached over to turn off my alarm. I sat up and stared at the date displayed on my phone to confirm. It was indeed today –the beginning of my senior year. I just had to endure and survive one more year then I could say bye to that hell hole. I consoled myself with that. With that thought in mind, I got out of bed and decided to get ready for school. I’d never liked going to school. I don’t think I’d ever enjoyed a day in school. I couldn’t mention a moment that I had a nice day in school ever since I started high school. Even when I had a friend in

“My weight? It is what it is. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow. It’s about being content. And sometimes other priorities win.” – Melissa McCarthy. MAISIE AFTER THAT ENCOUNTER with Avery, she always acknowledged me whenever she sighted me. She’d catch my eyes in the hallways and smile. Sometimes, she’d stop by my locker when I’m there to say hi. Initially, I thought she was just being nice and had not yet been told about me but I was wrong. Because a month later, she still gave me those smiles and she’d sometimes sit beside me when she sees me in the classes we had together. I didn’t understand why she was being so nice. She was supposed to have put two and two together and realized that I have no friends. There’s no way someone wouldn’t have told her about me. I didn’t really pay attention to her but it was hard not to notice her and her brother. This past month, I’d mostly seen her with her brother. Seeing as she hadn’t joined the Bs—despite their attempts to befriend her—I guess

CHAPTER FIVE“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.MAISIEALEXANDER LOOKED UP at me. “What?”“Hmmm?”“You said something.”OMG! He heard me. It was embarrassing to me. I tried to speak but it was hard. So I decided to pretend I didn’t hear him, hoping he’d drop it but he didn’t.“You said something. It sounded like another language,” he pointed out. “What does it mean?”I held my hands together on my lap and stared at them, badly wishing I’d let my hair down today so that it could cover my face a little.Hold up a second, this isn’t something to be embarrassed about, right? Most people would be proud of something like this. So, I took a deep breath and answered, “It means ‘What did you say?’ or ‘I beg your pardon?’” “Oh, I said, ‘You look nice by the way.’”You didn’t have to repeat that, I thought.“What?”Oops! Did I say that out loud?“Nothing. Thanks, I guess. You look nice too.”Alex smile

“Life is so much more beautiful and complex than a number on a scale.” – Tess Munster. * “OH MY GOD!” Avery exclaimed. “Are you okay?” Concern was written all over her features. I looked at my shirt and saw chocolate milk dripping down it. My gaze shifted to the carton of milk now on the floor. I tried to wipe the little on my face off. Of course, I wasn’t okay. How could I possibly feel okay after this? Why did I think nothing bad would happen? I should have known something like this would happen. Luck wasn’t on my side. It has never really been. I just wanted a chance to try this thing called friendship with Avery but I guessed my chances had been ruined. Even if she initially genuinely wanted to be my friend, I was sure this would scare her away. I looked forward and Brittany and her crew were on the way and it looked like they were heading toward our table. I was so embarrassed already and the thought of Avery witnessing whatever they’d cooked up made me feel even worse. I j

“People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realising that you're the beholder.” - Salma Hayek.I WAS EXHAUSTED. Well, a little bit. I felt sweaty, hot and tired in my joggers and t-shirt. It made me wish I was wearing shorts and tank tops like most of the girls here. I hated gym class but it was mostly because it was the perfect place and opportunity for people to give me the stink eye and comment about how ridiculous I look doing sports. That was one of the reasons I stick to wearing T-shirts and joggers instead. I didn't want to give them more stuff to talk about. We’ve been asked to run laps around the gymnasium and now we were gonna play a game or something and I was already dreading it and hoping it wouldn’t be dodgeball; but as usual, luck was never on my side. “Listen up everyone! Gather around. It's time for some dodgeball. Divide yourselves into two teams.” Our gym teacher, Mr. Norman yelled. Some g