chapter 2

Chapter One

"Did you guy see Merida today? She looks like a goldfish!" A redheaded girl had said and burst out into laughter with her friends.

Jacob couldn't help but take a glance at them. He thought about who Merida was. He has been hearing people at school say she's really ugly and he's curious if it were a bit true. 

Shifting his gaze at the basketball in his side, he picks it up. Then he took his bag and headed to the shower area. There, he asked a few male friends about this Merida.

"You haven't seen her? How? I mean she's in the same class as you," a guy named Brandon told him.

Jacob turned off the shower and while soaping his body, he replied, "Nah, I don't think I heard someone named Merida in class."

"Well, check her out tomorrow," Brandon said and then laughed. "She's so ugly."

The words "she's so ugly" is still on Jacob's head. It wouldn't seem to fade even though he's laying down on his bed now. He's too curious.

An hour passed and it was still messing with his head. So he decided to get out of bed and take a walk outside.

At an alley where there are mostly street children he saw someone who was giving food to those kids. That someone was wearing a hoodie so he couldn't tell if that someone was a he or she.

Jacob was about to go when that 'someone' took off her hoodie. And yes, it was a girl with long hair. He smiled at the kind gesture she had given the street children.

He started walking towards the lady, who when he was closer looked at him for a second, and her smile faded. Jacob was shocked at how immediate she put her hoodie back on as if she was hiding her face.

"It's nice to see someone giving food to these children," he stated, stopping at her side.

The lady didn't say anything. Instead, she was trying her very best not to show her face.

"Mister, are you here to give us food too?" A kid asked Jacob. That made him look at the kid.

"Not tonight but maybe tomorrow," he replied with a smile.

"Oh... this beautiful lady named Merida, gives food to us every—"

"Wait you're Merida?" Jacob asked abruptly facing the lady on his side.

The lady hiding her face was surprised that he knew her. She didn't know what to do so she ran away. She didn't want him to see her ugly face, he probably goes to the same school where she goes to.

Jacob was more surprised that Merida ran away like that. He closed his gaping mouth turning to face the kid.

"Uhm... I'll come back here tomorrow. Right now, I got to follow her, be safe." After saying that, he ran to follow her.

He's a basketball player which makes it his advantage. It's no problem for him catching up to her. He could already see her.

"Merida! Listen! I just want to talk!" He shouts as he catches up.

Merida's heart was pounding inside her chest. No, I can't let him see me, she thought. He will probably say the same things they do at school.

Jacob knew what he's doing was crazy and ridiculous but there's something that's telling him to catch her. He was so close to her that he grabs on to her hoodie.

Merida looked back and it was in slow motion for Jacob. They met each other's eyes and he saw her bare face that made everything stop. For a moment, he saw her cry and put her hoodie back on. She sniffed and said, "I know. I'm ugly you don't have to say it."

After saying that, Merida left running again and he didn’t follow. Jacob couldn't say anything, he froze at the moment he saw her face. Indeed she is ugly...

"Oh, c'mon sis! Let's be real, okay? You know when someone's ugly! She's ugly!" Jacob told her sister who just rolled her eyes at him. They're having breakfast at the moment.

"Hmm, wow! She must be really ugly," his older brother Jeremy commented.

"Now, now, boys what did I tell you? Outer beauty isn't going to last, everyone starts having wrinkles when they get older," their mother said. 

"But didn't you say you saw her kindness towards the street children? You found her beautiful first," his sister, Jane told him as she slices her meat.

That made Jacob think about it. Yeah she's beautiful in that way but she still looks so ugly. He doesn't know if he should apologize to her later at school or what. He just sighed his decision off.

•••

Merida felt sick looking at herself in the mirror. Why does she have so many pimples all over her face? Why does she doesn't have a perfect nose as everyone has? Why are her eyebrows too bushy? Why are her lips always cracked? Why is her front tooth crooked? Why is she so ugly?

Tears were coming out from the corner of her eyes. She sniffed as she knows, another person was going to team up with everyone against her. That guy from last night… he even froze.

She sighed deeply and tried to smile. Even her smile is ugly. There's nothing beautiful about her. There's just no one who could fall for her.

Wiping her tears away, she stopped looking at her ugly face. She turned around and took her backpack, leaving her room for school.

•••

Jacob was normally late but this day was something else. He wanted to apologize to Merida so he was early, only to find no Merida in the classroom. Maybe Brandon was wrong, he thought.

The bell rang and everyone went inside. Usually he wouldn't mind anything that is happening anymore at this point but then he did. He finally saw her ugly face coming in, but wait, he didn't just notice that! He noticed a bruise too. That made him slightly frowned. What happened to her? 

The whole day, the bruise is all he could think of. Even at basketball practice, he couldn't focus so he sat at the bleacher. Then he suddenly heard those girls laughing again.

"I couldn't help it! Her ugly face was so annoying that I had to throw a fist at her for no reason but her ugliness!" What she said sparked guffaws around their area.

"So that's why she had that..." he mumbled.

Jacob thought something for about a minute and then snatched his backpack and run towards the exit of that gym.

"Yo! Jacob! Where are you heading man? The practice isn't over yet!" Brandon yelled across the court.

"I have to go! It's an emergency!" He shouted and never again looked back.

At the school ground, he looked around for Merida. He needs to apologize to her for acting the way he acted. First, he went inside the classroom but no one was there. Next was the library because usually, nerds stay there and again she wasn't. 

As soon as he was losing hope to see Merida, she popped up at the staircase. Her eyes widened seeing him down the stairs but Jacob's grin turned into a smug.