September 8th

I was a natural born pretty. I had big, brown, doe eyes with light brown hair with blonde highlights that frizzed sometimes, but didn't make me an ugly. It made me a natural born pretty.

My smile was stunning, people (pretties and uglies alike) were always lost in it, and always l could catch someone staring at me.

Since I was twelve, I had lived in New Pretty Town. Since I was twelve, I had no friends. The older, newer sixteen pretties were nice to me, but none of them were friends to me. Because I was twelve and they were sixteen. How was I supposed to get along with them? Off of that topic…And onto me.

My name is Dahlia. An older name from the Rusties. I'm writing this because I'm thirteen now and have nothing to my name, no friends, and why not? I want someone to remember me. Someone to know the name Dahlia Xavier. Whether it be one person or two, I don't want to die in vain.

I had a friend before. Her name was Cay. She was a born ugly…But to me she was beautiful. Gorgeous, even. But she swore she was just like the rest of Uglyville. She wasn't to me. She was someone, something. She was Zarifa. Special name, an old name from the Rusties too.

Enough introductions. Enough of my past. Enough of the people I won't see for three more years (Zarifa's birthday is the day before mine. June 21st.).

Today was okay…Spent most of my day in my dorm, as always. I'm a hide-away-pretty. There is what I call "hide-away-uglies" but I'm not an ugly. I'm a pretty.

I hate that too, by the way. How my society bases everyone off of looks. All because one person has a high forehead, or eyes that are too close together…Or even too full of lips. How ignorant we are to the internal beauty, or to the things that make us all pretties. Zarifa had the most gorgeous hair. A beautiful silver with grey highlights. She thought it was horrifying. I thought it was beautiful.

She was a natural born pre-I'm sorry…My tears are ruining the paper…

I'm back…My tears have stopped but I'm not ready to talk about Zarifa.

Right now it is that time of day when the setting sun shines beautifully on the growing green grass, making it shimmer and sparkle in the light. Beautiful.

God…The new pretties are making such NOISE. So freaking loud….Too loud….God, I hate them…This is what I hear going on:

"Dude! I t-t," the girl yawned as I hear her try to walk, giggling and saying, "The piggy got loose! The piggy's on the loose!"

Another one responds, her voice slurring, "She's sucha wittle party-pooper."

God…Those new pretties annoy me.

I hope this "piggy" reeeeaallly crashes that damned party. Piggy is my hero…

Oh my gosh, I just heard the fire alarm! This is too good! I know there's no fire, because I'm not stupid, of course. Everyone's screaming and running and being all scared...It's hilarious. I-I have to go take a five minute break again because I'm laughing so hard I'm about to cry all over this notebook.

I figured out the source of the fire alarm and 'piggy break out'…Someone ugly named Tally, I think I heard (oh what a pretty name…) pulled the fire alarm because she came to visit some pretty named Peris. I wonder what made her come….

Does she love Peris? Is he a good friend? I wonder about this Tally and what other tricks she could pull…I hope I meet her someday…She sounds awesome. Not only does she sound awesome, but she sounds…Well…Like Zarifa, I guess.

I miss Zarifa. (I'm mentally kicking myself for bringing her up. I don't know if I'm ready to or not. I don't know, and I'm afraid.) Yes. I'm going to bring her up. I mean…Who could possibly read this besides me? (Okay, maybe a lot of people could read this besides me…Not the point though.)

Zarifa had eyes the color of a rising sun; silver hair with grey highlights that shone so bright it could blind you if you looked at it in this correct lighting. She had a small, perfect pretty nose with her large doe-eyes. Innocence was written all over her lanky frame, and innocence was the exact opposite of what that girl was in my opinion.

Zarifa was daring, a risk taker to the bone. She had a spunk to her, a certain spunk no one knew she had but the ones she allowed to get close to her. Friendly, kind, energetic, spunky….There aren't enough adjectives to describe that girl. Her beauty, inner and outer, was so wonderful I can't even get close to describing it.

How lovely she was… Oh Zarifa…If only you could see me now…A year later and I'm still the same. Still the same frizzfall of light brown hair, I still have my "innocent" doe-eyes with my bushy eyebrows, slightly full lips.

I guess you were right….The last conversation we ever had, you were right.

It was a snowy winter day and we had been goofing off in the snow, giggling and having a snowball fight. One of the last ones we'd ever have. Of course neither of us mentioned that, but we each knew it deep down inside.

When we had finished, Zarifa and I had flopped down into the snow, our layers of clothing keeping us nice and warm.

"So…This is one of the last fun times we'll have together, isn't it?" Zarifa's eyes had been so innocent, so doe-like…So pretty.

She had mentioned it. The one thing I had been trying to ignore. The one thing I hadn't wanted her to say.

"Yeah…I guess it is," I'd whispered into the cool winter air, ignoring Zari's eyes.

"I hate it."

"What?"

"That you're a natural born pretty! Why couldn't you have been an ugly and we get into New Pretty Town together? Only a day apart?"

"You're right…It does suck."

"That's all you have to say?!" Zarifa had bolted up out of her snow-bed and glared at me.

"Yes. It is."

"You suck."

And that was the last time we ever talked.

I wonder if she regrets it, if she regrets ever becoming my friend. I always wonder….

We can live in question without an answer. And I, will do that.

Goodnight,

Dahlia