A/N: Time for my awesome updates! Hey, so I've been updating every Saturday but I'm thinking of just doing it every other because I'm going to be busy with choir since I got in! We have a performance next month and I'll be practicing every Saturday so yeah, I just might do that. The good thing about that is that I'll be able to make longer chapters.
I have no problem at all with the plot considering I've already got chapter 15 planned, it's just a matter of actually writing, rather typing it that I might have a problem with.
Anyway, tell me in your reviews if you'd prefer a weekly update or an every other week one. Thanks!
They all stared in horror at the tray in front of them filled with materials she'd be planning to use. Tweezers, waxing pack, nailcutter, different kinds of hairstyling scissors, curling irons, straightening irons and some they have never seen before. They were all given a seat where they were tied down, thanks to Hotaru, with mirror behind them to see themselves after all this.
"Okay, so let us start with Phase One: Face Makeover. You see, they say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder so everyone need to see that beauty. Your face represents who you are so you need to take care of it. After all, youth doesn't last forever so you need to make the most out of it now." Mikan said while holding stick as if teaching.
She showed them various tips they needed to do everyday to ensure the perfect skin. "First of all, wash your face every day or twice, if you have the time to remove all the dirt that's gathered through the day because I am telling you, will be a lot."
"Hey, are any of you taking this down?" she asked as they all turned to stare at their tied down arms. "Fine, Hotaru let them go. And, can you get five notebooks on the green drawer, the ones that come with pens? Okay, now that you do; you have to take down every tip I give because I promise you it will be helpful to you until you die." She said with a smile.
"Second tip, always cover your lips. What I mean is, always have something like lip gloss or if you don't find that appealing, lip balm. The lips have one of the thinnest skin in the body so it need extra protection. To start off, I'm giving you each lip balm, they come in five flavors so you choose." A tray was placed in front of them. Anna took vanilla, Nonoko took cherry, Ai took apple cinnamon and finally Aoi got melon.
"Okay, last tip. I'll still give you others from time to time since we still have a lot to do. I know you have at least heard this five times from your parents but now, this is coming from me and I probably know more about this than them; eat fruits and vegetables. They give you vitamin a and c which are antioxidants which are good for you, get the analogy?" she says.
"Now, put your notebooks aside as it is time for the hair and makeup sub-phase. Hotaru let them in." she said as the grand doors were opened and four women walked in, with the same outfit that consisted of white button ups and black pencil skirts with pumps. They all had edgy hairstyles and behind them were carts filled with make-up.
"So yes, these are my mom's make-up artists during her fashion shows while Hotaru and I will be doing your hair. Okay, so Nonoko your hair is gorgeously straight so we're going to add a few extensions since the shoulder length for me is not working out. As for makeup, we're all going to give you an au natural style so that it would be school applicable. The special occasions would be done later on." She looked at Nonoko for approval and the grin on her face was an obvious 'yes'.
She then moved on to the pink seat where Anna was as she ran her fingers through the peachy pink hair and proceeded, "Anna, the curly waves are really pretty but I bet it would look better up in a hot messy sort of bun. You can wear a headband along with it and it would look absolutely adorable."
"Ai, your brown hair should NOT be in pigtails nor in scrunchies, don't ever attempt that again. We'll be going for a sleek ponytail with side bangs. Either that or you wear it down with a clip or something."
Lastly, she moved to Aoi who looked like she couldn't care less with what they do with her. "Now that I think about it, you do seem a bit like Natsume's sister. Anyway, what's with the awfully dry hair? I know with a shampoo and an awesome blowdry, this would be gone. I opted to give you a bob cut and these glasses," she said as she took it from her and broke it in two. "You will be using contacts."
"No I won't." she stated.
"Well, you don't have glasses anymore so you have no choice. Anyway, I like your eyes so we'll just be getting a clear one." She insisted.
"Then I won't be wearing either."
"You want to go around bumping into things?" she asked disbelievingly.
"Idiot." Hotaru scoffed.
"Why?" Mikan asked annoyed.
"She had fake glasses. She doesn't really have any eye problems, she has 20/20 vision." Hotaru said while Aoi stared at her wondering how the hell she found out. "I have my sources." She replied to the silent question.
"Why do you wear them? They're hideous!" Mikan exclaimed.
"I believe that physical beauty is superficial." Aoi replied.
"Okay, I don't care what you think as long as you look good so you will not be wearing glasses because if you even do as much as try, I will break it."
"Can't I sue you for that?" Aoi threatened.
"Trust me, hun. I've got connections you'd be afraid to use." She said as she started on Nonoko's hair.
After a tiring two hours of curling, straightening, blushing and glossing, they were done. The makeup artists along with Mikan and Hotaru looked at the four analyzing if they did everything right. After a minute of intense observation, they looked at each other and let out a nod of approval.
"It's fabulous!" Mikan said at her proud handiworks. "Okay, turn!" she said as they all slowly and hesitantly turned to face the mirror. The three, with the exception of Aoi, looked so awe-struck as if they couldn't believe it was their reflection. Aoi, on the other hand, wasn't so surprised but if you looked closely, there was a certain gleam to them, a sparkle that just seemed to give Mikan even just the tiniest bit of hope.
She repeatedly thanked the makeup artists and sent them on their way as the six of them were now left alone again, except they looked a lot better than when they entered, aside from Mikan and Hotaru. She went into her closet and they anxiously waited for her until they saw her fluffy slipper come out the door and they saw her with a big notebook in her hands that was neon pink and it seemed to be completely full.
Ai was unconsciously fiddling her fingers as she was staring at Mikan, still unbelieving this was actually happening to her.
"Stop that." Mikan scolded and she quickly did so, afraid of the consequences.
"Okay so we're done with Phase one and I have to say we did a pretty good job. Okay, so many people believe that once you're pretty then you're popular, they are wrong. Sometimes, ugly people become popular because of their attitude." She said reminiscing a month in her previous school where the ruler was just a failure, good thing they realized that within a week.
"Mikan, what is in that notebook?" Nonoko asked, not being able to resist anymore.
"Okay, this is a secret but, this is like my guide to becoming popular." She said with a smile.
"That's just totally freaky." Aoi commented ignoring the glare Mikan sent her way.
"Anyway, this is full of all the secrets people have told me. A combination of the tips I gained from various confidence talks and cut-outs from different magazines. I know it's really thick and seem absolutely long but you know, I bookmarked some important parts so that it would be easier for all of us." She said as she flipped to the first bookmarked page which was her notes in a talk she really appreciated a couple of years back.
"Okay, so the first thing is attitude. You should never show anyone a sign of weakness because once they notice it, they will use it against you. Your friends now may not be your friends tomorrow so you have to pick wisely, trust me on this. I have first-hand experience." She said almost wearily as she was almost fidgeting but of course, she was beyond that.
"So you're saying you don't trust us?" Aoi asked annoyed.
"Well, to be honest with you, not yet. I mean, you are all a hell lot nicer than my previous friends so I think it would be easier for me to trust you guys and all I'm asking is that you give me time." She requested with a sad smile and in sympathy the three nodded their heads in agreement.
"Mikan, what if we're so close to breaking down?" Anna asked.
"You give them a completely bitchy and witty comment then walk off. Go somewhere only you know and that's the time you can release all the pressure that's been building up or, you can always go to your most trusted friends." She said as she flipped to another page.
Anna thought about it for awhile. She saw how Mikan had everything a girl could possibly want; she was stinking rich, popular and free. It was almost perfect that one couldn't help but envy her but she suddenly saw the weight of her having to do so much and making it look so effortless, and that's where she saw that even if she was almost invisible, she had it easy.
"Okay, on to the next tips. Well, I know you probably heard from a lot of people that I am a complete bitch, I'd have to agree. My point is, I'm assuming myself leader of this." Aoi scoffed at this remark but at this point, Mikan just decided it was better to just outright ignore her. "You don't have to be as mean as I am or anywhere near that, you just have to be fun and likable and of course, hot. So, what I will be telling you are not exactly my ways but more fit for your own."
"The first thing is to never reject anything, may it be a simple request for your attendance on something, do not reject. You could say it more nicely because once you don't then your rep will slowly start to becoming more of mine. So some confessions may be weird, you can't say a simple 'no'. Make up an excuse, even pretend to have a boyfriend for all I care just be more considerate." She said knowing that she started out nice but she started becoming meaner to go alongside the rumors because she just accidentally rejected this nerd because he was way too close to her and had the worst breath ever.
"What if it's like a drink that you feel is poison?" Aoi asked.
"You take it and find a way to throw it away, secretly of course."
"Or just tell them to taste it first." Hotaru said with a smirk.
" That would be good too, and funny afterwards." Mikan agreed. She looked towards the pink page that had the biggest bookmark. This was the one tip she used and needed the most.
"Okay last tip for now, you have to take this one seriously because if you don't, you'll be down before you even reach the top. Don't get affected. Popularity causes jealous which causes false rumors to spread so no matter how bad it gets, ignore them. Sometimes, it's helpful if you're somehow deaf. On the other hand, I've learned to block all bad rumors about me."
"But what do you do if the rumor is actually true?" Anna asked.
"You have two choices. The first one would be to, outright deny it or find a way to make it beneficial to you." She said.
"But I thought it was a bad rumour?" Ai asked.
"It it, but you have to learn to twist it around. For example, if you were forced to kiss a guy. You don't say that, you say he was an amazing kisser but you guys are just friends." She answered as she was curling her hair with her finger.
"Wouldn't that be lying?" Aoi drawled.
"No, you're just bending the truth." Mikan said as she got up and returned her book to it's hiding place.
"Okay so with that, we're done!" she screamed in happiness. "Phase 3: Wardrobe. It is my favorite part! Okay so I guess, it's obvious why I do. We get to go shopping!" she said super excited.
"It's nine in the evening. Barely, anything will be open now." Aoi stated as if to make Mikan feel stupid.
"Oh yeah, I totally didn't consider that." Mikan said sarcastically. "You know how tempted I am to kick you out?" she said at the girl sitting in front of her cross-legged lazily.
"I'd rather go out by myself, thank you very much." Aoi said as she was about to get up but Ai held her wrist with pleading eyes. She sighed in frustration and sat back down.
"Anyway, if you don't want to, you don't have to. Hotaru give them the tablets." She got up and slipped out the door and was back in less than five seconds. She each gave them a tablet that was already in a shopping site, net-a-porter (You can check it out if you want, it's really cool)
"Okay so I'll give you tips for your personality."
"Anna, you have a really sweet personality and so, I think what would mostly fit to it would be floral dresses and pastel colors." She turned to the tablet and clicked to change the site to . "I guess this is more appropriate for you. It's filled with the cuh-utest dresses ever!" she left Anna to admire the pretty clothes.
"Nonoko, you're style is similar to Anna but a bit more dark, less cutesy so I suggest you go try Sass and Bide or Chloe, they have really nice items. If you're unsure about anything, just call me."
"Ai, okay, I'm not really sure what your style is. Just tell me what you like and we'll see what we can come up with." She said looking at her with a friendly smile.
"I really like color but I have the hardest time matching it. I guess that's why I always end up just throwing anything and look like this." She said referring to her almost blinding state.
"Okay, I will give you combinations with the ones you pick and from that, you learn and eventually make your own. Let's go to Sonia by Sonia Rykiel. They've got really fun outfits to choose from." She said.
"Okay, Aoi. I have no idea if you even want to do this but, let's discuss. What kind of clothes do you like?" Mikan asked.
"I don't think you actually want to know." Aoi said.
"I do because seriously, I want to help."
"Why? You're so popular and I don't get why you even bother to put up with us misfits."
"Because I've been there." Mikan said in a soft whisper that surely only Aoi could hear. Aoi suddenly felt a change of heart as she saw the truth in her eyes.
"Fine." Mikan was shocked at her instant agreement but decided not to let it show. "I like rock n' roll sort of style. I like leather jackets, stuff with spikes, a bit of gothic Lolita but you know, I'm fine with a bit of color." She said.
"Great style, but why don't you dress up like that on a normal basis?" Mikan asked.
"Because I want people to know me for my personality, not for the way I look but since you seem so desperate to make 'friends' I'll agree with this little charade." Aoi said.
"Okay, so the best site to go to would be since they have a lot more clothes. Balmain would be the perfect brand." She said as she finally left to go to Hotaru.
"Hey, you doing shopping?" she asked leaning over her to see what she was doing. Well, she was shopping … for gadgets.
"Yeah."
"I need to talk to you." Mikan said as she dragged Hotaru to her walk in closet. They sat on her carpeted floor .
"What?" Hotaru asked.
"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" she asked almost pleadingly.
"I guess, as long you don't turn them into mindless bitches." Hotaru said straightforwardly.
"Like me?" Mikan said insulting herself without the least bit of hesitance.
"No, you know that's not what I meant but you have changed. I'm sure you know that."
"I do." She said with an undertone of bitterness in her voice.
"Why? It's not like you were so bad before." Hotaru said.
"Yeah, I wasn't bad, I was just the worst. People stayed away from me like I was an epidemic. I think there was a point I would kill someone just be normal."
"Well, you're not exactly normal now." She stated.
"You have no idea how hard it is to come from the bottom and just reach middle class. You either do it the whole way or don't do it at all."
"Are you actually happy now?" Hotaru asked.
"Well, happier than about eight years ago." She said.
"You didn't have to change, you know. There were people who liked you for you." Hotaru stated.
"Oh, that was a lot of people. I can even count them on one finger. Let's see, my mom and dad, you, my jii-chan and our driver." She said almost melancholic in her tone of voice. "Honestly, do you hate me now."
"I don't hate you, I hate what you've become." Hotaru said.
"I'm really trying to be a better person, I promise."
"I know you are." Hotaru said as she did a rare feat, she grabbed Mikan's hand and held it tightly.
[Somewhere out there]
"Did you get it?" a female voice asked.
"Of course I did." A snappy voice replied.
"Great. Give it to me tomorrow."
"Of course."
"And you're absolutely sure they aren't suspicious?" the female voice asked to make sure.
"They're as cluless as a bunch of goldfishes."
"What?"
"Nothing. I'll give it to you morning at the locker area."
"Pleasure doing business with you."
"You too, Luna." A girl replied as she snapped her phone shut.
She was going to get her revenge.
Mikan Sakura would have no idea what just hit her.