Jenny arrived an hour later. I sat on my bed, shades drawn, the lights off except for the faint glow of the closet light. I was waiting, hoping that in the darkness, Jenny might not notice how I looked. I wore a pair of my uncle's old jeans, a size too big, and a long-sleeved shirt—anything to cover up. All I needed was one kiss. "Love and a kiss," the witch had said. Then it would be over. I'd be my old, beautiful self again, and this cosmic joke would finally come to an end.

Finally, a knock came at the door.

"Come in," I called out.

She opened the door, peering into the dim room.

"Why is it so dark in here, Glen?" she asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I wanted it to be romantic. There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I love you, Jenny," I said, my heart racing. "I love you so much..."

"I love you too," she giggled. "You've never said it first before."

"You didn't let me finish. I love you so much that I'd love you even if you weren't so hot."

"Huh?"

"It's true. I'd love you even if you were ugly. And... wouldn't you love me even if I was ugly?"

Another giggle escaped her lips. "You could never be ugly, Glen."

"But what if I was? What if I had, like, a huge zit on my nose? Could you still love me?"

"On your nose? You have a zit on your nose?"

"It's just a rhetorical question! Would you still love me?"

"Sure, but this is weird, Glen. You're being weird."

"Just hear me out, okay?" I said, my heart pounding. "I mean it. I need to know if you could love me no matter what I looked like. Because... I've been going through some stuff, and I need to know that you really mean it when you say you love me."

She stepped closer, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean? What kind of stuff?"

I hesitated, the weight of my secret pressing down on me. I wanted to tell her everything, to reveal the truth about my curse, but fear held me back. What if she laughed? What if she ran away?

"Just... personal stuff," I finally said, trying to sound casual. "You know how it is—teenage drama and all that."

"Whatever," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Can we just make out or something? This is getting awkward."

"Yes."

I patted the side of my bed, and she sat next to me. I leaned in and kissed her quickly on the mouth, expecting to feel something—anything—like I did when I first changed. But nothing.

"Ick, Glen!" she gagged. "You feel so hairy! You need to shave! Did you even shower today? Because you're getting nowhere with me if you didn't."

"Of course I showered!"

"Let me turn on the light. I want to see." She reached for the lamp.

The light blazed on.

Then I heard a scream.

"Who are you? What are you?" She started hitting me, and I cowered, terrified of hurting her with my claws. "Get away from me!"

"Jenny! It's me, Glen!"

She kept hitting, even kicking at me.

"Jenny, please! I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me! That goth chick I messed with—she was a real witch!"

Jenny stopped hitting me and stared, disbelief etched across her face.

"A witch? You think I'm stupid? You expect me to believe there was a witch?"

"Look at me! How else can you explain this?"

She reached out, as if to touch my hairy face, then jerked her hand back. "I've got to get out of here." She started toward the door.

"Wait!" I called out, desperation clawing at my throat. "Please, just listen to me for a second!"

She paused, her hand hovering over the doorknob, her breath quickening. "What do you want me to say, Glen? That I believe you? That I think you're still the same guy under all... this?" She gestured wildly at my transformed body, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"I know it sounds insane, but I swear it's true! I didn't ask for this. I was just trying to impress you, and now look at me!" I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, feeling the roughness of my skin. "I just need you to kiss me. That's all it takes to break the spell. Just one kiss, and I promise I'll be me again."

She hesitated, uncertainty flickering across her face. "A kiss? That's it? You expect me to kiss... this?" She pointed at my monstrous form, her voice trembling.

"Yes! I know it's a lot to ask, but it's the only way. I can't live like this, Jenny. You said you loved me."

"That was when you were hot!"

"But I'm the same underneath! Please. Just one more kiss."

She looked like she might do it, leaning toward me. But when I bent to kiss her, she ducked under my arm and bolted out of the room.

"Jenny! Come back!" I chased her into the apartment. "Please! I love you, Jenny!"

"Get away from me!" She flung the door open. "Let me know if you get over whatever this is." She dashed into the hallway.

I ran to the door. "Jenny?"

"What?" She jiggled the elevator button, urgency in her movements.

"Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Oh, believe me, Glen, I won't tell a soul. They'd think I was nuts. I must be nuts." She glanced back at me and shuddered.

The elevator arrived, and she was gone. I returned to my room and lay on the bed, the weight of her absence settling heavily on my chest.

I didn't understand what went wrong. Jenny was one of the most beautiful girls in the world. I said that I loved her, she said she loved me, we kissed—it should have worked. Why was I still a beast?

"Nice try, handsome." I heard a familiar voice sneer from behind. "But did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

I turned around to find Kagura in my room again.

"What do you want?" I growled at her.

"I figured you'd try some idiotic, shallow route to break the curse, and I figured it would fail and that you would wonder why. So I'm here to answer that question."

I glared at her, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "What do you mean, 'idiotic, shallow route'? I thought love was supposed to be enough!"

"But you weren't in love with her, were you?"

I clenched my fists, feeling the anger rise within me. "Of course I was! I told her I loved her. I meant it!"

Kagura raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Did you really? Or were you just trying to convince yourself?"

I didn't want to admit it, but she was right. I wasn't in love with Jenny. I had never loved anyone, not really, not since my parents passed away. I never had anyone want to be with me, other than because of who I was, how much stuff I had, and who my uncle was. I hadn't cared much.

"And she didn't love you." She continued. "Not that I didn't expect that; she wasn't exactly as beautiful as a rose."

"What are you talking about?! She was the hottest girl in the whole school, had been in fashion magazines, and was a pageant winner for four years."

"For future reference, when I said her beauty must equal that of the roses, I didn't mean her physical appearance. I said she had to be a 'true' beauty, you moron!" She scoffed. "But I forgot, your kind knows nothing of true beauty, so let me explain this to you slowly."

God, I wanted to slap her.

"The only girl capable of breaking the curse must have the beauty of a rose. Meaning her spirit, her heart, and her soul must embody what roses symbolize. She must be friendly and bring joy to others, like yellow roses. She must be sweet and graceful, like pink roses. She must be faithful with a pure heart, as white roses symbolize. And she must have the passion to see beauty in everything—even in someone like you—and the ability to give unconditional love, just as red roses symbolize. Only by loving and earning the love of such a girl will the spell be broken."

I stared at Kagura, my mind racing as her words sank in. "So you're saying that Jenny wasn't good enough? That I need to find someone who embodies all those qualities?"

Kagura crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her lips. "Exactly. You thought you could charm your way out of this with a superficial connection. But true love requires depth, understanding, and a genuine bond. You need to look beyond appearances."

"But how am I supposed to find someone like that?" I asked, feeling a mix of frustration and despair. "Are people like that even real?"

"Personally, I don't think so, but my sister Erza does. So there might be hope for you."

"You're evil, you know that?"

"No, that would be my sister Minerva. Of course, I'm not really good either; that would be Erza. I'm somewhere in between."

"Will you just get out of here?!" I roared at her. "I can't stand to hear your voice for another minute!"

"Fine."

Kagura rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but paused at the window. "Just remember, Glen: true beauty lies beneath the surface. You have to be willing to look for it, and more importantly, to become worthy of it yourself."

With that, she transformed into an owl and flew out the window, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. The weight of her words hung heavily in the air, and I couldn't shake the feeling of despair that settled over me like a thick fog.

What did it even mean to be worthy? I had spent so much time focusing on my appearance, on being the life of the party, on impressing people with my charm and looks. But now, it felt like I had been living a lie. I had never truly connected with anyone, not on a deeper level.

So what was I going to do now?