Plain, but Glorious | Teen Ink

Plain, but Glorious

May 12, 2010
By Dana16 BRONZE, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Dana16 BRONZE, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
2 articles 4 photos 2 comments

I’m plain. My body’s plain. My life is plain. Hell, even my name is plain. Ann. A name with only three letters can’t be anything but dull. Measuring in at 5ft 4inches I’m the average height of a girl my age. My hair is brown and straight and my face is round with chubby cheeks. All in all, I’m not ugly or pretty. I’m just there, not that you would remember me.

I live in a two-bed room apartment with my mom, who, by the way, has a different boyfriend about every other week. My real dad left when he found out my mom was pregnant, and my mom hasn’t heard a word from him sense. Most of the time I lead a less than average life. Get up, throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, scarf down a bowl of applejacks, and head out the door. Through the day I get pushed around in the hallway and shoved into the boys bathroom, because I’m invisible. Sometimes I feel like I’m a kid playing the “if I cant see you, you cant see me” game, except I can see them. By seventh hour my dignity is so bruised I actually look forward to going home watching TV, and ignoring the squeaky sounds coming from the bed in the next room that my mom and her new male companion had just snuck into. Focusing, I look back to what’s happening in the front of the class; this is when Gloria struts in.

Gloria is well…glorious. From for-head to foot there’s not a blemish in sight, and believe me when I say this because I have tried to find one. Her hair is naturally blonde, and she likes to wear it long. She is also curvy and tall with long, muscular legs. Most days I do pay attention to the teacher, but today I choose to admire Gloria’s new hair barrette. At the end of the hour everyone rushes out, exited to get going on the more interesting part of his or her days. I am stepping out the door and notice something shiny sitting on the other side. It’s the barrette I was so interested in before. Opening my mouth to call Gloria, I stopped myself to think. What if I kept it? She probably wouldn’t even notice it was gone. So I did.

The doctor’s say that was the trigger that started it all. From that day forward things like brushes, shorts, and maybe even a shoe or two would mysteriously go missing from Gloria’s locker. I was obsessed. I would take pictures of her in secret just for me to admire. I got caught taking her picture once, so from that day forward instead of being Ann the invisible to my classmates, I was Ann the crazy. On the outside I was regular old me, but on the inside I was a dripping, oozing, ugly green monster. Despite my best efforts to contain the monster within me, it grew hungry. Now I didn’t just want to look like Gloria, I wanted to be Gloria. On November twenty first I drew out my plan. In the up coming month it would start to unfold.

In the next week I went down to the local hair saloon, where they cut and dyed my hair. That night I went on line and ordered contacts that would change the color of my eyes. At school I would listen to Gloria and talk to her as much as I could, that way when I became Gloria I could think and talk like her to. Lastly I went tanning every Saturday to get my pale skin closer to Gloria’s brown color. By spring the transformation would be complete.

The air was warm and clouds covered the moon, which was perfect because this way no one would see my approach. Getting in was the easy part; the window was wide open and the ivy on the walls formed a perfect ladder. Once inside I spotted the toolbox she used when helping her dad with odd jobs around the house. After I had opened it, I selected a small pink hammer. It would be the perfect weapon, one hard strike to the temple and she would be gone. No pain or suffering allowed. No screaming, she wouldn’t ruin my plan...
I had trained my mind for this. Telling it over and over again I wasn’t really killing Gloria because I would be her. If anyone was going to be missed it would be Ann, but nobody would notice her disappearance. So I aimed, raised the hammer and prepared to swing. Just as Gloria’s door creaked open, and her dad stepped in.

Ann was an innocent girl who was eaten alive by greed and envy. Eventually the green monster will tempt us all, the question is; can we fight our way out of its clutches?



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This article has 15 comments.


on Aug. 15 2010 at 6:33 pm
whywhohow SILVER, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
5 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I personaly like this story, and i agree that doent help you much (prev. comment) add more detail and scrap the pink hammer part it is kind of weird! Go dana!!!

Dana16 BRONZE said...
on Aug. 2 2010 at 5:07 pm
Dana16 BRONZE, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
2 articles 4 photos 2 comments

ouch! well I know it's not that great, but could you possibly give me more advice on how to fix it, cuz saying the papers idiotic and ill written does not help me much.

 


on Aug. 2 2010 at 1:02 pm
yes, I have to agree you ending is lacking something along with the rest of this peice. More info would be nice but theres somingthink not quite right about the whole thing, i know its fiction but still it just seems idiotic and ill writen.

Dana16 BRONZE said...
on Jul. 18 2010 at 9:10 pm
Dana16 BRONZE, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
2 articles 4 photos 2 comments
All my Friends told me the ending was bad and that it needed more info. What do you guys think?

on Jun. 8 2010 at 5:05 pm
CheerfullyBlue GOLD, Santa Clarita, California
14 articles 9 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Forever is an awfully long time." -Peter and Wendy
"To die, would be an awfully big adventure." -Peter and Wendy

wow that was so awesome, you are an amazing writer. would you mind taking a look at some of my stuff? thanx :D

on Jun. 8 2010 at 4:45 pm
COURTneyyy27 SILVER, Boise, Idaho
5 articles 6 photos 25 comments
Wow...I'm speechless really. That was so good. So much different from the way I write. I love it! If you want, you can read, rate, and comment on my writing! I'd really appreciate it coming from such a talented person. Amazing! :)

coly33 BRONZE said...
on Jun. 7 2010 at 4:55 pm
coly33 BRONZE, Lyndhurst, New Jersey
4 articles 0 photos 76 comments

wow that was good and not to long not to short but it scared me actually i didnt want to finish it

:)


on Jun. 7 2010 at 3:18 pm
DayofRain50 GOLD, Robbinsville, New Jersey
14 articles 0 photos 48 comments

This was a brilliantly written story and I loved the "I'm plain" beginning. 

 

PLEASE read my work "Blue Hour."


on Jun. 7 2010 at 2:45 pm
TashaTyrantthnx SILVER, Avondale, Arizona
8 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
~William Shakespeare, Mid-Summer Night's Dream, 1595

This was brilliant. The intensity grew as I kept reading. I was soon stuck in the story, and didn't want to get out. Loved it, good job. If you have a chance, read my thriller Willow's Edge. I'd appreciate a vote and comment. Mind the errors, thanks.

on Jun. 6 2010 at 11:37 pm
CanYouSeeTheCrazy PLATINUM, Cle Elum, Washington
21 articles 0 photos 125 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I know why everyone in this world is so desperate to find love."
"Oh yeah? Why then?"
"Because, it's the closest thing we have to magic."

whoa. i was totally engulfed by this story. i admire the way you write, and it is truly brilliant. keep it up, definitely.

on Jun. 6 2010 at 10:32 am
manga_maniac SILVER, Bloomington, Indiana
8 articles 1 photo 79 comments
that was a really intersting story great job.

Bree Kisor said...
on Jun. 6 2010 at 4:05 am
Bree Kisor, Anchorage, Alaska
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I really liked this. It was very interesting. It brought me in and really entertained. Its a really good piece

_Mags_ SILVER said...
on Jun. 4 2010 at 8:42 pm
_Mags_ SILVER, Somewhere, North Carolina
9 articles 7 photos 436 comments

Favorite Quote:
- I stare danger in the face and giggle
- Never argue with an idiot, people might not know the difference
-R.A.P (Retards Attempting Poetry)
-Tip Cologne ryhmes with alone

Wow, and i thought i was crazy (i'm talking bout the character)

PlainJane GOLD said...
on Jun. 4 2010 at 6:59 pm
PlainJane GOLD, Notown, Wisconsin
16 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
...understand that the heart is as vast and wide as the universe, but that we come to know love best from here, this place of gravity and stability, where our feet can still touch ground.

That was Wow!

on Jun. 4 2010 at 5:51 pm
irrara12 BRONZE, Columbia, Maryland
3 articles 2 photos 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
not all who wander are lost-jrr tolkien

this is so interesting and has a great plot