Fugly: Book One of the Fenley East Series

by Talie D. Hawkins

  By the time everyone had awkwardly turned around the bell rang and I was happy to get my roses and bolt out of there. I didn’t get far before Monique found me. She was bouncing as usual.

  “So?” she asked in her high pitched, sing-song voice.

  “So what?” I was clearly missing something.

  “The rose! Are you going to tell Brady yes?” She was almost jumping up and down at this point.

  “So that’s where the first one came from,” I said to myself.

  “First one? You got more than one?”

  “Just two.”

  “Who is the other one from?” He voice had gotten slightly higher.

  “I have no clue. I didn’t open the card.” This was the wrong thing to say. Monique looked like she might have an episode if I didn’t open the card, so I quickly pulled the roses from my backpack and fumbled with the little foil notes. “Well, as you said, this one is from Brady...” I turned the second note over in my hand. “That’s weird. This one doesn’t have a name.”

  “Does it say something?” she asked, impatiently.

  “Just ‘Save a dance for me at 8:00.’ No name or anything.”

  She stomped her foot in distaste for the anonymous note. I didn’t even attempt to guess who it could have been.

  “Who does that?” she asked with a wrinkle in her brow. Then her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. “It actually is super romantic! Someone here has a crush on you!” She playfully shoved me and I had to remember it was me she was talking about.

  “No one has a crush on me, and I’m not even going to the mixer so...” I finished my sentence with a shrug. I thought her face would implode from the look on it.

  “That is not an option. You’re going. You might not care about who the secret admirer is, but I do. I’ll be in charge of getting you there, and you better have something cute in your wardrobe,” she said before storming off.

  Hunter approached and looked curiously at Monique’s form disappearing down the hall. I explained the story to him, holding the invitations in my hand, and pleading with him to get me out of it.

  “You’re on your own East.”

  “No! I’m not. I can’t go with Brady and who knows who the mystery date is. I’m terrified of going and I’m terrified of what Monique will do to me if I don’t go.” I groaned and leaned against the lockers behind me, but it was too soon because Brady was approaching fast. “Hide me,” I whispered. Hunter chuckled to himself.

  “I see you got your rose. So what do you say?” Brady asked, hopefully. I opened my mouth to answer but Hunter cut me off.

  “Actually, she says no.” He held up my hand with the other flower. “She’s going with me.”

  My eyes opened in shock but I tried to play it down.

  “Dude, you said you weren’t asking anyone,” Brady said looking annoyed.

  “I decided to ask Fen.” It was Hunters turn to shrug.

  “Well, maybe next time I’ll beat you to it,” he said and then walked away looking at us suspiciously.

  I felt like I could breathe one he was gone.

  “Thank you, but now he’ll expect to see us there,” I said to Hunter as I watched Brady walk away.

  “So what’s so terrible about that? It’s time you start mingling with your peers.”

  “I sort of don’t have a choice now, and I still don’t know who mystery person is,” I said as I waved the rose around. Hunter shrugged.

  “I guess you’ll find out at the mixer.”

  I let Monique know she was off the hook and that I would be arriving with Hunter, but she double checked with him in front of me just to be sure. I convinced my mom to help me pick something out to wear. I was in terrible need of Aunt Haley’s style crew, but I didn’t have that luxury anymore. We went to a fancy department store with a cafe’ and had lunch before I tried anything on. This had been a dream of my mom’s for so long, but I always refused to go shopping with her because I felt like nothing would fit.

  Now we were here and she had them pick out a rack of things for me to try and I lucked out with the first one. It reminded me of the Gala dress I wore in New York. It was an adorable two piece with a black halter top and black tulle bottom. I twirled in my dressing room and could’t get over how this dress made me feel like a ballerina...not that I could ever be that graceful.

  My mom gasped when I came out.

  “Send the rest back. This is a keeper,” she said to the sales clerk who was helping us. I had to agree with her. We picked out some silver strappy heels to go with it and my outfit was suddenly complete. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to brave my new ensemble, not where everyone knew me, but I had a few days to prepare myself and Hunter had a few days to back out.

  As soon as I got home I ran upstairs and sent a video call request to Tru. I felt like I needed to tell him about the mixer and the invitations. My heart skipped a beat when his face popped up on my screen. His hair was a mess on top of his head and his shirt was missing. It was clear I had woken him up.

  “I could wake up like this all the time,” he said in a scratchy voice.

  “I’m sorry. A lot has happened and to be honest, I wanted to see your face,” I admitted.

  “Don’t ever be sorry for that.” He adjusted a little in bed so that he was sitting up more. “What stuff has happened?”

  “Well, I got asked to a school mixer, but I said no. There is only one person I would want to be there with,” I blurted out. I saw him take a deep breath.

  “So, who asked you?”

  “Well, this kid that I can’t stand, and the other was anonymous. I sort of got myself in a pickle and I have to go, but it’s just with Hunter and it’s not a real date.”

  “You’ll have to tell me the whole story some time,” he said as he rubbed his face.

  “Are you upset with me?”

  “No. Not at all. I completely trust you. It’s a little weird that you’re going with the guy who hounded you all summer, but I’m sure you have a good explanation.”

  “I do, but I can hear my mom calling me so I should go. I miss you so much.” I touched the screen.

  “I miss you too. We’ll talk more later.” My heart sank a little as his face vanished from my screen.

  19.

  “What color are you wearing?” Hunter asked as we walked to class. “I mean, what color is your dress?”

  “Oh, it’s black. My mom is letting me borrow her ruby necklace and earrings to go with it. It’s her vintage set. She might make me give her my first born if anything happens to them.”

  “So I should wear a red tie?”

  I nodded yes. “Hunter, who do you think sent me that second invite?” He only shrugged as an answer and continued walking away. I was already at my next class and Monique was like clockwork. She had snuck up from behind and almost made me drop my books.

  “I have a theory on your mystery man,” she declared.

  “This should be interesting.”

  “I think it’s Hunter.”

  I turned to look her in the eye. “Excuse me? Did you just say Hunter?”

  “Isn’t it odd that he swooped in right at the right time for you to turn Brady down?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “And Jess is convinced he dumped her to be with you.”

  “That’s insane. You might be insane. Hunter is only going with me because he knows I need an excuse to not go with Brady. He’s just as curious about mystery man as I am.” Even as I said it I still wondered if it was just an evil prank being played on me by Jess’ crew of minions.

  “So he’s going on a fake date with you,” she said with air quotes, “even though there are a dozen adorable girls would die to go on a real date with him? Right, seems likely.”

  “Oh my gosh. Where did you even come from,” I said in my beyond annoyed tone, but deep down I was admitting that she had a point.

  The Friday of the mixer came fast and I was not prepared for what my mom had planned for me. She had made an appointment for hair and
make up at a posh, downtown salon. She didn’t want to leave anything to chance for my first social event at my school.

  The stylist pulled my hair into a loose bun that would show off the ruby earrings and necklace my mom let me wear. I was given a natural make-up look with a soft, red lip and pink cheeks. Looking in the mirror reminded me of my days in the city and my time with Tru and suddenly the pit of my stomach ached with the need to see him. It must have showed when I answered the door.

  “Are you okay,” Hunter asked with a look of concern.

  “I’m fine. Just melancholy,” I admitted. He offered me his hand.

  “Come on. Let’s go to a mixer and have such a fun time that you’ll be melancholy about it tomorrow,” he said with a smirk that I couldn’t resist.

  “By the way, you look dashing,” I said as I noticed his fitted black pants and fitted black shirt with a red tie to match me.

  “Thanks, but no one is going to give me a second look when you walk in.” He winked and opened the car door for me.

  I was nervous to go in once we got there. I sat in the car and watched person after person walk by. They all had a confidence I was lacking and just watching them made me feel like I shouldn’t have been there.

  “No time like the present,” Hunter said. I shot him a look and his face softened. “Come on. It won’t be terrible and we can pour punch on your mystery date if he’s a freak.”

  I knew he was trying to make me laugh so I gave him a small smile. I took a deep breath and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Let’s do this,” I said feeling determined to walk in like it wasn’t a huge deal.

  To my surprise, Hunter offered me his arm and I took it. We got to the double doors that led into the gym and I stopped him.

  “Do you think someone is messing with me? What if I’m walking into a trap? Did you offer to take me so someone can cover me in pig’s blood?” I said in a rush. All I got in response was laughter.

  “No one is going to pull a ‘Carrie’ on you. They’re all too lazy to come up with a plan like that.”

  “Right.” We walked in and I waited for the music to stop and for all of the head’s to turn, but that didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, nothing happened. Yes, a few heads turned because I was still holding onto Hunter’s arm, but they took a look and turned away.

  “See? Just a dance. No evil ploys,” he said.

  “Wanna hear something funny? Monique thought you were the one who sent me the mystery rose. Stupid, right?”

  “Not that stupid,” he said in a voice I almost didn’t hear. I had no idea of what he meant by that, but he was back into his weird mood swings. “Before anything else happens tonight I need to say a few things.” I opened my mouth to ask what would happen, but he cut me off. “Let me get this all out and don’t stop me. First, you look beautiful. Second, it’s not just the New York make over. It’s your confidence. Third, you have never been ‘fugly’ to me. You have always been Fen who reminds me of the red flowers in my mom’s garden. You know the ones...Peonies? They look like roses. Most people think roses are the most beautiful flower, but they’re all flash. They’re fussy and fragile. Super high maintenance, but the peonies are just as beautiful, they look delicate, but they are forgiving and effortless. That’s you.”

  Someone had taken Hunter away and replaced him with a stranger except not a stranger. I stood there with my mouth quivering as the words he said sank in. No one had ever said anything like that to me and he was the very last person I would expect to hear it from. I opened my mouth to thank him but he stopped me again.

  “You should turn around. I think your 8:00 is here.” He pointed behind me.

  I turned, looking at the ground and the first thing I saw were red converse tied up with black laces. My heart sped up and I was too afraid to look up very fast, so I let my eyes travel up slowly until they met Tru’s blue eyes and amazing smile. Nothing could stop me from screaming and jumping into his arms. He laughed as he picked me up and twirled me around.

  “I can’t believe it’s really you,” I said as I squeezed him.

  “It’s really me and I have missed you so much!”

  This time I did have eyes on me. I could see Monique’s group gasping and pointing in our direction.

  “Did you know about this?” I asked Hunter.

  “I’ll never tell,” he said, making a locking motion to his lips as he walked away. I turned back to Tru. “How?” I asked him.

  He nodded in the direction of Hunter who gave us a salute from where he stood, and as if it were on cue a slow song came on. He pulled me to him and started to lead us in a slow dance. I loved how my head fit right under his chin.

  “I can’t believe you’re really here,” I whispered. He squeezed me closer and kissed the top of my head. I glanced over his shoulder at Hunter and mouthed “thank you” to him. He smiled, but it was short lived because Jessica was approaching and she looked like she wanted to fight.

  “As much as I love being here at your school’s dance, would you like to get out of here?” Tru asked as soon as the slow song was over.

  “I would love nothing more,” I said as I watched Jessica pointing a finger and talking between gritted teeth at Hunter. “Can you give me one sec?” He nodded yes, so I made my way over to Hunter who looked exhausted by his exchange with Jessica.

  “I’m fine Fen. Go with Tru.”

  “Seriously? You have Fugly for your back now?” She was like a walking, talking mean girl cliche’. Her hand was firmly planted on her hip and her neck moved with every word she said.

  “I was just coming to see if you need anything and to say thank you again.” I focused my words to Hunter, completely ignoring Jessica.

  “I’m fine. You go. That kid came a long way to see you.”

  “Ok,” I said before reluctantly walking away.

  I crossed the room and Tru held his hand out for me. “Ready?”

  “More than,” I said as we walked out of the mixer hand in hand.

  20.

  “You rented that?” I said in shock as he opened the passenger door of a 1960s Porsche.

  “I didn’t really pick. I just asked for a rental and this is what my dad’s assistant came up with. Now where to?” he asked from behind the wheel.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked.

  “Famished.”

  “Make a left over here,” I instructed as he drove. A few minutes later we were at Diablo Burger. We ordered and Tru made sure we had extra fries, remembering my addiction to them. We were back in that comfort zone we had had in the city. I was completely at ease with him and that was rare for me. He playfully dipped my fries in ketchup and fed them to me as I laughed, and I didn’t care who could see or hear us.

  “God, I missed that sound,” he said as he wiped a drop of ketchup from my lip. I looked down at the table, worried that I was turning bright red. “Hey,” he said as he tilted my chin up. “Don’t get shy on me now. Where should we go next?”

  I directed him to the top of South Mountain, one of the prettiest views in the city. We could see all of the city lights below us as they twinkled and moved.

  “This is so different from New York. It’s so quiet and peaceful,” he whispered. We were standing in front of the car as we looked down at the view. “I didn’t tell you how beautiful you look,” he said as he turned to me. “This dress reminds me of the one you wore to the Gala. That was one of the best nights of my life.” He pushed a few stay strands of hair away from my face.

  “Mine too.”

  “I didn’t come here just to surprise you at your mixer. I came to tell you something and I wanted to do it in person.”

  “You’re making me nervous, Tru.”

  “Don’t be. It’s something I have known since I saw you for the first time.” He brushed a thumb over my cheek and moved a little closer, making my heart beat a little faster. “I love you Fenley East. I have loved from the first moment I saw you,” he declared, and he gave me no time to answer. His lips were on m
ine in a flash, making up for weeks of lost time. I felt his hand move to the back of my head to pull me closer and my arms instinctively circled around his neck to keep him as close as possible. I felt like my heart would jump out of my chest from beating so hard.

  He held me close when we broke the kiss and I was glad because every part of me was shaking. “Don’t say anything. Don’t say it just because I did,” He said into my hair. This made me pull back a little.

  “I wouldn’t do that. Tru, I do love you...so much,” I said as I looked into his eyes. He responded with a smile that put the city lights to shame.

  I spent my evening in the only place I had been longing for- Tru’s arms. I had lost all track of time until Tru asked me what time I had to be home.

  “Oh no. I have to call my mom to check in,” I said in a slight panic. She answered on the first ring.

  “It’s about time. And yes, you can have until 1:00 am, but make sure he knows we get to meet him tomorrow.”

  “How did you know?” I asked in shock.

  “A good mother knows everything. See you in two hours.”

  I set my phone down and looked up at Tru’s face from where I was leaning against his chest. He kissed my forehead and wrapped his arms around me. I thought about suggesting that we go do something, but decided that I was exactly where I wanted to be.

  “I did’t even ask you, when do you go home?”

  “Unfortunately, Sunday morning.”

  “Well, let’s not think about that part. I have you right now and that’s all that matters.”

  He didn’t respond with words. Instead he pulled my face to his and kissed me in a way that gave me butterflies almost instantly.

  ***********************************************

  We made breakfast plans and I reluctantly let him drop me off at home, but I almost refused to get out of the car until he insisted that we both needed the rest.