Author: Vixen
Prompt: Outsides
Word Count: 1030
No one ever notices her outsides. Not that she's vain or anything, Will knows it's what's inside that counts. She's really great with animals, she had a sunny disposition, she had a bunch of really great friends who had saved her life a few times already. If that wasn't enough, she had also been entrusted with the Heart of Kandrakar, a job that went to only one very specific, special person.
Still, sometimes she wishes people would notice her like they do her friend, Cornelia. Beautiful, tall, blond Cornelia. The girl who manages to capture the attention of the total population of boys in the school just by walking down the hallway. Sometimes Will wonders what that would feel like, to be the star of the school. Other times she thanks the powers that be that she'll never have that many eyes starring at her, watching her every move.
Tonight though, as she rifles through her wardrobe, pulling dress after dress out of her closet, she regrets not having the perfect body to fill them. She pulls out a blue one, notices it clashes with her very red hair. Why did she have to inherit her father's hair color? As if she didn't need another reminder of the man who walked out on them. Besides, the total redness of it all make her freckles all the more visible. Stupid freckles.
Will sighs and returns the blue dress to the closet, wondering why she had asked her mother to buy it for her. She had begged and pleaded for the ugly thing, only to barely ever wear it since it was such an obviously bad choice for her figure, or lack thereof. Thankfully, her mother didn't complain about it not getting worn. Maybe she had already known how bad it looked on Will, only humoring her when they bought it.
Picking out a pale pink skirt and a white top, Will holds it up to her body and checks herself in the mirror. Taking a brief moment to sigh, she silently laments her lack of curves. All her friends seemed to have hit puberty a year or two ago, some were even up to a C cup by now. But Will, oh no, her body still resembled that of a small boy. No hips, barely any breasts, bony shoulders.
Her mother had told her on more than one occasion that each person's body was different, each had it's own unique schedule for growing up. Still, Will felt like she was the only one in her school that was way behind schedule. Each time they had the 'someday you'll mature, really you will' talk, Will couldn't help but think of herself as the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, rushing around yelling 'I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date'.
"You're going to be late for the party," Her mother calls from downstairs and Will can imaging her tapping her foot against the floor, waiting for her teenage daughter to hurry up. One more reminder that she was behind everyone else.
With a deep frown, Will decided to just throw on the white shirt and pink skirt. It was already in her hands, plus it was laid-back enough to look like she wasn't trying so hard to be pretty. Maybe people would just accept her as the comfy sort, wearing whatever was clean because she was just way too busy doing really cool things. That was the lamest excuse she had heard of in a long time, but at least it got her out the door and into her mother's car without trying on another outfit.
Her mother kisses her goodbye when she drops Will off at the party, yet another thing to add to Will's growing embarrassment. Will briefly checks to see who was standing outside the house who might have seen the embarrassing mother-daughter moment, then she slips out of the car and offers her mother a nice, "Thanks for the ride."
A few moments later and Will's inside with the rest of the party, but without being able to find her friends she sits in the back. The shy, wallflower side of her had struck again, leaving her sitting on the sidelines as she watched Matt's band from afar. She slowly gets lost in the rhythm, bobbing her head to the music and dancing in the back corner of the room, despite any stares that might attract.
When the set ends, she wanders over to Matt. Her feet won't listen to her when she tells them to turn around, or that she doesn't want him to see her looking so frumpy, or when her mind falters when trying to think of anything interesting to say.
Before she knows it, he's starring at her. Even the slightest attention from him is enough to make her blush a shade of red that matches her hair. He swings his guitar over his shoulder and crosses the room to where she is standing. "Hey, Will."
She wants to look at the floor but can not turn away from his eyes. They're the most beautiful shade of green she's ever seen. When she finally finds her voice again, Will says, "Matt. Hi. The band sounded great up there."
"We've been working on some stuff, writing some new songs," Matt replies with a shrug, still starring at her. His voice quiets as he brushes her hair aside with light fingers, "Hey, you look really good tonight."
She delights in the momentary contact, her skin singing where he touched her. How anyone so cute could think she 'looked really good tonight' Will does not know, but there's something about him that makes her believe his words. Something in his smile quiets all the worry and self-depreciation that had plagued her the whole night. He's the first boy who has ever really looked at her and seen her beauty, and for that her heart opens for him. She's at a loss for words but manages a smile and a sweet, "Thank you, Matt."
Will always wanted to be the one to walk into a party and make heads turn, but for tonight she'll settle for just one.
The End.