Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

by sorrowXdarkness

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Synopsis: Rhonda was given the shocking surprise that she required visual correction; prescription glasses. There was no way her mother would allow her to receive laser eye surgery, meaning she had to go to her first day as a fifth grader with glasses. P.S. 118 Queen of Fashion wearing square frame glasses, what could happen?

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It was a typical Tuesday morning, as mother and daughter went for their yearly inspection with their friendly optometrist. Brooke insisted that they go shopping after passing their exam to celebrate, but Rhonda already had plans later in the day. Knowing her mother, their 'shopping' would last practically the entire afternoon all the way to the evening.

"What could be so important than going shopping with your mother dearest?" Spoke the mother as she went through the selection of magazines.

"Well... I sort have been invited by Arnold to check out some performers for our upcoming fall school dance. We have about two months, but being both in charge of the event we want everything to be set right away." The raven hair daughter said as she looked at her face through the many mirrors that the neighborly optometrist had in his store. She smiled as she viewed her flawless face. Her eyes sparkled as she stared into her lovely pools of auburn.

"Oh... Arnold, that boy with that peculiar shape head?" Brooke said, turning her sights on her daughter. "He's a lovely boy..."

"He's nice mom." Rhonda said, not noticing the smile her mother had. "We're thinking of getting 'Summer Heat' to play, but we need to make sure they can still play well as a band."

"So... Arnold... how is he? Still single?"

Rhonda paused for a moment before realizing what her mom was saying. "Mom! Please! He's great and all, but I'm not looking to date just yet."

"Alright... still, there won't always be nice boys like Arnold around your life. Just saying." Brooke said before saying the optometrist signaling for her presence. It was finally her turn. She waved quickly to her daughter before walking into the room. Rhonda sighed. Her mother was playing matchmaker and with Arnold of all people. He stood out as both nice and sincere, but she was actually thinking of dating a middle schooler. They were way more maturer than the kids at P.S. 118. Either way, her mother didn't need to know that.

Then she saw a young teen walking by across the street. His hair was pulled back, most likely from gel as he walked without a care through the crosswalk. His eyes were blue, skin like a celebrity and wore two black boots. The moment his eyes shifted towards her direction, Rhonda pretended she was looking at her reflection. When she knew he was looking at her, she looked back to him and then, smiled. Perfect. She saw the outburst of red around his cheeks. It was great being her.

"Alright dear, it's your turn." Brooke said as she walked out with a smile. Another year with great vision.

"Coming, mommy." She turned away, earning a wave of satisfaction.

As she went in, her mother accompanied her as the optometrist gestured her to be seated. Rhonda took her seat as the specialist performed the exam on her. She expected for another perfect result as she spoke out the letters on the paper across the room.

When she was done, she turned to the optometrist who shook his head disapprovingly.

"I'm afraid you need visual correction, sweetie." The man said as he required assistance from his device next to Rhonda. "Please relax and tell me..." He had her put on the device and adjusted it to fit her head. "...which is better? A or B?"

"B."

"How about now? A or B?" He said, flipping the slides as he awaited for a response.

This went on for about half an hour before Rhonda received the dreadful news. She needed to wear glasses, and school was going to start once again next Tuesday. Life could be so cruel.

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"Rhonda?" Spoke the boy with the football shape head as he came face to face with Rhonda in his doorstep. They were supposed to meet at the comic store before heading to meet with a band at a local cafe. He didn't think to see her so soon, but here she was.

"Hello, Arnold." Rhonda said as she sheepishly smiled toward her friend. As expected, he was stunned by her sudden appearance. "May I come in?"

"Of course." He gestured. The girl walked in, holding a clutch bag close to her chest. A bit suspicious, but Arnold disregarded it as they made their way to the kitchen.

The girl took a seat down on a chair as she still held the clutch bag tightly.

"Is everything okay, Rhonda?" The boy said, pulling a chair close to the girl as he looked at her worryingly. The girl shook her head as her tears began to flow. It was devastating. To her that her flawless appearance must be tainted by two frame of lens was unthinkable. It was her final year of elementary school, and she wanted to go out with a bang. To leave a mark as Queen of Fashion, not Queen of Geeks.

"Oh, Arnold! I can't believe it. Really, I can't!" Rhonda said as she pulled Arnold by the shirt.

"Rhonda, please! You're not making sense. What happened?" He asked, pulling off her hands and grabbing hold of them. "Please relax and tell me."

And so Rhonda spoke. She spoke of her morning with her mother. She spoke of her yearly exam with her optometrist. And she spoke of the result of her exam before taking out the case. With her luck, the specialist had her prescription in stock. Revealing the green frame, she waited for the chuckle. The chuckle anyone would get when they see Rhonda Wellington Lloyd wearing glasses.

"They're not too bad." Started Arnold. "How often did your optometrist say you have to wear them?"

Rhonda thought about it for a moment. "I think he said only when I'm reading or seeing from afar."

"So you don't have to wear them all the time." Arnold reassured. He held her hands with a gentle touch as Rhonda had to distract herself from becoming too conscious.

"I guess you're right." She said, feeling more better than when she was a moment ago.

"See? So there's no reason for these." Arnold brought a hand to swipe the tears off. The scene was a light display of friendship as Rhonda thanked Arnold for the talk. She was indeed happy to come to him for help. She also found it nice to be calmed down by the boy in such a matter. Since she came a bit early, they figured to leave together from the boarding house to meet the band 'Summer Heat'. Walking together on the sidewalk, they both began to talk about the fall dance.

"So any ideas on who you're going to ask out?" Rhonda figured to ask. It was still a long way, but she became curious in who the boy was going to the dance with. She knew from their history together that he had a thing for a six grader back when they were in fourth grade, and of course, Lila. And if memory served her well, there was one more girl that caught the boy's attention. Either way, perhaps this time he had an actual chance to dance with a girl he liked like.

"Not really. Maybe once school begins, I'll might meet someone. You never know." He said as he continued to view ahead. Rhonda, on the other hand, stared a bit at the boy. Knowing their school, there might be a few new students here and there. Perhaps a new girl would go with him, attracted by his thoughtful disposition. "And you?" Arnold asked, turning the table on the rich girl as she paused for a moment to think about the question. Who was Rhonda Wellington Lloyd was going to ask to accompany her for the dance? Good question.

"There was this boy I saw just this morning. Definitely a middle schooler by his height, and a cool one, at that." Rhonda said as she began to remember her encounter with said boy while waiting her turn.

"Cool. So maybe you should ask him out once we get done with the preparations."

"I just might do that." Spoke Rhonda before they both waited for the light to change colors. As it did, Rhonda noticed something as she and Arnold walked. The words from afar were blurry, and she was unable to make them out. The only thing that she could see was the enlarge 'SALE' sign. "Wow. I really do need glasses..." Spoke the raven hair girl as she continued to walk along with her friend. She was tempted to get a second opinion, but then, perhaps not.

"It's fine. Besides, you don't need them now." Arnold said as he kept close to her side. "Come on. We're almost there." Arnold said, pointing at a corner building nearby. Walking in, they both spotted Jeff Rayder. The lead singer of 'Summer Heat', sitting at a stool with a cup of coffee by his hand.

"Hey, dudes. Glad you two can make it."

"Hi Jeff, are the rest of your bandmates here?" Arnold asked.

"Of course, little man. They're all right there." Spoke the jet black musician as he pointed to a couple of fellas sitting on a row. Each one interested at the current sport game on the television. "They're huge soccer fans. Go figure." Shrugged the lead singer before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Great! So if you and your friends don't mind, can we hear what you guys got?" Rhonda now said as she took lead with the conversation. Jeff Rayder nodded upon the girl's request as he gestured for his boys to take their places. The cafe was equipped with a leveled platform with the instruments already prepped for the band's performance. Jeff then turned to the lady by the cashier and said 'we're ready for another bit'. The lady smiled for a moment before moving toward the edge of the workspace she had. There was a switch she had to flip to turned the electricity on for the band. The amps all lit up along with the lights above them.

"Already kids, get ready to hear some classic rock at their finest." Jeff began, walking toward his bandmates. He slowly got up to the platform and stood alongside with his friends. As if on cue, the drummer began tapping his drumsticks with a tempo. "1...2...3...4!" Then the music began.

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"We like to thank our friends, Arnold and Rhonda for contracting us! None of this was not possible, if it wasn't for these two little dudes. We were close to breakup, but then they reminded us why we started this band. TO MAKE SOME NOISE!" Jeff shouted along with his bandmates. All were in tune with each other as they resumed their performance with a special song to thank those two that helped them.

Rhonda and Arnold were dancing along with their friends. Honestly, Rhonda was happy to hear that Arnold couldn't get a date. A girl with the name Jenna from P.S. 114 came after the end of September and somehow caught Arnold's attention. Introverted and usually kept to herself, she finally made her debut with their group when Arnold invited her to play baseball with the gang. She did alright, though she preferred to watch as an audience. Arnold helped this girl a few times, very soon he became interested in asking her out. Then came the response:

"Um... I'm already going with Sid."

Sid apparently asked Jenna the week before Arnold did. Both agreeing to go as friends as they both were interested in the same trading cards game, Pokimon. Thank goodness for that, she thought. It made it less awkward for her since she came to the dance by herself as well. The boy she had a crush on, Ludo, was a total jerk. He actually said he would never date a girl that wears glasses. Said it make anyone an instant geek. It was fortunate he said that, because she now knew what a great guy Arnold was. Thinking back, she should have seen it sooner. He was kind, understanding, and above all else, he was a true friend. A true candidate for her heart. As they danced, Rhonda purposely made sure to stay close to his side. As to prevent any girls from zeroing in on her friend.

"I'm glad we intervened with their friendship. It would have been hard to find another." Rhonda said as she danced close to his side.

"Maybe, but I'm happy to see that they're still friends. After knowing someone for over 10 years, why have that all buried under because of a misunderstanding?" Arnold then smiled as he stared at Rhonda's face.

"What?" She asked.

"No...nothing. Just happy you took my advice." Arnold said, referring to the pair of glasses on Rhonda's face. She planned to go to the dance without her glasses, but then Arnold said something that practically forced her to reconsider. "Like I said...you're beautiful with or without your glasses."

Rhonda's face turned a shade of red as she tried to conceal her skin change around her face. Arnold and Rhonda continued to dance as they were until they heard a sudden shift in the music. The tempo of the beat was significantly slow as Jeff spoke out through the microphone.

"We have a special song for all you out there that are here... As a couple." Upon finishing that line, the music began. Everyone on the dance floor began to hold hands with their partner as they closed in the distance. Arnold and Rhonda stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"Um..." "So..."

They both stopped before looking at each other. One of them finally spoke out.

"Do you want to share this dance with me?"

"Yes."

As with the rest of the crowd, they began to sway side to side as they kept up with the rhythm. Then, Rhonda decided to rest her head on Arnold's shoulder. Enjoying the support as neither one spoke. It was frustrating how obvious it was that Rhonda Lloyd was into Arnold Shortman. She was only glad everyone else was too focused on themselves to really get a good glance on them.

Rhonda told herself as soon as she gets home, she was going to pop the question to him. She had his number, and knew he was going to be up for a while. Since it was a Friday night, she was going to see if he was free for Saturday or Sunday. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Arnold caught sight of the beauty that is Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. No one was going to take his sight off of her. Believe it!

-End of Story

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Author's Notes:

I finished with this story for about a week or two, but never got the chance to proofread it due to work (I have two at the moment). I hoped you enjoy this small story between two cute characters. Arnold and Rhonda definitely make for a cute couple; better than Arnold with Lila. This is simply my opinion, but I digress. Until next time! -sorrowXdarkness