The next morning, Zonnique's mom, Tiny, opened her door to wake her up for breakfast.
"Nique Nique! Come on, girl, I made hash browns, sausages, and eggs."
Zonnique groaned and flipped from her side to her back, still in a sleepy state. Tiny laughed and slapped her butt.
"Come on- NIQUE!" She gasped, jumping back.
"What, mom?! What happened?!" Star yelled. Her blue hair all over her face.
"Zonnique, what the hell happened to your face? Did you get hurt?"
"Oh... oh, that." She said, lowly.
"Mom.. I had surgery."
"Zonnique, why- what the heck? Why would you want to do something like that? Don't you know God don't like for you to mark your body up? He made you JUST how he wanted you!"
"It wasn't for me. It was Reginae. I did it because..."
She sighed and looked off to the side.
"She's completely self conscious over her looks. She doesn't like how she look and that's why she thinks that she doesn't have a boyfriend. I wanted to show her that your outer beauty doesn't define who you are-"
"Zonnique, that's was sweet but you look hideous! We have to go back as soon as possible, sweety. I'm sorry."
"Momma, I'm fine!"
"I know what you're doing is for a good cause, but I can't have people thinking I let my child do this. They'll be looking at me like I'M crazy."
Star shook her head and jumps out of bed. Tiny stared at her as she walked right pass her to the door.
"Oh, my goodness. What is WRONG with these children now-a-day's?"
When Zonnique made it downstairs, she prepared herself to what she knew was going to be a hectic response. She heard the laughs and giggles from her family members, and knew she was going to he the main source of the laugh in just a little bit.
Once she made her way down the end of the staircase, she breathed in then out.
"Hey, look! Nique is awake!" T.I., her step dad said as he tackled Major, her younger brother.
Zonnique smiled and walked further into the living room, thinking they wouldn't notice it. "Hey, y'all." She said with a smile.
They all started to respond back, until Deja, her younger sister, took a good look at her face.
"AAAAAGH!" She screamed.
T.I. jumped then grabbed his chest from being startled. "Deja, what in the hell is wrong with you?"
King, her younger brother, took a look at her then gasped also. "Daddy, what is wrong with Nique's face?!"
T.I. finally looked back at her and his eyes bulged. "Nique! Did you fall?!"
She rubbed her arms out of embarrassment and rubbed her lips together. "No, I just.. I got plastic surgery."
"Plastic sur- Which surgeon did you go to?!"
"Pops, I meant to-" she stopped and paused. If she would've told him that she did it on purpose, he would've thought she was going through something. So, it was best just to play along.
"I mean, I found him online. He was the cheapest surgeon I could find, so I picked him." She lied.
"Ahhhh, Nique! You don't do that! Now you have to live with that face for the rest of your life."
"I know.."
T.I. sucked his teeth and shook his head. He couldn't believe that Star would do such a thing, considering how gorgeous she already was.
Zonnique sat down at the table by herself and ate her breakfast. None of her siblings bothered to even ask her questions; not even Deja and they were the closest.
After she ate, she ran back up to her room and slam the door. She couldn't believe that even FAMILY would treat you different based on your looks. It was even more clear to her of how Reginae had always felt. Being judged negatively on the way you look took a piece from you on the inside. It was one of the worst feelings she'd ever experienced in her life.
She decided to call Ray Ray, her boyfriend, and vent to him about it. He was the second most caring guy she had in her life who always cheered we mood up no matter how complex the situation.
She sniffed her runny nose from how much she was crying, and dialed his number.
"Hello?" He said. It was obvious that he was in a good mood to talk to his baby.
"Ray, I feel horrible right now.."
"Baby, what's wrong? You need me to come down there? What happened?"
"Ray..." She cried, not able to talk because of how hurt she felt.
"I think it's better to show you than to tell."
Ray took his mouth away from the phone and eyed it strangely. "Okay...?"
Star quickly opened up the camera app and snapped a picture. She then messaged it to him and nervously waited until he received it.
"Star what the hell!" He yelled, startling her.
"What happened to your face?"
"Ray, I- I got surgery. But it was for a good cause!"
"What was it for? Why would you want your face to look like that?"
Zonnique was slowly starting to see everybody's true colors. It was HER beauty that really brought her the most attention her whole life.
"You know what?" She said in a "matter of fact" voice. "I actually did this just to see how you'd react. That's a mask on my face." She lied.
"Oh..... oh!" Ray said, caught off guard.
"Shit.."
"That's right, Ray. You don't care about my personality don't you?"
"Of course I do, boo! But I also care about your appearance. I mean, who doesn't? You were beautiful."
" 'Were'? I'm not beautiful now?"
"You know you're beautiful. I didn't mean to say that." He lied, scratching his head.
"Tell me the truth, Rayan! I'm serious!" Star yelled. A single tear slipped from out of her eye.
"You're just as gorgeous... It just caught me off guard! Don't cry, baby!"
"You're LYING!"
"Okay, okay!" Ray sighed.
"Star, I'm upset! You went and changed your appearance to look like the damn Elephant Man and you expect me to be fine with that? That's selfish!"
"Are you kidding me?" Star scoffed as more tears trickled down her cheeks.
"Ray... I'm done with you. I called you for support and you have me the EXACT opposite!"
Ray Ray didn't care that much. Star had lost her gorgeous face, and that's what attracted him the most. Him being so prejudice, he never even noticed how hurt she sounded. All he knew was that there were thousands of girls in the world he could date.
"Whatever, Nique. Bye."
"Wait, Ray-!"
As soon as she heard the click, her heart dropped even more. She stared at the phone in complete disbelief. The one guy she counted on to be there for her were one of the non-supporters.
She dropped her head on her pillow and tried her best not to sob. In these times, she tried her best to remember quotes she'd always tell people when they were feeling down.
"A repulsive face can be the most beautiful thing with the personality being the makeup."
[I make this quotes up from the top of my head, so they're not online. xD]
