Anything But Ordinary

Rags to Riches

Okay, this is my first time using this website, so go easy one me. There are a ton of things I don't know how to do yet, so if anyone has any tips or advice, I would love it. Also, the girls in the story are based off of me and my friends, Libby is based off of me, but I look absolutley nothing like her. Anywho, enjoy!

       “Oh my God!” My best friend Taylor squealed as she ran up to the tree I was in, short blonde hair bouncing around her face. Her older sister, Melanie, was walking behind her with an expression that was part exasperation, part excitement. I lowered myself into a crouch on branch that was about three feet off the ground and wobbled on the slender limb.

        “Brace yourself!” Melanie warned, but her grin ruined the ominous effect she had been going for.

Taylor stopped in front of me, panting and waving the pamphlet inches in front of my nose. I tried to focus on the picture in front of me, but it was too close and moving too much. Taylor’s eyes were brilliant blue, a sure sign that she was ridiculously happy.

        “Guess what!” Taylor gasped, clutching a stitch in her side. She still managed to look perfect, despite that fact that she was sweating and bright red. Blonde hair stuck up in a short bob around her chin, framing her heart shaped face in a way that highlighted the soft angles of her cheekbones. Her blue eyes were like mood rings, blue when she was happy and excited, and gray when she was sad or angry. Her skin was perfectly tanned with freckles smattered across her straight nose.

        “What?” I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to know, because I would never be able to afford it. Taylor would offer to pay for whatever it was, and I would refuse. Again. It happened every time she wanted to do something involving money.

        “One Direction is guest judging a talent search tomorrow!” I could see exactly where she was going with this, and I didn’t like it.

        “No,” I said before she could continue. “I’m not singing for a bunch of pretty boys, and I’m definitely not paying for it.”

        “But-” Taylor started to protest, but I cut her off.

        “I’m not doing it,” I said firmly and crossed my arms for emphasis.

        “Oh for God’s sake Libby!” Melanie shouted, and I nearly fell of my branch. “Listen to the spastic blonde already!”

        “Okay, okay,” I muttered, regaining my balance. “Just don’t do that again.”

        “It’s completely free,” Taylor said, “and if you make it to the top fifty, you get two hundred dollars in prize money. The longer you stay in the competition, the more money you get.”

        This time I did fall out of my branch. I landed with a soft thwump in the pile of leaves I had finished earlier. Pulling a leaf out of my hair, I gaped at Taylor.

        “T-two hundred!?” My mouth felt dry as I thought about how badly we needed that money. I was a good singer; I could make it to the top fifty, then leave.

        “Please Libby?” Taylor begged, looking up at me with big sad eyes. I bit my lip nervously, debating. On the one hand, the money we so desperately needed. On the other hand, I wasn’t really a One Direction fan and had no desire to be famous.

        “Okay,” I said, “I’ll do it.”

        “Yay!” Taylor flopped on top of me in the leaf pile and started throwing leaves at me. I threw them back and accidentally hit Melanie. She yelped as Taylor threw more leaves at her, and then jumped into the fray.

        After a while, Taylor suggested that I spend the night at her house so Melanie could do my makeup. Taylor said she had the perfect ou fit for me, and that it would have the band speechless. I agreed and we went to her house.

        The girl in Taylor’s enormous bathroom mirror stared at me with huge green eyes outlined in gold. Her eyelashes were long and thick, casting spiky shadows on her high cheekbones. Gold dust shimmered subtly on her eyelids, drawing out the hints of gold in the depths of her eyes. Her olive skin seemed to be lit from within by a soft golden glow. Most stunning of all, however, were her lips. They were full and red, perfectly lined and glossed until they shone like rubies.

        “Oh. My. God,” I whispered, touching the mirror. The girl in the mirror did the same. If I hadn’t known it was me in the mirror, I never would’ve guessed we were the same people. I was absolutely beautiful.

        “Do you like it?” Melanie asked anxiously. I suddenly understood why she was going to collage to be a makeup artist. The girl worked magic with her brushes.

        “I love it! It’s perfect. It’s there, without being overly done or gaudy. I look like a goddess!” I kept turning my head as I spoke, fascinated by the different ways the makeup caught the light.

        “What about the outfit?” Taylor asked. She had picked out an outfit that she had insisted was at the height of British fashion.

        “It’s incredible!” I’d never worn something so expensive in my life. Dark wash skinny jeans hugged my thighs and butt in all the right places. My usual duct taped combat boots had been replaced with simple gold ballet flats. Matching the shoes was a cream tank top embellished with gold jewels. Tying it all together was a cropped jean jacket that hit just above my waist, making my tiny curves more pronounced.

        “Are you going to do anything with my hair?” I gestured to my glossy black waves the fell to the middle of my back. My mom was from Saudi Arabia, and I had inherited most of her features. The only thing I could thank my father for were my green eyes.

        “No, leave it down,” Taylor said, turning to Melanie. “Please, Mel, leave it down.”

        “I will,” she protested. “I like it down. It’s so pretty and soft and shiny and thick and-“

        “Okay!” I laughed. “I get it. Liberty has pretty hair.”

        “That’s the spirit.” Taylor laughed and dragged me to the car.

        I sat in the lobby entrance to the local theater, my palms sweating. Taylor and Melanie sat on either side of me, occasionally murmuring encouragement. I barely heard them and instead focused on the movie posters featuring Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. The red carpeting on the floor was faded where people had walked on it, and the door that led backstage had a piece of paper with ‘auditions’ printed on it.

        An official looking woman in a navy suit walked out of the doors and looked down at her clipboard. She glanced at me and then flipped the page, and I gulped.

        “Liberty Osborn?” The woman said, and I stood up shakily and wiped my palms on my jeans. Taylor and Melanie both gave me big grins and thumbs up, and I gave them a weak smile.

        “Right this way.” The woman gestured to the door backstage, and I randomly noticed her nametag said Janet. I nodded politely at her as I walked past.

        The hall leading backstage seemed to go on forever, though in reality it was twenty feet at the most. My footsteps echoed loudly in the silence, and I couldn’t help but think of the few horror movies I’d seen with Taylor.

        I hated horror movies.

        I came out on the left side of the stage and paused, staring at the middle of the stage just a few steps away. My heart was pounding in my throat and my hands were trembling. I may not be a huge fan of One Direction, but I was about to sing in front of them.

        Taking a deep breath, I walked to the middle of the stage. I could feel six pairs of eyes on me as I came to a stop in the exact center. Nervously, I raised my eyes to look at the judges’ panel.

I hope people liked it, and I will upload more, but it might take a while because of school, sports, etc. Oh, and another thing. This is gonna be loooong because my friends are helping me.