the way i loved you | j. hughes ⁸⁶

008

Age 9:

i look in the mirror at the eye doctors. moving the purple glasses up and down onto my face. staring at how i look with and without them–deciding if it looked good.

mom comes up behind me, resting her hands on the top of my head. she crouches down to me. i know she can tell that i'm unsure about the glasses. "you look amazing sweetie," she tells me, pushing my insecurities aside. "now let's get home and you can show the boys later, okay."

i hum in response. thinking about their reactions–wondering if they think i look weird too. i wonder if jack will still hang out with me or maybe he'll think i'm a nerd and lame. my mind runs with these crazy thoughts. waiting to go home so they can be put to ease.

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i knock on the hughes' front door. bouncing up and down for the boys to come out. instead, ellen opens the door. "aww althea honey did you get glasses?" she says, examining my face.

"yes," i reply shyly. looking at the ground.

"well, i think they look very pretty on you."

a blush takes over my face. i look up at her. she smiles at me and i give a small smile back.

"the boys are out in the backyard. they've been waiting for you to get home," ellen tells me.

"okay, thank you," the shyness remains in my voice.

i make my way to the backyard, jumping with each step. they played monkey in the middle. passing the ball to each other and leaving a helpless luke in the middle who tried to jump up to catch the football but kept failing because he was too short.

this time the ball lands on the ground from jack's pass to quinn. luke tries to run for it but to his avail, quinn gets to it faster.

i let out a small giggle, waiting for one of them to notice me. jack catches me almost immediately while luke is hanging off the ball in quinn's hands, trying to get him to give up but quinn turns around with ease to also look at me and now luke ends up on the ground. i let out another giggle.

"your glasses look so cool thea," quinn wooed. now dropping the ball on the ground and moving closer to inspect my face.

i smile at him and i can feel my face getting warm.

"can you see me now?" luke asks.

quinn rolls his eyes. "luke she has glasses because some things are blurry, she's not blind."

luke and quinn continue to go back and forth but i was waiting for the one person whose opinion i cared for the most to say something. i look over to jack–waiting for him to say something but his gaze is still fixed on my face. his eyes observing my face. eventually, they reach my eyes. his lips parted–opening to say something but he was sadly interrupted by luke.

"you look weird with glasses."

"what," a frown etched on my face. my lip quivered and tears began to fill my eyes. i blink as fast as i can, trying to stop the tears from flowing out. turning around quickly, i keep my head down trying to make it out from the backyard to my house.

i can hear quinn quietly scolding luke for what he said. i try to pick up my pace so i can make it home faster before i came to a sudden stop. the stop being jack's chest. i keep my head down avoiding eye contact with him, knowing that if i looked up at him i would cry.

jack gently grabs my hand. he walks me through the fresh-cut grass of his front yard towards mine.

"sit," he tells me. i sit down on the wide rectangular panel of wood hanging from the tree in my front yard. jack stands in front of me.

the tears in my eyes finally break free and start slowly rolling down my face. "do you think i look ugly?" i mumble under my breath.

"what?" jack says in the soft voice that he always uses when i'm crying.

"do you think i'm ugly in glasses?" my voice cracks as more tears stream down my face. i look up at him–waiting for his answer.

"althea..." jack scrunches his eyebrows. his blue eyes staring back into mine. "i could never think that."

"but luke does," i sob.

"no he doesn't." jack shakes his head. "he's just dumb and he hasn't seen you in glasses before, so he's not used to it." he moves to sit beside me on the swing. "you're pretty with or without your glasses and if someone doesn't think that they're stupid."

my tears stop and i smile a bit. "jack you can't say that word. you're gonna get in trouble."

"so what. i'm ten and it's not even a cuss word!" he exclaims.

i laugh at his attempt to defend himself.

jack wipes the drying tears off my face. "thea you will always be the most beautiful girl i've ever seen."

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sorry i haven't updated in so long :(

– ani<3