Dysmorphia

|Epilogue|

The first day of the new school year came around more quickly than the pupils of Phillipson High would have liked, shiny-shoed Year 7's and gum chewing Year 11's flooded through the green school gates, some nervously chatting and other's screeching like wild animals.

But there was one difference this year.

The List was plastered on every wall, on the lockers, on bathroom stalls but it was simply ignored, treated like the useless piece of paper it really was, as people ripped each List up or simply trampled carelessly on them a name was uttered by almost all of them,

Florence Clarke

Florence Clarke was the most well-known name in the school by now, everyone knew her story and everyone knew how she'd changed her life around, of course the girl's voted the more pleasant names such as prettiest felt anger, they felt like they had earned the labels they had been given and hated that they would no longer be recognised in the school's hierarchy.

Pieces of paper once revered like holy scriptures were now used to mop up spillages, to make paper airplanes.

The majority of the student body acted like the List had never even been a thing, and as for that years FPBG, Lydia Thompson, she had never been so popular, students guarded her on her way to each lesson and practically growled at anyone who so much as glanced her way, for the first time in a long time people felt hope, hope that through love and togetherness anything could be conquered.

A degrading practice such as the List wasn't welcomed anymore at Phillipson High, it would no longer be allowed to exist, the students would make sure of that, of course there was still the occasional mention on Social Media of the 'FBPG' or 'Prettiest Girl in the Year' but any such mention was usually met with such an outcry that the post was deleted.

In the end it hadn't been an insincere speech by the Principal or vows from the staff to remove the List that ended the tradition, it had been one girl named Florence Clarke and a boy that had changed her life.

Phillipson High's library was more crowded than it had ever been that lunchtime, never before had books arriving been so highly anticipated, the ancient librarian looked around worriedly as her helpers unboxed the books.

'Dysmorphia' read the front cover:

'By Florence Elizabeth Clarke'

Almost a hundred miles away the New York Times Bestselling Author Florence Clarke sat on a chair, nervously fiddling with a form in her hands, she had wanted to make the trip to the prison alone, her life had been a whirlwind these past few months, with her book deal and everything else that came along with sudden internet fame, no longer was she the hidden girl, she even had an agent now.

It would all seem like a dream if she hadn't seen her book in bookstores on the taxi journey here, there had been some worry that Phillipson High would try and sue her for smearing their name, but she had been assured by several top lawyers that as she had changed their name they had no case.

She had removed Chase's letter from its frame today, she needed him near her for support.

Nothing had ever been so scary as what faced her behind that grey door.