Chapter One

The oval shaped, olive shaded face stared back at her from the full-length mirror. Surrounded by it was wavy, dark-blonde hair, which when loose like now, ran all the way down to her back. It had been bleached by the sun from her holiday in Cyprus earlier this year, and was looking all shiny and silky-smooth. Two small green eyes, widened as she arched her eyebrow at her reflection. She studied it intently, but instead of seeing what the mirror showed, she saw something, which accounted for her nights she would spend crying her eyes out.

I’m not beautiful, she thought. I’m not even pretty, or the slightest bit attractive. I’m never gonna appeal to anyone- no one is ever going to want me.

She rested her face again, and her eyes glazed over. Time to go. Leave the mirror- I think I’m going to get rid of it, she thought. What I don’t see can’t hurt me.

But it niggled at her still; what was getting rid of the mirror going to change all she knew inside?

24 years old, she was single. She always had been single. No relationship, no boyfriend, she’d never even been on a date.

And she was 24.

She sighed, defeated. She had totally given up on ever finding anyone. If she hadn’t found anyone for 24 years, she wasn’t really going to find anyone in the future, was she?

I’m supposed to be at my peak, she thought miserably, and frustrated. This is supposed to be the time in life where I go on lots of dates- get a boyfriend, be in a relationship- fall in love.

But nothing’s happening. Nothing’s ever happened.

And now things are gonna start getting worse, ‘cos I’m gonna start getting old and grey soon, she thought.

I must be having a very premature mid-life crisis.

She returned to her bed, and flopped down onto it.

Where was she after her depressing life had distracted her? Ahhh yes, chapter 17.

She settled back down into the depths of her fantasy world amongst her books again. She loved her books- it was the one place she could escape to, and feel she belonged. She liked to pretend she was the objection of affection in the books, liked to think there was a place she could go to, where there was somebody who liked her; who needed her, who wanted her.

Oh, wouldn’t that be wonderful.

She loved reading. She spent most of her time in her fantasy world, engrossed in new plot, after new plot. Given up on the empty real life she was trapped in, she snubbed that for a life where she could at least have some happiness. Even if it was completely fake and never gonna be real.

Still, it was the only thing that really kept her going at the minute.

Oh, to be in this book. The girl was beautiful, popular, intelligent, and most importantly, had literally thousands of guys after her. Ohhh, so lucky!

I can’t believe I envy someone who doesn’t even exist, she thought. How sad is that?!

“Lizzie!!” A voice suddenly came from outside the bedroom door.

She sighed, half-annoyed, half-distressed. She knew what was coming.

“Lizzie!!!” The girl’s loud, sharp voice came again, and then the bedroom door opened.

There stood a girl, about 5”7 in height, with mousy-brown hair hung over her shoulders, and big brown eyes. She looked disapprovingly down at the bed.

“Liz!” She sighed. “Come on! Steve’s waiting!!”

“I don’t wanna come down,” the shy girl said, looking up. “And stop calling me Liz.”

“Ohhhh jeez!” The girl sighed. “Elisabeth, then!! Whatever! Just come on.”

“I’ve told you Becky, I’m not coming down,” Elisabeth said firmly.

“Oh, and what’s better than meeting, Steve? Reading some romantic trash?” Becky snapped.

“It’s not trash,” Elisabeth defended. “And I don’t get why I have to meet all your new boyfriends, anyway. I mean, what’s the point? It’s not as if I’m ever gonna associate with any of them after I’ve met them.”

Becky laughed. “You bloody better not!! But c’mon Liz-“

Elisabeth shot her a look.

“- but c’mon! you know how I like you to meet them all.”

“Yeah, and then I do, and then there’s another new one to meet a month later,” Elisabeth muttered into the pages of her book.

“Pllleeeassse!” Becky begged, putting on her puppy dog eyes look.

Elisabeth sighed, her soft side coming through.

Becky saw it and beamed broadly. “Thanks Elisabeth! Just 10-15 minutes, anyway. We’re going out.”

“Good,” Elisabeth muttered, and she got up off her bed, keeping the page in her book.

Becky giggled, and spun around in the doorway, and Elisabeth flowed her reluctantly.

“He’s great,” Becky said happily. “You’ll really like him.”

Elisabeth doubted it. All Becky’s boyfriends were so full of themselves, and kind of- too good looking. And they all treated her as a mouse as well, a total push over.

The countless times she’d had to ‘go out’ so they could have the house to themselves… she shuddered.

And the thought of what they did made her want to throw up and cry at the same time.

“He’s a mechanic!” Becky declared proudly, making him sound like the Prime Minister or something.

“Cool,” Elisabeth muttered as they descended down the stairs, with no enthusiasm.

“Oh, and his mate’s here as well. I think we’re gong on a double date or something,” Becky added.

“Great,” Elisabeth said in the same tone.

This is going to be sooooo fantastic, she thought sarcastically.

“Rather go alone,” Becky grinned. “But hey, what can you do?”

They both got to the bottom of the stairs, and Becky led her into the lounge.

“Hey!” Becky greeted them. “This is Liz!”

Elisabeth looked at the guys that were sat down in the room, and they couldn’t have been more different. And annoyingly for Elisabeth, one was completely gorgeous. She thought he was the mate, ‘cos the other one looked more like Becky’s type completely.

But ooh, the other one was gorgeous.

“Elisabeth,” Elisabeth corrected Becky.

“Liz is my best mate and she lives here, too,” Becky told the guys, completely ignoring Elisabeth.

The gorgeous one smiled back at her, and he had such a cute smile! Elisabeth thought.

She felt herself curling up inside.

“And Liz, this is Steve,” Becky said grinning, and went straight over to sit next to… the one Elisabeth liked.

She gasped inside her head. Oh God! Really?!! That was Steve- Becky’s new boyfriend?!?! But he is sooooo not her type!

Steve grinned at her. “Hiya,” he said.

Oooh, he was really cute. He had shortish dark-blond hair, which was all ruffled up. He had lovely blue eyes, and had brood shoulders. He looked quite tall. He had reddish skin, but didn’t look like a mechanic at all!

I can’t believe that’s Steve, the one I like! Elisabeth thought, and she sighed. Ohhhh well.

“And this is…” Becky said, turning to the other guy, who was at on the chair, leaning forward with his arms on his knees, keeping his head more or less down.

Elisabeth turned to him, and was immediately put off. Ohhhh, euwwww… she thought.

It wasn’t that he was ugly, God no- but he’d already been thrown into Elisabeth’s pile of ‘crazy guys’ in her head.

He had dark brown hair shaved really short, and small brown eyes which had the most animated eyebrows over them Elisabeth had ever seen. He looked really small in build as well, and had really dark, Mediterranean-like skin. But the thing that really got her- was all the piercings he had. A ring in his ear, accompanied by another in his nose. He also had a stud in his chin.

Oh God, he looks like a right ruffian! Elisabeth thought.

Becky was struggling. “This is… er… Oh God!” She was racking her mind. “Er…”

“I’m Paul,” the guy said, and then flashed a cheeky grin, which glinted his brown eyes.

“Paul! Yeh,” Becky smiled. “Elisabeth, this is Steve’s mate Paul.”

Paul looked up at her, and Elisabeth felt like some electric shock run through her body.

“Hey babe,” he grinned.

Ohhhh God, Elisabeth thought uneasily.

I really, really don’t like him.