Less Than Perfect - Part 4

Adele looked forward to recess the next day as she was curious to know who the gal was and why was she crying behind the hall. When the bell rang for recess she rushed down to the hall, expecting to see the gal there. She was early, she thought and waited anxiously for her to appear. Just then Adele spotted her, standing timidly near the stairs leading to the hall. For the first time Adele had a closer look at her. She was a small built gal with a pair of bunny teeth. Adele moved towards her and introduced herself. The gal remained quiet as if still not sure if she should befriend Adele. But Adele seemed quite harmless and sincere so she decided to open up. Her name was Jana, a sec 1 gal in the Express stream. After the initial introduction, they began to talk about the new school and their new classmates. It was then that they realised that they shared the same fate. Both had been teased and laughed at by their classmates for the same reason - their appearance. One had a portly figure with an ample bosom while the other had a puny figure with a pair of prominent front teeth.

Soon, the two incomparable figures were inseparable and would meet each other during recess at their hideout, sharing their woes. It made them feel better being able to say out candidly how they felt, instead of shedding tears quietly or as in Adele's case - slashing herself. Eventually, they realised that they need not suffer in silence and would encourage each other to confront those who laughed at them. In fact, both would stand by each other - one taking advantage of her size, the other making use of her high-pitched voice. Soon, they were laughed at less often as the others found that it had become more difficult to break them down and to make them a target of mockery. Gradually, life became more bearable and they were having the fun time that any teenage student should have.

Once, while out window-shopping at a mall, they heard a song being played at a CD shop. What captured their ears was the lyric of the song, especially the chorus:

Don't laugh at me

Don't call me names

Don't get your pleasure from my pain

In god's eyes we're all the same

Someday we'll all have perfect wings

Don't laugh at me

The song reflected how they felt when they were being teased at. They decided to pool their money to buy the CD so that they could learn the song. They liked the song so much that they even changed some of the words to better express their feeling at being laughed at. They would sing it out loud when they were at their hideout or when they were feeling down at home. Then one day ............................