Angeline Kwari

December 15, 2023

Christmas Carol  

It was Christmas Eve and as usual Lily always worked. Lily worked every day and never took a day off.  

She lived alone and did not stay connected with friends and family. As usual she slept at 8pm and was dreaming. But this dream was a bit different from her other dreams.  

Lily was at her family’s house. She saw a child version of her. The child version of her was so bubbly and happy about Christmas. Then it switched to her teenage version of her, and she was like an actual teenager and was showing no signs of something wrong. It switched to her early 20s and she remembered something traumatic that happened that made her upset. She chose not to celebrate the holidays anymore. Her family and friends tried to get the help she needed but she refused… In the future when she was looking at her 88-year-old self, her family and friends just went and go without saying anything about her.  

She woke up and realized she did not want to live like that. She changed her ways and brought her family and friends presents. She told them that she loved them and that they hoped they could forgive her. Her family and friends were shocked, but they were happy that Lily was here and celebrating Christmas with them.  

Catfish 

I wasn’t really pretty. I was even listed as the ugliest girl at our school. No one wanted to be friends with me. No one wanted to date me. Even my family thinks I am the ugliest and compare me to Becky. Becky was my older sister, and she is three years older than me. I am currently a sophomore in high school, and she is a senior in high school. The only time someone wants to be friends with me is because they want to know about Becky. Becky is very pretty, popular and she is good at everything that she does well except when it comes to school. She is good at most sports, has a nice taste in fashion, and is extremely outgoing. I, Leah, was the complete opposite. I was a nerd who loves computers and playing games. I usually wear clothes that are comfy, and I am extremely shy.  

There was a guy that I really liked. His name was Jake. He is a grade above me. He was in my pre-calculus class. He was the captain of the football team and all the girls in the school seemed to have a crush on him. I mean not only is he handsome and outgoing, but he is also really kind. I say he is the only person who is kind to me even if he doesn’t know me that well. He defended me from Jessica, who is popular and just like Becky. Well, I guess Jessica and Becky have been best friends since they were two years old, and both love to make fun of me. Jessica didn’t really like how I was in her way. Instead of going around the other way, she pushed me really badly that my books dropped to the ground, and I fell. Jake saw and told her that was uncalled for, and he helped me get back up and picked up my books for me. I was happy, I mean he noticed me. My crush noticed me. No one notices me in school. After that, he asked if I was alright, and I said yeah. Then he hurried to get to chemistry class. He doesn’t know my name, but I was still happy.  

My mom was comparing me to Becky again, how she wished I were skinny like her, how she wished I was social and play sports, how she wished I were pretty, and how she wished I had better taste in fashion. My dad would tell people that he only has a son and daughter. He never mentioned me. I have a younger brother named Zack who is a freshman. My dad is ashamed of me that I’m not like Zack and Becky. Zack and Becky are close and didn’t like me. My family never really gave me anything. They told me that if I were not the way I am, they would love me. I only wanted to be loved. I did not want to change who I am though. Then the idea popped up. If I wanted someone to love me, I could change.  

I created a fake profile in You Book. You Book is a dating site for single people. It has your profile picture and information and then you would get a notification that someone wants to date you. I decided to put myself as Emily and used a picture of a pretty girl who is not a well-known model. I was Emily and I listed that I love playing volleyball and basketball. I loved cooking, makeup, and I traveled to many countries.  

My crush responded to me in You Book, being Emily, saying that I was cute and if we can text. I said sure. We got to know each other a lot. I know he has an older sister named Riley who is finishing her senior year in college, loves to play board games and chess, is close to his parents, wants to be a sports coach, and loves to cook. When he got to know me as Emily, I lied. I said I was an only child and I lived with my guardian. I enjoy playing soccer and hockey. I can socialize with a lot of people, and I have a lot of friends.  

I know lying to him was bad, but I felt happy when he complemented me on how I am so pretty and kind. He asked if we could date but I want to stay friends, first. He accepted, and we became best friends even if he did not know who I was. After 6 months, he asked again if we could date, I said sure. I was a junior and he was a senior in high school. He showed me a lot of affection on the messages such as how can anyone be this attractive, that he loved me, and wished that he could hear my voice or see me in person. After 3 months, he kept asking to call me and that he wanted to hear my voice at least. I kept making reasons such as I was sick, or I couldn’t talk because I lost my voice. It went well for 2 months until he told me if I did not answer the call, he would break up with me. I did answer the call but faked the voice. He told me I sounded like an angel and that he did not understand why I did not want to call. This made me feel better. We called each other every day with me using my fake voice. 3 months later, he wanted to facetime me. I gave him plenty of reasons such as my webcam does not work, or I have really bad internet connection. This went on for 2 months until he figured out that I wasn’t Emily. I was a senior in high school and he was a freshman in college. He saw the model from my profile picture at his college. Her real name was Rose, not Emily. Rose told him that she was a cheerleader and would never play volleyball or basketball. She also told him that she does not like playing chess and cooking. She has traveled to many countries and loves makeup. Jake told me that he could not believe that I was Emily and that I was lying to him. I told him I knew it was wrong and wanted to be loved. But he blocked me on everything. It was a good thing that Jake did not tell anyone in the school, so he still cares about me. Everything then became the same again. My family comparing me and Jake not being here. It was good while it lasted. I was still picked on and try to get out of anyone’s way when I see them. After high school graduation, I moved to a different country and started a brand-new life. I worked out a lot and started wearing makeup. I was in college, and I made a lot of friends from my classes and the clubs and activities that I joined. I was finally happy.