to the lost horizon

for @kingdonmicrofic day 17: crowd | 493 words | ao3 inspired by/playing on the RIDICULOUS 2000s "she took off her glasses and everyone finds out she's beautiful" movie trope

Mel cracked her glasses three weeks ago and was now wearing the contacts she usually kept stored in the very back of one of her bathroom drawers. She felt self-conscious without her trusted frames but Frank promised her no one would notice.

Frank had been very wrong. A guy from the football team had walked past her, doing a double-take when he realized who she was and that was all it took for news to spread about 'Mel's new look'. Soon, the girls of the in-crowd were sidling up beside her in the hallway and talking to her as if they'd always been friends. She began getting compliments from girls she'd only ever exchanged words with in class and being invited to sit with them at lunch; it was all wildly confusing. But also nice?

She confessed she didn't know what was going on to Frank and he reassured her that it wasn't anything bad, that people were finally figuring out what they'd been missing and just wanted to be her friend. She became less worried about all the attention after his words of comfort and began to enjoy it.

But Frank had a more negative opinion on what was happening than he'd shared with Mel. The whole thing left an awful taste in his mouth. And now in the locker room, he routinely heard his classmates comment on how attractive and nice she was. He'd clenched his fist in indignation when he heard someone say, "It's a shame her pretty face was hidden behind those glasses for so long."

It was the principle of it all; the fact that no one cared about her before but as soon as she became more socially acceptable, they were interested. However, being included and making new friends was making Mel happy and that was the only thing that really mattered.

He kept an eye on her new friends and no one seemed to have any ill intentions, they were just horribly shallow or simply sheep with no thoughts of their own. Some of them were nice enough—he could admit that—but he still held a grudge towards them for only giving Mel a chance once she was deemed 'cool'. He relished getting to watch Mel come into her own more and more with each positive interaction but he would never forget.

Frankly, he didn't understand how people could only now be realizing how beautiful she was. She looked the same with and without her glasses to him. She was still the same person with the kindest smile that could light up any room and beautiful hazel eyes that looked green or brown depending on what lighting she was in. And he actually preferred Mel with them. They were a part of what made her Mel, his best friend and the person he'd like to marry someday.