"September 1st, 1989." A girl with curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail stated as she shuffled through the hallways of her school. All around her, her fellow classmates were bustling about. She wore a long brown skirt and a plain shirt, the glasses on her face rather displeasing to the eye as she glanced around at her surroundings sadly, her books clutched close to her chest. "Dear Diary, I believe I'm a good person. You know, I think there's good in everyone. But, here we are. First day of senior year! And, uh, I look around at these kids I've known all my life and I ask myself, "What's happened?""

The students who walk in the hallways turn and glare at one another, "Freak! Slut! Burnout! Bug eyes! Poser! Lard ass!"

Shelby shook her head. "We were so tiny, happy and shiny. Playing tag and getting chased."

"Freak! Slut! Loser! Short bus!"

She sighed, "Singing and clapping, laughing and napping. Baking cookies, eating paste."

"Bull dike! Stuck up! Hunchback!"

She walked through the hall, moving against the crowd as she looked around sadly. "Then we got bigger, that was the trigger. Like the Huns invading Rome." Shelby ran into a boy with messy blonde hair and bushy brows, and they both stumbled backwards. He glared fiercely at her. "Oh! Sorry!" She apologized, but he stormed away. She watched after him, her blue eyes narrowing. "Welcome to my school. This ain't no high school. This is the Thunder Dome. Hold your breath and count the days. We're graduating soon."

"White trash!"

"College will be paradise if I'm not dead by June!" Shelby exclaimed, before pausing and taking a deep breath. "But I know, I know... Life can be beautiful. I pray, I pray... For a better way. If we changed back then, we could change again. We can be beautiful..." Another shorter boy with longer blonde hair and bright green eyes ran into her, and they both stumbled to the floor, her books scattering to the ground. "Just not today. Hey, are you okay?" She asked politely.

He shot up. "Get away, nerd!" He shouted, storming away.

"Oh-okay." Shelby stuttered, taken back, gathering her books and standing.

"Freak! Slut! Cripple! Homo! Homo! Homo!"

She took another deep breath, adjusting the glasses on her face. "Things will get better as soon as my letter comes from Harvard, Duke, or Brown. Away from this coma, take my diploma. Then I can blow this town. Dream of ivy covered walls and smoky French cafes."

A buff boy with tanned skin, brown hair with two prominent cowlicks, and bright green eyes ran into her. He turned angrily. "Watch it!"

She glared at him as he continued on his way. "Fight the urge to strike a match and set this dump ablaze!"

Shelby went to the cafeteria and got in line, grabbing a lunch tray and making her way to a table. She walked by the boy that had just ran into her, and he reached forward, flipping her lunch tray, sending the food clattering to the floor. "Oooooops." He smiled, his nose scrunching up under the bandaid taped there.

Shelby sighed, "Jett Anderson. Third year as linebacker, and eighth year of smacking lunch trays and being a huge dick."

Jett's eyes snapped back to her at the words. "What did you say to me, skank?"

"Aaah! Nothing." She stumbled, ducking into the crowd and blending into it as she walked away. "But I know, I know... Life can be beautiful. I pray, I pray... For a better way. We were kind before. We can be kind once more. We can be beautiful..." A taller blonde girl with rather large breasts came up behind Shelby and grabbed her shoulder. She jumped in surprise, turning around, "AAH! ... Hey Katyusha." She sighed happily, recognizing her best friend.

The girl smiled. "Hey."

The brunette turned to the audience. "Katyusha Braginsky, my best friend since diapers."

"We on for movie night?" Katyusha asked timidly.

"Yeah! You're on Jiffy Pop detail." Shelby answered with a smile.

Katyusha clutched her books closer to her chest. "I rented The Princess Bride."

"Ooooh, again?" Shelby chuckled. "Wait, don't you have it memorized by now?"

Katyusha laughed slightly with her. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a happy ending."

"Katyusha Dumptruck! Wide load!" A voice shouted, and a large boy ran straight into Katyusha as he caught a football that was thrown to him, causing Katyusha to fall and drop all her stuff. The boy had messy blonde hair parted to the side, a single cowlick sticking up at his part. He had bright blue eyes, and if you looked closely, you could see he was wearing contacts. Glasses would have made him nerdy. He laughed loudly, whooping as he held up his catch.

Shelby glared at him. "Alfred Jones, quarterback. He is the smartest guy on the football team, which is kind of like being the tallest dwarf."

"Haha! Alright!" He jeered to his friends across the hall.

Katyusha stood up, and the brunette stepped towards Alfred. "Hey! Pick that up! Right now." Shelby demanded, pointing to Katyusha's stuff.

Alfred glared at her, "I'm sorry, are you actually talking to me?"

"Yes, I am. I want to know what gives you the right to pick on my friend? You're a high school has-been waiting to happen, a future gas station attendant." She snapped.

Alfred smiled, and pointed at her chin. "You have a zit right there." His comment caused the entire hallway to erupt with laughter, and Katyusha pulled her friend away from the jock.

Shelby sighed, "Dear diary, wwwhhhyyy?"

The students began bustling around the hallways again, all looking distraught.

"Why do they hate me?" A girl with curly brown hair and multicolored brown eyes asked.

"Why don't I fight back?" Wondered a shorter Japanese student.

"Why do I act like such a creep?" A boy with white hair and stark red eyes inquired.

"Why won't he date me?" A short Chinese girl asked.

"Why did I hit him?" Alfred Jones shook his head at himself.

"Why do I cry myself to sleep?" A Mexican student called out sadly.

"Somebody hug me!" The students voices all came together. "Somebody fix me! Somebody save me! Send me a sign, God! Get me some cold beer! Something to live for!"

Everything seemed to pause, however, when the main doors opened, revealing three girls with similar looking jackets and skirts, save for the fact that they were all different colors. The one to the left was in yellow, and she had tanned skin, brown, wavy hair pulled up in a messy bun, and hazel eyes that contained shimmering golden frecks. The one to the right was in green, and she had pale skin, straight, long, white hair, and pinkish red eyes. The one in the middle was in bright red, and she had a perfect complexion, wavy, sandy-brown hair pulled in a neat bun, held up in a big, red scrunchy. Her eyes were a dark lavender, and her lips were full and plump. Of all three of the girls, she was the most beautiful, and she knew it.

The students instantly became more mellow, and looked at the girls longingly. "Ohh, Francine, Isabel, and Julchen."

Shelby looked at the girls with envy. "And then there's the Bad Touch Trio. They float above it all."

"I love Francine, Isabel, and Julchen."

Shelby gestured to the girl in yellow. "Isabel Fernández Carriedo, head cheerleader. Her dad is loaded, he sells engagement rings." She pointed to the one in green. "Julchen Beilschmidt, runs the yearbook. No discernible personality, but her mom did pay for implants." Then she looked to the girl in red. "And Francine Bonnefoy, the almighty. She is... a mythic bitch."

She watched as the Bad Touch Trio walked, unbothered, to the girls bathroom. "They're solid Teflon, never bothered, never... harassed. I would give anything to be like that."

A boy with orangish-auburn hair that contained a large curl to the side stepped out of the crowd. "I'd like to be their boyfriend."

The students nodded, "That would be beautiful."

A girl with black hair and wide brown eyes done up with makeup stepped forward, "If I sat at their table, guys would notice me."

"So beautiful."

Katyusha stepped forward nervously. "I'd like them to be nicer."

"That would be beautiful."

A boy with an off-putting smile and platinum blonde hair stepped forward. "I'd like to kidnap one of them and photograph her naked in an abandoned warehouse and leave her tied up for the rats." At that unnerving comment, the students dispersed.

~~~~~

The sound of throwing up filled the girls bathroom as Francine and Isabel leaned up against the wall.

"Grow up, Julchen. Bulimia is so '87." Francine groaned.

Isabel looked to the occupied bathroom stall with concern. "Maybe you should see a doctor, Julchen."

"Yeah, Isabel. Maybe I should." Julchen's voice came from the stall.

Then, the bathroom door opened, revealing a blonde woman with piercing green eyes and glasses. "Ah, Francine and Isabel..." Another upheaval sounded from the stall, "... And Julchen. Perhaps you didn't hear the bell over all the vomiting. You're late for class."

"Julchen wasn't feeling well, we're helping her." Francine stated defiantly.

The counselor smiled. "Not without a hall pass you're not. Week's detention."

Suddenly, Shelby entered the bathroom, holding a slip of paper. "Um, actually, Ms. Kirkland, all four of us are out on a hall pass." She handed it to Ms. Kirkland. "Yearbook committee."

Ms. Kirkland glared at the paper. "I see you're all listed... Hurry up and get where you're going." She hissed, giving the slip back and leaving the bathroom as Julchen exited her stall.

Francine stepped forward, snatching up the hall pass and examining it. "This is an excellent forgery." She looked Shelby up and down. "Who are you?"

"Uh, Shelby. Ferrell. I crave a boon." The brunette stuttered.

Francine raised a brow. "What boon?"

"Um, let me sit at your table, at lunch, just once. No talking necessary. If people think that you guys tolerate me, then they'll leave me alone." At that, the Bad Touch Trio began to laugh. "Before you answer, I also do report cards, permission slips, and absence notes."

Julchen looked up excitedly. "How about prescriptions?"

"Shut up, Julchen!"

"Sorry, Francine."

Francine looked at Shelby, examining her vigorously. "For a greasy little nobody, you do have good bone structure..."

"And a symmetrical face. If I took a meat cleaver down the center of your skull, I'd have matching halves. That's very important." Isabel pointed out.

"Of course, you could stand to lose a few pounds." Julchen commented.

"And you know, you know, you know..." Francine took off Shelby's glasses. "This could be beautiful. Mascara, maybe some lip gloss, and we're on our way." She pulled Shelby's hair out of her ponytail. "Get this girl some blush. And Isabel, I need your brush. Let's make her beautiful."

Julchen smiled, "Let's make her beautiful."

Isabel nodded. "Let's make her beautiful!"

"Make her beautiful. Okay?" Francine smiled at Shelby.

"Okay." She stuttered back.

~~~~~

Back in the halls, it was already passing time again.

"Out of my way, geek!" Jett shouted, pushing a boy with long, wavy blonde hair and lavender eyes.

"I don't want trouble!" The boy yelled back, frightened.

"You're gonna die at 3 PM." Jett sneered, continuing on his way.

The boy accidentally stumbled into two girls, a curly-haired red head and the same Chinese girl from earlier. "Don't you dare touch me! Get away pervert!"

"What did I ever do to them?" The blonde boy wondered sadly.

"Who could survive this? I can't escape this. I think I'm dying."

Suddenly, a girl with chestnut brown, curly hair spotted the girls bathroom door open. Her brown eyes widened as she pointed. "Who's that with Francine?"

All heads snapped up to the Bad Touch Trio, now with another girl in a similar jacket and skirt, though she sported blue.

"Whoa. Francine, Isabel, Julchen, and someone. Francine, Isabel, Julchen, and a babe. Francine, Isabel, Julchen,"

Katyusha stared with wide eyes. "Shelby?"

"Shelby, Shelby, Shelby!"

Shelby spun around, smiling, "And you know, you know, you know! Life could be beautiful! You hope, you dream, you pray, and you get your way! Ask me how it feels, lookin' like hell on wheels! My God it's beautiful!"

"Beautiful!"

"... I might be beautiful!"

"Beautiful!"

"And when you're beautiful... It's beautiful fricken day!"

"Francine, Isabel, Julchen, Shelby! Francine, Isabel, Julchen, Shelby! Shelby, Shelby, Shelby, Shelby!"