Oe Pes eee es eg Ses i a a a a ia eae i ae en Teh NS a ik i MR A A a a mosaic pattern here and there inside of the aquarium world of water and glass. Mirrored in the long side of the glass was her reflection. Wendy's green eyes pierced her secret thoughts and screamed at her, “You're fat! you're fat, you're fat!’’ Shamefully Wendy sized up her appearance. Her long auburn hair had split ends tangled all over her shoulder, length style. Here and there a small, yet noticable blemish poked out on her chin, and her cheeks were always red. Her black eyelashes were long, thick and tangled. Sick of looking at someone so disgusting, Wendy hurriedly looked about the rows of different students. Most of them were busily copying notes from the board. But two class officers were staring right at her! Wendy watched as Stephine Brown tossed her blonde hair. She turned her head and pulled on the hem of her knitted shrink. She was jabbering constantly in Wendy's direction. Alison nodded in agreement as she said something Wendy could barely hear. She heard Stephine say: ‘Alison, look at Wendy, she’s always looking at herself in the aquarium glass.” Alison whispered flatly, ‘She thinks she's Gods gift to the world.’’ Stephine whispered something to Alison that Wendy couldn't hear and she watched them as they laughed about her. Wendy knew that they were talking about how fat and ugly she was. Quickly she turned her gaze to the open book which lay flat on her desk. Without paying too much attention she began to read the words which lay in neat little rows of black e. “The wise, for cure, on exercise depend. So wrote the immortal John Dryden, and though two and a half centuries have passed since those words were penned, they remain true today. Quite simply, exercise is the precision tool that can help you to redesign every line of your body.” Wendy looked up at the ceiling and stared blankly at the millions of holes in the tile, as she thought hard about the words she had just read. The teacher walked by and _ seeing la la ale le ai Wendy staring into space; curtly suggested either she get busy or leave. Pretending to study, until the school teacher walked farther down the aisle, Wendy looked at her book. Turning to the aquarium, she peered at the reflection this time she didn't see a hopless fat girl; but a person who needed help, and she smiled kindly at the reflection. For the rest of the hour Wendy made plans of how she would lose weight and exercise. The bell chimed from the metal speaker in the wall. Gathering her books and standing, Wendy tugged at her dress and walked out of the emptying classroom and into the crowded hall. From a distance she saw the manly build of a blond-haired boy coming from a doorway farther up the hall. It was David, an __ indescribably handsome junior. Wendy could remember his deep blue eyes protected by long lashes. She knew he was a straight A student, on the debate squad, and an inaudable ‘‘hello,"’ down the “Hey, Dave, do you a dance, huh?"’ David rubbed voice, ‘| don't and know answered if I'll ask still like that Wen- street. The afternoon air was getting cool, so, buttoning the tarnished silver buttons on her coat, Wendy bit her lip and started walking home. his hand over the ‘shiny hall fighting tears, and dived through a large wooden door marked ‘'Girls.”’ After pretending to fix her hopeless hair, Wendy walked out of the ‘girls’ room" and into the empty hall, her eyes still wet from crying. She slowly walked down the rows of beat-up lockers to her's, opened it, and started to put on her brown cord coat. Sluggishly she pushed on the steel handle on the glass door that led to the parking lot. She watched as a group of boys walked among the car-packed lot. The wide rectangular rug THE SEA ie but a lonesome 9t’s thunderous tides Yet crabs and fishes thing, and the sea,’ waters deep the ocean's noam or shallow. floor, While towering white caps lap the sands in whishering VOAT. Its mysteries live in dark, unsettled caves, Where skeletons of blue fish make their Graves ‘“7is but It’s ancient a lonesome past in her or not. | really like her, and | thought she liked me, but you saw how she tried to avoid me in the hall?" “Yeah, | guess | see what you mean,” the boy answered back. Wendy watched as the boys got in the red Mustang and drove out of the parking lot and up the dy girl we passed in the hall?’’ one of the\boys asked. Wendy sucked in a deep breath. She strained to hear what else the boys were saying. “She's kinda cute,’ thé boy continused, ‘‘maybe you're gonna ask her to the of the car door low that he didn't have a steady girlfriend. All of a sudden Wendy felt a thrill. She smiled happily. Then, terror grasped her for she could feel the fat on the back of her hips wiggle and bounce. She felt the rolls of flab on her stomach, and instantly she grew hot and tense. Fear raced in her mind . ‘| can't say this to him, | just can't! | know he thinks I'm fat and ugly.’ Wendy stopped still in the hall. She just couldn't find the power to move .David came walking down the hall with some of his friends. He smiled that adorable smile of his and said in a rusty voice: ‘Hi, Wendy.’ Shocked, Wendy just mumbled handle of asphalt did not soften the squeal of a carlooad of boys racing past a clique of girls. She watched as Dave dug in his blue cord jeans and pulled out a keychain of keys. thing, the sea,’’ it’s present destiny. Carollee Ulm