A Perfect Circle

The mirror in Luisa Acosta's room reflected a stranger. Waist-high ripped jeans and a pink crop top, chosen by Jenny and Luisa, made Ella feel exposed, like a fraud. Her own buggy blue eyes scanned her reflection, searching for the anxiety that must surely be visible, the shadow above her lip that felt like a glaring imperfection.

Jenny, ever the confident one, tugged Ella's jeans lower, teasing about her tiny waist. Ella, sick of her own reflection, just pulled them back up. The blonde fairy statue on Luisa's shelf, the one Luisa always said looked like her, watched with unsettlingly realistic, vacant eyes.

Jenny then took over the mirror, scrutinizing her own figure, declaring herself a "freaking whale." Ella shook her head, trying to reassure her best friend, knowing Jenny wasn't fat, just built differently. But the conversation always veered back to Jenny's insecurities, making Ella uncomfortable.

Her father's scowl, icy blue eyes and a condemning voice – "You look like a whore, Ella. Cover yourself up." – flashed in her mind. A shudder ran through her, and she snatched her burgundy hoodie, feigning cold, desperate to hide.

Luisa emerged, effortlessly chic, her maroon dress flowing. She asked if they were ready. Physically, yes. Mentally? Absolutely not. The three of them, a familiar trio, gazed into the mirror. Even with all the drama, they were inseparable.

Jenny, however, was restless. "If I don't get Ren to notice me now, it's never gonna happen." Ella inwardly groaned. Ren Mori. Jenny's sickening crush. Ella barely knew him, but his rude apathy was already well-known. He was the feather floating in the wind, indirectly part of her circle, but about to cause a storm.