Fantasia, the Ugliest Girl (pt. 2)

Fantasia was testing the pipes under the sink by letting the water run for a few seconds. She checked under the sink, looking for any signs of leakage.

“I just realized… has water spillage become a personal symbolism for the two of us?”

“Haha, maybe! I hope the pipes won’t break again. They look good, I’m finished.”

Fantasia wiped off a couple of sweat drops from her forehead with her hand.

“Oh, great, thank yo-“

Maybe it was due to the shock of having a girl from his school at his house doing the plumber job but this was the first time Ravel noticed Fantasia’s left hand. Her ring finger and little finger were bandaged.

“Hey, what happened to your left hand?!” an image of Fantasia slipping and falling on her left hand in the classroom flashed in his head. “Don’t tell me…!”

“Uh, yeah, the two fingers are broken. I am just helping out my father with this work to earn some money but after he sees this, he probably won’t let me do it for a while.”

“I’m so sorry, Fantasia!! I truly apologize!!” Ravel bows deeply.

“Huh? Why are you sorry?” she blinks twice, not understanding Ravel’s involvement.

“This morning I got a little angry and I accidentally knocked over a bottle, spilling the water on the floor… if I wasn’t such an idiot, you wouldn’t have slipped!”

“Eh?! Oh right! I completely forgot, you did say you ‘spilled a little’. Yeah, dude, that was totally uncool.”

“Noooo, please don’t say that!” he starts smashing his head on the kitchen table. “I’m so sorry!!”

“Oh my god, I was just kidding!! It’s not your fault, you didn’t do it on purpose, it’s seriously fine!”

She waves her hands in a panic, trying to calm him down.

He looks at Fantasia with teary eyes and a red forehead. He tries to ignore the pain he just inflicted on himself.

“I need to somehow make it up to you, please, can I take you out for a cake? Coffee? Dinner? Anything, please!”

“Huuh?”

“N-no, no, don’t think I am inviting you to a date or something!!”

“Relax, nobody has ever invited me to a date. That’s a privilege of cute girls and I am definitely not one of them, haha! I am very ugly so it didn’t even cross my mind, hahah.”

She laughed playfully but Ravel wasn’t amused at all. The way she said she was ugly hit him right in the spot.

“Don’t say that!!” raising his voice.

“Wha-?”

“There’s not a girl on this planet that deserves to be called ug- … that disgusting word!”

He stuttered at the use of the word.

“Oh come on, I am used to this! It’s okay, I don’t take it personally anymore!”

She smiles warmly at him as he glares back at her, not forgiving her for calling herself that word.

“Please, let me treat you to something. I can’t just leave this be. I am trying to live my life by not hurting others, whether it was intentional or not. Please, let’s go for a small snack, at least…”

“It’s seriously alright. You don’t need to do this. Just give me my money for fixing that sink and we’re fine, okay?”

Ravel flinched.

“M-money…? I do have a credit card but my parents didn’t leave me any cash that I could give you!”

He started to look away from Fantasia out of embarrassment.

“Haaaa-?? You call a plumber into your house and you can’t give him even a payment?!”

Fantasia went from a gentle smile to an annoyed face in mere seconds.

“Do you think I’m running a charity for boys who can’t operate water or something?!”

Can’t operate water? That’s a very specific insult, Ravel thought.

“I guess that leaves me no choice! We need to go for a dinner then! And I’m gonna eat for all my pay, you got it?!”

Ravel looks surprised but in the end he realized that he got what he wanted, even though it was not according to the plan.

***

Ravel being still dressed up in his school uniform and Fantasia in her plumber work suit, they arrived at their destination. They are waiting in a line to get to the cashier and placing their order. Ravel notices people around them give her weird stares but chooses to ignore them. It must be because of her suit, he concluded.

“Are you really OK with fast food? I thought you would want to try a luxurious restaurant for a quicker compensation.”

“No. This is fine, I like eating here!”

It is finally Ravel’s turn to order food but the young boy working as a cashier leans forward to him and whispers.

“Is that girl your sister, man?”

“My sister? No, why?”

Fantasia stands aside, not realizing they are talking about her.

“Oh damn, you better leave the ugly monkey here and run away while you can, bruh.”

“W-what did you…?”

Ravel was in a state of shock, not knowing how to respond to such a ridiculous and unprofessional approach from the employee of the fast food.

“Trust me.”

The cashier winks at him. Ravel couldn’t bear this any longer; he realized what those stares from the people around him meant. It wasn’t because of her work suit.

“We’re leaving!”

He firmly grasps Fantasia’s hand and pulls her away, leaving her bewildered. They walk outside of the fast food restaurant until Ravel finally halts.

“What’s gotten into you, Ravel?”

“This world is so cold. I don’t get those people.”

“Did something happen?” she looked right into his eyes that were showing signs of rage.

“…No. I just realized I should take you to a luxurious restaurant after all! No fast food!”

That’s right. If the people are gonna stare anyway, might as well stare their eyes the fuck out. I’m not gonna care. She didn’t do anything wrong. She doesn’t deserve this treatment.

“Well, okay, if you insist… but there’s an ATM nearby, maybe you could just withdraw cash and pay me, we don’t need to do this dinner at all.”

“No!!!”

He yelled more than he intended to, making Fantasia flinch.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. But I want to treat you. I owe it to you not only for the work you did but also as an apology for your fingers.”

And, to be honest, I kinda feel sorry for you because of those horrible human beings. I want you to feel valued.

“…Sure. No worries.”

Fantasia offers a warm smile.

***

They just entered a luxurious looking restaurant and made their way to the host. A nice piano melody fills the air, creating an atmosphere of elegance. Ravel inquires about a table for two, the host looks at Fantasia.

“Absolutely, sir. Please follow me, I’ll lead you to a table for you and your … ehm … lovely lady.”

The host tried to sound as professional as he could, but he didn’t have enough training to hide his real thoughts. Ravel frowned at him but when he looked back to make sure Fantasia is following them, he switched to a gentle smile.

“Here you are, sir, madam.”

Host seated them at the table. People around them were all wearing nice clothes. Men donned in suits and women adorned in elegant dresses. Once the people noticed the two highschoolers, they started the murmur, which Ravel tried to ignore.

“You know, Fantasia, you are kind of amazing, you know that?”

“I am?” she asked while raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah. I mean, other girls would just complain that they wouldn’t want to come to a restaurant like this because their clothes are not fancy enough! But here you are, even in your plumber uniform, haha! I find it very appealing!”

“Really? The other girls are like that?”

Ravel abruptly ceased his laughter. He just realized that Fantasia probably doesn’t know anything about other girls. She probably doesn’t have any friends and she herself stated she was never on a date, which means this is completely new to her and she doesn’t simply know how a girl should feel in a situation like this.

“You know what? It’s fine. I like that you are just being yourself. I won’t compare you to other girls.”

Fantasia opens the menu and starts scanning the array of mouthwatering dishes.

“Wow, it’s so expensive here! Well, might as well get the most expensive item here, since you owe me a lot!”

Ravel winces slightly and nervously chuckles.

“Hahahah, don’t worry! I’d never order something unreasonable just because somebody else is paying!”

“Phew, you got me scared for a while there…”

“But~… this is different. If I get this delicious-sounding ostrich steak, we should be even!”

Ravel’s eyes wander off through the menu until he finds the ostrich steak.

“85 EUR just for the meat?!”

“Yup, and some chips would be great with it!” Fantasia added with a playful grin.

“That’s almost a 100 EUR just for you! You sure this is what you would call being ‘even’?”

“Of course not… I am giving you a discount, I won’t take anything more expensive to cover all the costs since you are so nice to me,” she winks at him.

“A d-discount? It’s still not enough?! You plumbers are crazy.”

A waiter approaches their table, ready to take their order. Upon glimpsing Fantasia’s face and attire, the waiter gulps and leans closer to Ravel, whispering to his ear.

“I’m sorry sir, but the … lady… is not dressed up to our standards. I must ask you to leave. I am quite surprised that the host let you in. And you should probably dump her. You’re not that bad looking to date a girl like this. Take it as an advice from your elder.”

Although the first time in the fast food, he tried to be reserved, Ravel no longer wants to take anything from anybody, so he speaks loudly and with confidence.

“Thank you, Mr. Waiter for your advice! I will try that duck of yours! The lady would like to go with the ostrich steak. And it’s very nice of you to compliment on her work suit! It’s really great that a high-school girl is this skillful and isn’t afraid of a manual work, right? You are a very kind man to appreciate that!”

The waiter was astonished by the way Ravel twisted what he had told him.

“Fantasia, I hope you’ll like it here!”

He grins wide while Fantasia blinks at him unable to assess the situation. However, the unwavering determination shining in Ravel’s eyes spoke volumes.

I’ve decided! From now on, I’ll make sure the world treats you right!

CHAPTER 2: END