She Asked the Star Athlete to Make Her Beautiful — But He Taught Her Something Better
Chapter 2
The next afternoon, Ethan arrived at Lily’s house with a notebook.
She stared at it.
“What’s that?”
“Your makeover plan.”
She smiled.
“I knew it.”
“No.”
He opened the notebook.
“Rule number one: I’m not turning you into Madison.”
Lily frowned.
“Then what are we doing?”
“Finding you.”
She laughed.
“That sounds ridiculous.”
“It does.”
He sat down.
“But confidence isn’t about becoming someone else.”
Lily crossed her arms.
“Easy for you to say.”
“You think being popular is easy?”
“Aren’t you?”
Ethan laughed.
“You know how many people think I’m stupid because I’m an athlete?”
Lily blinked.
“You’re not.”
“Exactly.”
He pointed at her.
“People assume things about us based on what they see.”
“So what do I do?”
“First, stop apologizing every time you speak.”
“I don’t do that.”
“You just did.”
Lily laughed.
“Fine.”
“Second, stop wearing clothes you hate because you think they’re safe.”
She looked down at her oversized sweater.
“What is wrong with this?”
“Nothing.”
“Then?”
“You should wear it because you like it—not because you’re afraid someone will notice you.”
Over the next few weeks, Ethan helped her practice.
Not just clothing.
Everything.
How to introduce herself.
How to maintain eye contact.
How to speak without lowering her voice.
How to walk into a room without immediately searching for Madison.
He even made her practice ordering coffee without saying “sorry” three times.
At first, Lily thought the whole thing was ridiculous.
Then something strange happened.
She started enjoying it.
She bought clothes that actually reflected her personality.
She learned how to style her hair.
She joined a school photography club.
She started speaking to classmates she had barely noticed before.
And she discovered something.
People weren’t ignoring her.
She had been hiding.
One afternoon, she walked into the cafeteria wearing a simple green dress.
She didn’t look dramatically different.
But she felt different.
A boy at the next table smiled.
“Hey, Lily.”
She smiled back.
“Hey.”
Ethan watched from across the room.
He smiled.
Lily noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
“I’m watching.”
“What?”
“You.”
She rolled her eyes.
But she smiled.
