I look at myself in the mirror, and I cringe. 

Let's face it:  I will never win any beauty pageants, grace the cover of "People" magazine, or be called to star in a movie.

I look like a mule kicked me in the face, or used me as their sitting-place.  I am butt ugly.  Always have been; it's something I've learned to live with.  Can't say I got used to it.  It's hard to see all the good-lookin', beautiful people get all the breaks while ugly folk like yours truly get shoved in the background or ostracized.

My name's Aggie.  Now ain't that a perfect name for a Mule Face like me.  Agatha Deanne.  Named after my grandma and mom.  I am fourteen years old, live in Fairbanks, Alaska, with my family.  I am in the eighth grade at Fairbanks Junior High School.

Maybe it's a good thing winter's comin'.  That way, I can stay holed up inside, where people don't have to look at me or make digs about how I look.

I have long, stringy mouse-brown hair that falls to my shoulders, big, brown eyes, a big nose, and buck teeth.  My lips are too big, and I have freckles gracing my face, arms, and shoulders.  I kinda look like a mule.  Or a donkey:  take yer pick.  Worse, I wear thick glasses; can't see squiddly-doo without 'em.  Blind as a bat:  severely nearsighted.

I'm the kind of kid who would be the butt of jokes or the kid who is unmercifully teased.  I am that; however, I've learned to let their catcalls wash off me like rain off a duck's back.  I've since learned to ignore them.  I don't dare cry in front of them:  I do all my crying when I am alone in the safety of my bedroom or with my family.

I am like most teenagers, even with my looks.  I love the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus (*sigh!*), I love watching vampire-themed shows on television (lots of those as of late; vampires are in), or reading horror books (also love horror flicks; the grosser and stupider they are, the better I love 'em!!  Why, I don't know, but I do!!), writing in my journal (or writing stories or poems), and checkin' out the latest celebrity gossip.  I love figurin' out whether the news I hear about a celeb is true or not.

The only bad part about my life is the lack of friends.  I have none.  I hang out with myself.  I guess kids would think that hangin' out with a Mule Face like myself would, somehow, ruin their reputation.  So I remain alone, friendless.

It's depressing.

The worst time of year is coming up for me.  I hate Thanksgiving, and worse, I hate Christmas.  Everyone's always talkin' about "togetherness" for these two holidays.  That's fine, but what about people like me??  Don't we matter??  We may be "ugly" to most people, but we have souls, too!  Feelings!  Hearts that beat!  We are people, too, not just the "beautiful" people!!

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I stayed holed up in my room and cry. 

Well,  I gotta go.  Gotta get up within the hour and get ready for another long, boring, tortuous day at school.  God, I hate being put on the rack and tortured by the beautiful people!  Why can't they just get a life and leave me the hell alone??  I'm happiest being by myself!

~Agatha Deanne (aka "Mule Face").  :(

*to be continued.*