Chapter 1The Ugly Duckling's Revenge

I was voted "Ugliest Girl in Class." Unanimously.

My deskmate sneered, "She's just a clown."

But they didn't know I had bound a "Roast Me" System. Every time someone insulted me, I got $5,000.

So far, I've been roasted for 964 days and saved up $14.8 million.

Every day, I applied foundation three shades too dark, wore hideous glasses, and drew fake freckles all over my face.

Until the City Dance Company came for auditions, demanding every girl remove her makeup and perform bare-faced.

The class beauty smirked, "Ugly people should know their place. Maybe you should just sit this one out!"

Only I knew—

My breathtaking beauty could no longer be hidden.

* * *

It was the eve of the SATs.

The boys in my class made a "Girl Appearance Rating Chart."

Amidst their winks and nudges, I deservedly scored a 2.

A 2 basically meant "Godzilla in a skirt."

My deskmate snatched the chart away, mocking me: "With those buck teeth and that dark skin, you're ugly inside and out. If I hadn't lost a bet, who would want to sit next to you!"

Last month, I was dragged into a cheating scandal.

My test paper was identical to the class beauty, Bella's—from punctuation to numerical answers.

Even though I sat in front of her.

Even though my grades were better than hers.

But Bella wrinkled her delicate nose, her big doe eyes filled with tears. She looked exactly like that viral transformation influencer, "Winter."

The boys, whose average math score was probably 20, screamed that I copied her.

However, Bella couldn't tell the difference between $\beta$ and B.

In the end, the math teacher cleared my name based on that alone.

But rumors about me started multiplying.

Before, I was invisible.

Now, I was "Ugly Girl," "Godzilla," "Disgusting Rat"...

Sometimes, I'd get locked in a bathroom stall and drenched with dirty water.

Sometimes, just walking past the AP Science class would trigger rumors that I was stalking some random guy, desperate for his attention.

Seventeen, eighteen-year-olds.

Especially in a liberal arts class.

Their ability to fabricate rumors was elite. They were one step away from saying I was pregnant with someone's alien baby.

The attacks were so vicious even Twitter would've banned them.

An ordinary person might have collapsed...

But I was calm.

Today, my deskmate handed me another "Ugly Girl Ranking."

"Congrats, Jane. First place again."

A pyramid chart of ugliness. A candid photo of me was printed at the top, crossed out with a big red X.

He sarcastically told the girl in front of us, "She's just a clown. Not surprising she's number one."

Bella giggled, trembling like a flower in the breeze.

I stared at the photo, lost in thought.