Pretty Girl: A Creative Writing Flash Fiction by Josie June

Every boy likes to look at a pretty girl. Without a doubt, the second the prettiest walks into a room she becomes the main attraction. But this time the prettiest girl had caught my attention.

On the first day back from summer break, it was clear who the new prettiest girl would be. What made it true was seeing how many eyes began to follow her from the moment she stepped into the classroom. It wasn’t hard to identify what made her stick out so much. Down her head and back, like a waterfall, her hair was a cascade of gold locks. Heavily intertwined with each other, each lock overlapped with another. All around her, and even being at the back of the classroom, you could smell an aroma of sweet vanilla. I recognized the scent as the same one I had tried out at the mall the other day. It had seemed too strong then, but on her, somehow it seemed just right. Along her wrists, she wore colourful bracelets made of string and beads. It made you wonder how she got them. Perhaps they’re souvenirs she has collected over various trips, or maybe she was gifted them by someone special. 

“Alright, everybody quiet down, yes, It’s only the first day back, but we need to be civilised”

Mrs. P doesn’t waste a moment after the bell rings to begin,

“You guys know the drill, roll call time, once I call your name, say here, anything else and I’m marking you absent, any questions?”

Her question is followed by a moment of silence. 

“Alright, here we go, Mark Anderson”

“Here”

“Peter Anton”

“Here”

“Chloe Bea”

“Here”

The voice is sweet and delicate, and it rings through my ears and into my head. I look up to see who the voice belongs to, and it’s her. Chloe Bea. The girl with blonde locks, a vanilla scent, and decorated wrists, her name is Chloe. The fact lingers on my mind longer than it should. My eyes stay glued to the back of her head and I begin to chew the inside of my mouth. I wonder if the rest of her is as pretty as her hair, her scent, her jewellery, her voice, and her name. 

“Mckayla”

My thoughts are interrupted by Mrs. P calling my name. Snapping my gaze from Chloe, I turn to look at Mrs. P.

“Huh? Oh, hi– I mean, good morning Mrs. P, I’m present and ready to learn”

I smile as I make my annual back-to-school introduction to Mrs. P, who only rolls her eyes in response. 

“Mckayla, it’s a bold move to be playing with your attendance record so early on in the school year, I ask you to wait at least until I’m done with roll call to start your shenanigans”.

The smile on my face only widens at Mrs. P’s remark, and everyone else lets out a quiet giggle. I don’t mean to, and I don’t know why I do, but I look to see if she’s laughing too. And I’m surprised to see her looking back at me, with a smile on her face. We lock eyes for a moment, and only for a moment. But as she turns to face the whiteboard again, I can’t help but feel my eyes glue to her once more. The moment that only happened just a second ago flashes in my mind: her eyes, a shade of green I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, all squinty as she smiled. It made me feel good knowing I was the reason she had just smiled, making her bare her teeth, which had a slight gap in between the top two. Forget about being the prettiest girl in the room, she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen in my life. 

But that realization was soon accompanied by an unfamiliar feeling in my chest. I didn’t know what it was, or what it meant. For some reason that I didn’t know, this girl was compelling me to feel in ways I hadn’t before. Or, at least not for a girl. 

Later that night, I search for her name on social media. Still, I don’t know why I’m letting myself get taken over by this feeling, this urge to know her; to be known by her. It isn’t long before I find her account: chloe.b_ea. Without thinking, I request to follow. 

1 new notification

chloe.b_ea accepted your follow request

chloe.b_ea has requested to follow you

I don’t let myself give into the urge to accept immediately, I can’t look too eager. No, what am I talking about – she’s just a girl. Again, my fingers move before my mind can and I press accept.

1 new message

chloe.b_ea : hiii

You: hii :) 

I pause to rethink the smiley face. 

chloe.b_ea: ur Mckayla, right? 

You: Ya, we have homeroom together

Chloe.b_ea: i remember :) u were pretty funny tdy with Mrs. P

A warmth travels to my face, I send it back to my chest, where all my feelings have been sitting heavily all day long. Looking up at my ceiling for a moment, I let out a deep breath before continuing to type.

You: haha ya she’s a chill teacher

…

You: You’re really gorgeous btw

Seen just now

Seen 1 minute ago

Wait no. Not like that. Why did I say that? Gosh, what is wrong with me. I quickly shut my phone off and throw it across my bed. Shoving my face into my pillow, I let out a deep groan. But then– Chick – my phone pings. I lift my head out of my pillow’s embrace and look over at my phone, the screen is glowing bright.

1 new message

chloe.b_ea: hehe ty

chloe.b_ea: see u tmrw :)

A smile creeps across my face. Her message only makes the feeling of warmth return, even stronger this time. But this time instead of pushing it back down, I let it.
 

---

Reflection

This was my first time writing flash fiction, which I found particularly challenging due to the word requirement. Staying under 1000 words was a struggle, but we got there in the end. I was inspired by the George Saunders cutting exercise, and used the same method of going 10 minutes at a time and chipping away at my writing. Overall, I think I’ve produced a decently concise flash fiction.

As for the meaning of ‘Pretty Girl’, I think it goes without saying that it is the ignition to a potential love story. Inspired by the shared anecdote of ‘gay awakenings’ among queer teens, I focused on shining a light on the feelings of unsureness and ‘confusion’ Mckayla experiences. 

I think this flash fiction, if fleshed out further, has the potential to become a longer format story, which expands on the relationship between Mckayla and Chloe – whether that means positive or not is up for discussion. 

Overall, I’m very happy with my first attempt at writing a flash fiction, and am considering writing one for my next and final window of this year.