Siera

Siera Nightingale, with her complexion achieving a lighter tan, and her past shoulder hair, being dyed to dark brown, which together makes her look best than ever. In addition, with that, her confidence rose to a better level, relieving her off the inferiority complex to an extent. But her fat nose and too thick lips and her mismatched teeth still ruined the little beauty she owned; that is what her friends think.

When she was a kid, once she went to meet a distant relative with her mother, who had a fair complexion. She took a long time to forget the taunts of those relatives at her dark complexion.

Siera, as much she remembers, was never very good at singing or dancing or acting nor sewing or art classes at primary school. Every year, she tried to somehow convince a teacher or a performer to let her play a role, or sing a song at annual function. Once she even got the chance…but only that was to be one of the trees in the jungle. She was not by any means amongst the class toppers. She liked doing homework and sitting for exams, but she always disliked exam preparations. Whatever were the reasons, she was never even slightly-the class magnet. If you were there, most of the times you would find her hanging behind the ‘popular kids’, never getting the slightest honor as a friend. She would do any possible thing just to stick to them (even sometimes taking the punishment for their mischief). However, all she got was three similar friends, who valued the person she was. Still, they were after all not ‘popular’.

Same situation at high school- hanging behind the cheer captain and teachers’ favorite. Following each and everything they did and even imitating their way of talking and handwriting. Nevertheless, she was born to be inferior, she felt. Mazura and Jara allowed her company, but Jara chose Mazura to be always more important and close to her. Jara would everyday choose to sit with Mazura and share all their stories forgetting the existence of Sierra. She had to beg on them to have their company. She had a long time crush on Aven, who was tragically the first boy of her batch. Aven never paid a glance to this backbencher, and when she someday finally mustered the courage and spoke up to him, he said so much to her that even the meanest of the students felt sorry for her. However, Siera’s nature made her silently walk away.

In sophomore year, Siera met Fihan Stanlie, who was a merry, jumpy, and funny yet intellegent and brilliant boy, and yes, a backbencher. She and Fihan started to share real beautiful moments and she found out that Fihan is someone she wants to be with more than a lifetime. Fihan also accepted the idea and after a year, a sincere connection was between them, which they wanted to preserve for lifetime. Siera had not a relief from that feeling of inferiority.

Fihan never showed or said he was proud of Siera. In addition, strangely he never mentioned Siera to his friends. Those made her feel that she was not worth being bragged about. Her fate was different. After sometime more than 2 years, Fihan started being reluctant and Siera, more serious about their relationship. Whenever there was an argument, Siera was the one who always had to apologize, regardless of who was right. By her 4 years’ experience with Fihan, Siera knew she needed Fihan more than anything else in the world, despite the arguments, misunderstandings, blames of having ruined Fihan’s life, tolerating all the feelings of inferiority, Siera dragged on this relationship for one more year. And, one more and she went on. Recently, added to her pains was Miza who is so pretty and has a sweet voice, and is a friend of Fihan.

Every night she sleeps on the pillow, wet with tears, hoping that next morning Fihan will call and sweetly apologize. However, that morning has never come in Siera’s life. Instead, Fihan has betrayed her, dating another girl secretly. And Siera – she is again the lone girl feeling confused, lost and unimportant.