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Inside a quiet classroom after school, a girl with messy hair, thick glasses and pimples sits at her desk under soft afternoon light, whispering to an open diary. At the doorway, a pair of classmates giggle and point toward her.
"Dear Diary, it's me, Eya," I whispered. Some giggled at my pimples and glasses. "Panget," they said. I breathed deep, tied my messy hair, and smiled. "Kind beats cute," I wrote.
In a brightly lit school hallway lined with red lockers, a girl with messy hair, thick glasses and pimples presses a pastel note reading 'You matter' onto a locker. She grins, clutching a sheet of rainbow stickers behind her back.
I brought stickers and tiny notes that said, "You matter." I hid them on lockers and desks after class. "Surprise kindness!" I giggled. My heart glowed like sunshine. The hallway felt friendlier.
Inside the school art room under bright lights, a girl with messy hair, thick glasses and pimples stands beside an easel displaying a large smiling face with glasses and heart shapes. Nearby students watch with wide eyes and whispered admiration.
"Dear Diary, I'm joining Art Day," I decided. I painted a huge smiling face with thick glasses, messy hair, and shining hearts. "That's me," I laughed. Whispering stopped. Someone murmured, "Cool painting."
In a cozy bedroom lit by morning sunshine through a window, a girl with messy hair, thick glasses and pimples twirls before a full-length mirror. A bright sticky note on the glass reads 'I’m kind and strong!' beside her reflection.
Today I wrote myself a note: "I may not be pretty, but I’m kind and strong!" I stuck it on my mirror. I danced, thick glasses bouncing. "Dear Diary," I grinned, "kindness wins."