She sat reading her book quietly, perched on the edge of the windowsill, invisible to the crowd of people walking past.

Her arms were thin; her fingers gripped the book tightly, flipping the pages with eagerness. She had always loved reading, escaping into a world where there was always a happy ending, a prince in shining armour, a loyal best friend, a protective sibling and an evil villain.

But life wasn’t that simple, it wasn’t like that.

For example, take herself, Lauren Williams.

To start off with, it wasn’t an interesting name; it definitely wasn’t Fawn or Tori. It was just…Lauren.

Then there was also her appearance. With pasty white skin, short wavy brown hair and grey eyes, she didn’t stand out. Her nails always short, that one annoying curl that she could never keep down and oddly shaped feet didn’t make her as perfect or as beautiful as the girls who were always in the books.

No wonder they always have a prince.

The kind hearted, caring, brave, protective and passionate man who wouldn’t care what she looked like, and the only thing that mattered was what was inside, in her heart. That’s not what guys are like in the real world.

They just want a pretty girl, with blonde hair, a curvy yet skinny body, mascara painted on their eyelashes, foundation on their ‘blemishes’ and a short skirt and low cut shirt. That’s what guys want in the real world

Then there was the loyal best friend.

Cassie had been Lauren’s best friend until, of course, she betrayed her in the attempt to be ‘popular.’ She told all her biggest secrets like how she still sleeps with a cabbage patch kid or that she has a wart on the heel of her foot or, most importantly, that it had been her fault that her dad was… dead.

Don’t forget the protective sibling.

Lauren’s older brother Tom had stopped loving her ever since dad…died. He blamed her and rightfully so but yet, Lauren sometimes longed for her brother’s affection and protectiveness, for him to hug her and tell her everything is alright and that he would always be there for her no matter what.

And then there was the evil villain.

But, yet, sometimes it’s not as clear as to whom the evil villain may be. The antagonist and protagonist are always clear and spelled out for the main character. You always know that that’s the bad guy, oh and don’t trust her! But what are you supposed to do when you are in fact the evil one? When you are the antagonist of the story?

The happily ever after.

The gorgeous girl ends up marrying the prince and having a happy life, growing old together with bouncing children full of energy. What are you supposed to do when the light at the end of the tunnel is out? When the darkness of life is darker than death itself?

Then again, this isn’t a book it’s real life.