Megan tucked the flowing strands of red hair behind her right ear. In that moment, with her glasses removed, the surreal dream of being popular was shattered. She was amazed at the absurdity of it all. The blank expressions behind large oversized glasses, the shinny beads lassoed around the neck, and the individually adorned bracelets inscribed with “BFF” that once defined her friendships, now seemed so silly. She loathed what she had become, and cursed the ambition that drove her to conform. She quickly put the Rose-Colored glasses back on, but it was too late. The memory of what she saw could never be erased, and she could never again be self-absorbed.