Grimace

Standing at the entrance of the store with a hood pulled over her head and a scarf covering her face, Maddie—or as she was called just a week ago, Matt—tried to gather her strength. She needed to buy groceries, as everything she had was gone. But what should have been a simple task was now anything but.

“Come on, just do it. You only need to buy food, you don’t even have to talk,” she muttered to herself, taking a step forward. Inside the store, it was warm, with people bustling around, pushing carts and carrying baskets. For everyone else, it was just another normal day. But not for her. Maddie tried to hide beneath her hood, pulling her scarf higher, hoping no one would notice her face. Yet every time she tried to relax, she was reminded of that awful day when everything changed.

A week ago, she had been Matt. A guy who thought it would be funny to mock the "dumb blonde" stereotype, making a ridiculous face for a photo, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes. Who could’ve imagined that this “joke” would become her new reality? Now she wasn’t just a girl, but her face was permanently stuck in that absurd expression. She tried to fight it, but at best one goofy grimace would turn into another, until her default—tongue sticking out and eyes askew—returned like a curse.

Maddie hurriedly tossed the basics into her basket—bread, milk, eggs, a few packs of frozen food. Her hands trembled as she grabbed a box of pasta from the shelf, glancing around nervously, praying no one was paying attention to her. But she knew she stood out, at least a little—completely covered up, and walking was difficult with her eyes so distorted. She moved carefully, but still kept bumping into the edges of shelves and carts, drawing confused looks from other shoppers.

Finally, with her basket full, Maddie headed toward the registers. A few people were in line, so she stood at the back, hoping it would go quickly. But just then, her scarf slipped from her face. The cool air of the store immediately exposed her bizarre expression—the same outstretched tongue and wildly crossed eyes.

“Miss, stop it!” came the irritated voice of a woman who had seen her face.

“I-I’m n-not... d-d-doing...” Maddie mumbled, trying to explain, but her voice came out unnatural and pitiful, as if she were mocking the woman. At that moment, she felt all the eyes around her shift onto her, not just the angry woman’s.

“Haha, look, Mom! That lady’s making faces!” a child’s bright voice rang out nearby. A little boy, standing in line with his mother, pointed at Maddie with wide eyes, laughing.

Maddie froze. Humiliation shot through her like an arrow, making her insides twist. She tried to pull the scarf back over her face, but her fingers trembled so badly that it only made her movements clumsier. People started whispering, someone snickered, and the child’s laughter echoed painfully in her ears.

“What’s wrong with you?” snapped the boy’s mother, glaring at Maddie with disgust, as if she were looking at someone with a terrible illness. “Are you doing that on purpose?”

Maddie desperately tried to change her expression, to pull her tongue back, but the best she could manage was a silly wide grin, pulling her hair into two pigtails, as if she was making fun of herself even more.

“Can you see this?” the woman shouted even louder, her face twisted in horror and revulsion. “She’s mocking us!”

Someone behind her even chuckled, filming the scene on their phone.

“Oh my God, what’s wrong with her?” a voice muttered somewhere in the line.

The boy, who had been laughing earlier, had now fallen silent, watching the spectacle unfold with a mixture of curiosity and confusion, like he was witnessing some bizarre circus act. There was no fear or malice in his eyes, just innocent wonder and a lack of understanding.

“Hey, are you okay, girl?” a man said mockingly, glancing at his coworkers. “Need some help? Or are you always like this?”

Laughter erupted again from the people in line. Maddie felt herself shrinking inside. Her face uncontrollably reverted back to its default grimace—tongue hanging out, eyes crossed, lips pulled into a strange smirk. She tried to force out some sort of apology, but the sounds came out even worse, only adding to the laughter.

“Please... I just want to pay,” she finally managed to whisper in a strained, almost pleading voice, forcing her face into another expression where she could speak. She fumbled with the bills, handing them to the cashier, her voice still sounding odd and pitiful.

The cashier took the money, his expression still amused.

“Uh... alright, that’ll be twenty-three dollars,” he said, clearly enjoying the moment. “But seriously, are you okay?”

Maddie just nodded, desperate to end this nightmare as quickly as possible. She grabbed her groceries and headed slowly for home, knowing she couldn’t run with that ridiculous expression frozen on her face.