Free Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

wide-eyed as Shay tumbled down toward the library’s main floor, three stories below. The new uglies screamed in unison, scattering away from the flailing body plummeting toward them.
    A second later the bungee jacket activated, and Shay bobbed back up in midair, laughing maniacally at the top of her lungs. Tally waited another moment, watching the uglies’ horror dissolve into confusion as Shay bounced again, then righted herself on one of the tables and headed for the door.
    Tally dropped the book and dashed for the stairs, leaping a flight at a time until she reached the back exit of the dorm.
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    â€œOh, that was perfect!”
    â€œDid you see their faces?”
    â€œNot actually,” Shay said. “I was kind of busy watching the floor coming at me.”
    â€œYeah, I remember that from jumping off the roof. It does catch your attention.”
    â€œSpeaking of faces, love the nose.”
    Tally giggled, pulling it off. “Yeah, no point in being uglier than usual.”
    Shay’s face clouded. She wiped off an eyebrow, then looked up sharply. “You’re not ugly.”
    â€œOh, come on, Shay.”
    â€œNo, I mean it.” She reached out and touched Tally’s real nose. “Your profile is great.”
    â€œDon’t be weird, Shay. I’m an ugly, you’re an ugly. We willbe for two more weeks. It’s no big deal or anything.” She laughed. “You, for example, have one giant eyebrow and one tiny one.”
    Shay looked away, stripping off the rest of her disguise in silence.
    They were hidden in the changing rooms beside the sandy beach, where they’d left their interface rings and a spare set of clothes. If anyone asked, they’d say they were swimming the whole time. Swimming was a great trick. It hid your body-heat signature, involved changing clothes, and was a perfect excuse for not wearing your interface ring. The river washed away all crimes.
    A minute later they splashed out into the water, sinking the disguises. The bungee jacket would go back to the art school basement that night.
    â€œI’m serious, Tally,” Shay said once they were out in the water. “Your nose isn’t ugly. I like your eyes, too.”
    â€œMy eyes? Now you’re totally crazy. They’re way too close together.”
    â€œWho says?”
    â€œBiology says.”
    Shay splashed a handful of water at her. “You don’t believe all that crap, do you—that there’s only one way to look, and everyone’s programmed to agree on it?”
    â€œIt’s not about believing, Shay. You just know it. You’ve seen pretties. They look . . . wonderful.”
    â€œThey all look the same.”
    â€œI used to think that too. But when Peris and I would go into town, we’d see a lot of them, and we realized that pretties do lookdifferent. They look like themselves. It’s just a lot more subtle, because they’re not all freaks.”
    â€œWe’re not freaks, Tally. We’re normal. We may not be gorgeous, but at least we’re not hyped-up Barbie dolls.”
    â€œWhat kind of dolls?”
    She looked away. “It’s something David told me about.”
    â€œOh, great. David again.” Tally pushed away and floated on her back, looking up at the sky and wishing this conversation would end. They’d been out to the ruins a few more times, and Shay always insisted on setting off a sparkler, but David had never showed. The whole thing gave Tally the creeps, waiting around in the dead city for some guy who didn’t seem to exist. It was great exploring out there, but Shay’s obsession with David had started to sour it for Tally.
    â€œHe’s real. I’ve met him more than once.”
    â€œOkay, Shay, David’s real. But so is being ugly. You can’t change it just by wishing, or by telling yourself that you’re pretty. That’s why