I didn't notice it straight away, no. Oh no, I went through all the morning rituals first.
I have to pee as soon as I wake up or the world will just end. Seriously. It will blow, turn to dust, then implode back into a small nut. And blow again. Please, let me pee first, and then I'll wash my face. That's when I find out. When I rub soap against my skin, and the prickly pain in my nose reaches the back of my head, making me stifle a scream.

When I lift my head to the mirror, I see it. It shakes me wide awake in a split second. Proudly protruding with its disgusting white tip, looking at me and daring me to do anything about it. It's one dead ugly zit sitting a little to the left from the very center of my nose. It raises like a skyscraper, as if it wants to become a second nose.

I examine it closely. There's the tip, yes. It's infested, yes. It's like a giant volcano, yes. It's reddish at the base, yeah.

It has to go, DEFINITELY.

So I reach up with my fingers, ready to pop it out of my face, but the second I touch it, the sharp pain running to the back of my skull makes me scream. No stifle this time. Mom's footsteps in the aisle arrive before here.

"What's going on? I heard you scream." And then I turn to her and she squeaks. It's THAT bad. But she quickly recovers and examines it, inching close.

"If you touch it I'll bite your hands off, I swear."

"I know, I know..."

But her hands are dangerously close and I can feel how she's gonna try to pop it and it hurts like hell so GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, and I actually bite her hands before she has a chance to touch me. Not too hard. Just a warning.

"I wasn't even going to touch you!"

"Yes you were. I know you were." I accuse. But my anger dies young. I need to do something with this. "Any ideas?"

"Concealer?"

Is she serious?

"Mom, I'm a guy. I'm not wearing makeup."

"Oh, please. It's just a little bit. I'm not going to bring any lipstick." She scoffs at me, already marching to her room to get her concealer. I can see how this isn't going to work. And of course I was right. As soon as she teaches me how to do it and I apply it, the skin tone difference is BLINDING. Plus there's still a pinkish mountain protruding from my nose.

"I can't go out like this."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's just a zit."

"Just a zit? Listen to yourself!" I demand, and I mean it. This isn't just a zit. This is King of the Zits! It's the leader that's planning an invasion on my face, and Mom calls it just a zit?

"Come on. Get ready and eat your breakfast. You're going to be late."

"But Mom...!" I whine, knowing the expected reply.

"No buts!" She says coldly, leaving me in the bathroom. "You're not staying home for a zit."

She doesn't really know how this could mean the end of my life as I knew it so far...