Warm tears made their way down her cheeks. They lingered on her lips and she could taste the salt. She stared at the reflection in the mirror in front of her. Her gaze travelling every curve and bump on the body she desperately wanted to get out of. Her long, brown locks were up in a messy bun. There were noticeable eyebags under her hazel eyes, which looked indecisive between emerald and chestnut. Her nose was tinged pink from crying. Her stomach grumbled with hunger. She was starving but she told herself that she could go on a little longer. She ignored the dizziness and put her sweatshirt back on. She quickly wiped her face on her sleeve and took her bag to leave for school.
Walking through the crowded halls was a nightmare. She felt like every single person was watching her with eyes full of judgement. She felt so little under the dirty looks which weren’t really there. She stared at her feet as she passed countless lockers that weren’t hers, uncomfortable in her own skin. Eventually she found her locker, opening in quickly. She grabbed her books and made her way to biology class. She sat far in the back like always, where no one would notice her. The lesson went on like every other day. She didn’t really participate in order not to draw much attention to herself. She walked to the door quietly, staring at her feet while doing so. Then she bumped into someone. She raised her head to apologize but she was met with concerned blue eyes. They were a deep shade of blue ,closer to gray, looking astonishing. There was a guy in front of her, remarkably attractive, with messy black hair. The guy looked apologetic.
“Sorry about that. Are you ok?”
She looked dumbfounded. Was he talking to her? Why was he apologizing? She was the one not looking where she was going.
“I should be the one apologizing. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” she mumbled, averting her gaze.
“No worries. I wasn’t looking either. Are you new here?”
“No.” was the only thing that came out of her mouth. She was the one wanting to be invisible. She was about to leave, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“How come I didn’t see you around?”
She was surprised that he wanted the conversation to keep going.
“I’m not very noticeable..” She felt his eyes on her, staring for a long while without saying anything.
“I’m sure that’s not the reason.”
It was silent for a moment. Then he talked again.
“Well, we both need to go to class now. See you around.” He smiled. She only nodded in response before walking away.
After that the lessons went by quickly and it was time for lunch. The hour of the day she really hated. She went to the cafeteria only to get an apple and juice. She sat in a corner all by herself. Then the seat next to her got pulled back. She raised her head from her food to see the guy from earlier.
“Are you not hungry?”
“Not really.” She was lying.
“Are you sure? You need food for energy. And that apple is not enough energy for the day.”
“I’m just watching my weight.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your weight. You’re beautiful.” He smiled.
“I do?” Her cheeks turned a slight shade of red.
“You do.”
And that’s how it started. Their friendship. The friendship that taught her to love herself, making her feel comfortable in her skin. He reminded her these things every moment he had the chance. He made her feel special, worthy of love. He wasn’t like her parents, judging her by the amount of food in her plate and not her well-being. He was different than everybody else she knew. They put each other before everything. That’s what made their friendship so strong. Friendship, longing to become something more in the future…