Claire wiped tears from her eyes as she continued to type away at her phone, arguing back and forth with her now ex-boyfriend Kyle, having caught him cheating on her.. with his step-sister. Tears once again streamed down her cheeks as she slammed her phone down on the bench she sat at, whimpering in both anger and heartbreak "Piece of s-shit.. fuckin.. a-asshole!" Claire rubbed her temples, trying to calm her head and figure this situation out beginning to wonder what she should do. She had planned to stay at Kyle's place for the next month and a half, that obviously wasn't the case anymore...
I'm a girl. My height is 150 centimeters. I wear black, I have black makeup, as well as black hair and brown eyes. I have a piercing on my tongue. I'm wearing a black leather jacket with rivets right now. I approach Claire from behind. "Hey, sweetheart." I giggle.
She shivered at the nickname, not liking it one bit as she turned around slowly to face the pierced girl, eyes narrowed and a look of mild distrust in her gaze. She didn't know this person from Adam but something about them just rubbed her the wrong way. "Uh... Hi?" She tried to keep her voice steady, trying not to let on how wary she actually felt in that moment.
I smiled. "Tears don't suit your face, honey." I wipe one of her tears with my little finger and lick it off.
"Don't fucking touch me!" She snarled out, taking a step back in an attempt to put some distance between them as she wiped roughly at her face with the sleeve of her sweater. Claire glanced around nervously, not sure if anyone had seen what just happened or if they'd heard her and wanted to intervene. Her heart raced and anger still bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to erupt at any moment if the girl decided to push too far.
"Oh..." There was confusion on my face. "I... didn't mean to scare you... It's just that other girls usually like it when I act like this.... Brazenly?"
"Well..." Claire's brow furrowed as she studied the girl before her, trying to decide whether or not this was some sort of cruel joke. "I'm not most girls." She paused, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "And even if I was... that still doesn't give you the right to touch me." Her voice trembled slightly, but there was an unmistakable steeliness in her tone as well.
I sit down next to him. "Well, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." I lie down with my face on the table. "You're just so sweet... and sad..."
"Don't touch me," she repeated, her tone unyielding as she moved to sit further away from the girl. "I don't want anything from you." She fiddled with her phone, hoping that if she just ignored the stranger then maybe they'd go away on their own. But something told her this wasn't going to be that easy.
I pursed my lips and my face was upset. "Okay...Sorry...I just thought you were lonely...You just looked like that... It's like your boyfriend left you too..." I got upset and got ready to leave.
"Look," Claire started, her tone softer but still firm. "I appreciate the concern, really, but I don't need a replacement for him. And besides...it doesn't excuse how you acted back there." She gestured vaguely between them. "Just...leave me alone, alright?" Her gaze drifted down to her phone once more as she thought about just calling someone, anyone, to come pick her up and get her out of this situation.
"I am... I understand...I didn't mean to scare you..." I sat away from Claire and just stirred my coffee in frustration on the side.
She didn't want to be rude, and she certainly didn't need another person abandoning her. After a moment of hesitation, Claire forced herself to meet the pierced girl's gaze again. "Look... I don't know why you're being so nice right now... but thank you," she said quietly, surprising herself with the words as much as anyone else. "I appreciate it." There was an almost fragile honesty in her voice that made the compliment even more uncharacteristic.
I looked up, surprised to see her approaching. I was embarrassed. "It's simple...It's just that you looked like you'd been abandoned... and.. You looked so much like me...I thought it would make you feel better if I came over... In the end, I was abandoned too..."
"Well, thank you," she murmured, her eyes flicking away again as she found something else to focus on besides the other girl's intense gaze. "I don't know if I could have stood here much longer without freaking out." Her voice was soft and raspy from tears, but at least it sounded calmer than before.
"well...As always, I messed up everything..." I giggled sadly and turned away from Claire. "That's probably why I was abandoned..."
"Maybe not," Claire said gently, sitting down beside the pierced girl. "It could have just been bad timing, you know? People leave for all kinds of reasons." She didn't really believe her own words, but it was easier to say something reassuring than nothing at all. Plus, the other girl did seem genuinely hurt. It wouldn't hurt to offer some comfort in return, even if she wasn't sure why the other girl had decided to do so for her.
I stared sadly at the cup of coffee I was stirring while my head was on the table. "Well...I mean, seeing you and seeing you sad... I thought your boyfriend had dumped you... I wanted to come over and comfort you, but in my own way... And as always, I ruined everything... I spoil every event in my life...You don't have to sit next to me and pretend that you're interested in my whining... I've already ruined even getting to know you..."
"Oh, please," Claire said with a roll of her eyes, nudging the other girl gently with her shoulder. "You're not that bad. And I can promise you, my life is plenty sad all on its own. I didn't need to meet you for there to be some drama." She grinned weakly and looked away, feeling a little guilty for joking around when the other girl was obviously so upset. But at least it was better than sitting in silence.
"Yeah, well, at least you didn't get dumped by a guy after he fucked your sister. And your parents didn't reject you because you're weird and unpleasant, and you weren't expelled from school for fighting with a bastard..." Tears welled up in my eyes, and I turned away. "I couldn't even get to know you properly! I'm a useless piece of shit! Just go away! My sobs turned into mega sobs.
"Oh...shit..." Claire's eyes widened as she heard what the other girl had said, a myriad of emotions flitting across her features in quick succession. "I'm so sorry," she stammered, immediately wishing she could take back the words. But it was too late; the damage had already been done.
She moved to kneel beside the other girl, taking her hand gently in hers and squeezing. "You have no idea how wrong you are about that," she said softly, wiping away a tear with her thumb. "You're not useless or a piece of shit. I know your past hasn't been easy... nobody deserves to go through what you have."
Her gaze never left the other girl as she continued, hoping that maybe some of her own strength would rub off on the sobbing girl beside her. "And who knows? Maybe one day things will get better for us both." It was a faint glimmer of hope, but it was all she had to offer right now.
"I saw you crying, I guessed that your boyfriend had left you. I came over, thinking I could comfort someone who had experienced the same thing I had... But I scared you with my actions... Just leave me alone, I don't want to ruin everything again..."
"I... I shouldn't have touched you like that," Claire admitted, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked down at their entwined hands. "But you don't have to run away from me just because of it. And trust me, there are far worse things in the world than being comforted by someone who's been through something similar." She sighed softly and glanced up at the other girl, her eyes pleading for understanding. "We can get through this together, if you want to."
There was a long silence as they continued to sit beside each other, hands still clasped tightly. Claire couldn't tell whether or not her words had made any difference, but she hoped that they had at least planted a seed of hope in the other girl's heart. Because if there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that sometimes all you needed was someone to believe in you.
"I just thought there was something sexy about you and you were just cute..." I muttered.
"Sexy and cute?" Claire repeated, quirking an eyebrow as she looked up at the pierced girl. "That's actually... nice to hear, I guess." She smiled gently before laughing softly. "I mean, compared to some of the guys I know you could have said a lot worse."
There was another pause before Claire continued, her voice more serious this time. "Thank you for being here with me, even if it's under... less than ideal circumstances," she said quietly. "It really means a lot." A warmth began to spread through her chest at the thought that maybe, just maybe, she hadn't been totally alone in this after all.
I wiped off my black makeup and tears, and I was just incredibly cute underneath.
"Cute?" Claire echoed with a laugh as she studied the other girl's face more closely. "Well, if that's what you think..." She shrugged modestly, blushing slightly despite herself. Truth be told, it had been a long time since anyone had called her cute or beautiful; not since before she'd left the orphanage, at least. The warmth spreading through her chest intensified at the realization that maybe this stranger - someone who had been through so much herself - could see something positive in her despite everything.
"Well," Claire continued, "thank you for saying that." Her tone was soft and sincere, and there was an undeniable feeling of camaraderie beginning to form between them. Maybe this random encounter wasn't so bad after all...
I wiped off my makeup that was on my face. My face underneath it turned out to be just incredibly cute. "Yes, I really think so..." I smiled.
Her heart skipped a beat at the girl's words and smile; it was hard to believe that someone could find her cute after everything she'd been through. "I... I think you're cute too," Claire said quietly, surprising herself almost as much as the other girl with the admission. Their eyes met and held for a long moment before she looked away, feeling an intense rush of emotions she wasn't sure how to sort through just yet.
But for now... maybe it didn't matter. Maybe, just this once, they could focus on something other than their pasts or their problems. And who knows? Maybe, if they were lucky, they could even find a way to help each other heal in the process.
"Listen up... How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-one," she replied, arching an eyebrow at the pierced girl. "Why, you going to card me?" She grinned, trying to lighten the mood a little after their intense exchange earlier. It felt strange being this open and friendly with someone she had just met, but something about the other girl made her feel more relaxed than she had in a long time.
"No, I just wanted to suggest going out..." I blushed.
"Going out?" Claire echoed, her eyes widening in surprise before narrowing with suspicion. "Where exactly do you want to go?" she asked cautiously, remembering all too well that this was still a stranger she didn't really know at all. It wasn't like she could just trust anyone these days...
But the other girl looked so hopeful and sincere in her expression that Claire found herself considering the idea more seriously than she had expected to. Maybe it would be nice to get out of here for a while, to forget about everything for at least a little while longer... "Well," she said slowly, still hesitant but curious nonetheless, "where did you have in mind?"
"I mean, just take a walk... And listen... How tall are you? I think you're taller than me."
"Oh," she said with a laugh, glancing down at the pierced girl before her. "I'm about five-six." She considered for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess it's not like there's anyone here taller than me anyway." Her grin turned mischievous as she studied the other girl more closely. "So...a walk, huh? You know, I haven't really been anywhere outside this town in a while..."
She trailed off thoughtfully, already starting to daydream about what it might be like to get out and explore somewhere new with someone else. The idea of having company for once was oddly appealing, even if it was just another stranger. And who knew? Maybe they'd both find something interesting or beautiful along the way...