Through Your Eyes #ShortStory

Through Your Eyes

Hi guys! I'm writing this short story today for all the amazing readers out there who forget to be kind to themselves ❤️🥺

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Hope you enjoy this short story!

The streets were empty. The young girl dragging her feet against the sidewalk pushed her earbuds deeper into her ears and pressed play to her favorite playlist—her favorite escape. She'd just gotten out of work two hours late—thanks to a group of customers walking in last minute—felt terrible and was convinced she looked like it, too.

Warm wind blew hair off her face, reminding her of how quickly winter had gone by. The air was hot and thick in her hometown. So hot that she could feel the sweat dripping off her body under her brother's oversized sweater.

Unfortunately, summer was coming back—scratch that—her worst nightmare was coming back.

She loved the cold.

And it wasn't because she'd spent the entire year babysitting her little sister and watching Frozen on repeat.

It was because with the cold came a lot of clothes. And with a lot of clothes... came a chance to hide.

Her eyes were brown, her hair dark, and she'd been told she was pretty many times in her life—although she liked to say her mom didn't count.

And everytime, she nodded as the familiar voice in her head screamed "Liar"

Love yourself.

Drink your water.

Work out.

All that was easier said than done. God knew she'd tried to look like the girl in the magazine. They weren't so different. After all, they both shared the desire to look fit, to have no fat, to be perfect.

If only she'd had a personal trainer and chef to count her calories, too.

Stopping at her usual bus stop, she noticed the eyes of the other people waiting for their ride home lingering on her. Among them was a girl. She looked her age, but she was prettier. Much prettier.

Her mind immediately connected the dots. She knew what she was thinking. "What the hell is she doing, wearing this huge hoodie and long pants when it's burning up outside?"

Trust me, I'm doing you a favor, she mentally replied.

The bus didn't take long to arrive, which she was thankful for. The weight of the girl's judgmental eyes would've crushed her had she stayed longer.

She was the first to get on the bus, as well as the first to get a seat all the way in the back.

As soon as she sat down, she saw him. The boy sitting across from her.

He was sitting in the back, too, but he was a good looking guy, and so she was sure he wasn't sitting there for the same reason.

He probably just liked the quiet.

He didn't want to hear or be heard. While she didn't want to be seen.

The boy looked up at her and caught her staring. Her cheeks flushed, her heart jumped and she looked away.

Act casual. It's all good. He'll look away.

But he didn't budge.

He started by assessing her face, then the grey hoodie she brought everywhere, then her jeans, then her face again.

How rude, she thought.

She knew she wasn't a model, or one of these instagram babes who post pictures of themselves in a bikini but her mother had taught her to always be kind and respectful.

Staring at someone as though they're a zoo animal? Definitely not respectful.

She would've asked him what his problem was if it wasn't for her fear of his answer. You, he'd probably say.

Self-conscious of her love handles trying to hang out of her hoodie and her large thighs squishing against the seat, she fixed her clothes, tugging at them and bringing the hoodie further down so that it would cover more, always more.

During the ride, the boy tried tearing his eyes away but everytime he did, her big nose, uneven eyes and ugly features eventually brought his gaze back.

She wanted to disappear, jump out the window and run.

When an early stop came—the one thirty minutes away from her house—she got up, tears burning her eyes, and walked out. She could've waited for the stop five minutes away from her place but decided she couldn't take another minute of this hell.

So she settled for another walk in the scorching heat.

The boy never stopped watching her. From the moment she got up, to the moment she walked out, he stared.

When the doors closed and she disappeared down the street, he cursed himself.

What a creep he had been. But it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help it.

She thought she could hide her appearance from the world. In a way, he understood her. It made sense. Couldn't be easy looking like this. She probably had unwanted attention on her all the time.

But nothing, not even layers over layers of large clothes could hide what she was. Nothing could hide the truth.

And as she walked home with tears in her eyes,

He desperately wished he had gathered the courage to ask for her number.

* * *

Never forget that where you see flaws, someone will see perfection. I love you.

Be kind to yourself,

Eliah.