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Social expectations,
Because we all want to
Belong,
what are you ready to lose
In the process?
MJ
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Staying focused in class is becoming a struggle. My dreams are haunted by fragments of my life with things that happened and things that might have. They could be real. I know after all that some of my memories have been altered by magic.
The dark circles beneath my eyes say it all. Ever since I stopped the asthma medication, my dreams have been torturing me.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard my name. Tom was calling me from across the table. Class was over, and I had barely noticed.
"We are going to the mall. The girls they will style you a bit."
He points a finger to my nose, my lashes fluttered, flustered.
"Let them pamper you a bit. I will not take a no for an answer."
I try to mumble an answer, but he is already stepping out of the door with my books in his hand. I run after him hoping to find a way out of it.
'I hate shopping.'
Pulling his sleeve, he stops to look at me. I give him a fake smile in turn.
"You know, I can't tonight. I have study lessons with Lina and a project. There is no time to shop." I end, already grabbing my books and heading to the cafeteria.
With a grin, I sit on Lina's right side, far from the two most annoying girls the world had ever made.
When lunch was almost over, I got to the trash bin.
"So remember, we meet up at four in the parking lot. It's a makeover day. Lina, you are coming. I am counting on you to convince our subject!"
"Of course, shopping is always fun." Somehow her voice seemed tense. I knew her already well enough to notice.
Holding my tray a little tighter, I finally made to the trash bin.
'Traitor,'
I say in my head, knowing well that Lina would hear my thoughts.
🌺 at the store🌺
I feel offended the moment I walk in. Everyone has an opinion, but when it comes to mine, I'm dismissed. I am deemed "unfashionable."
Tom spins on his heels, the guys trailing closely behind me. I ball my fists, ready to tear him apart. I open my mouth to speak, but his finger lands on my forehead, stopping me cold.
"Listen carefully," he sneers. "Don't be stubborn. Dress the way you're told. This way, you'll actually look like a girl—and blend into society."
My nostrils flare.
I hate him. Low blow.
"Blend in? Really," I mutter, rolling my eyes.
He's surprised by my honesty, but I bite my tongue, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
"Yes," he says, almost smugly. "After this, you'll finally look like a girl." He tosses the words at me without a second thought.
Blood rushes to my head, my temper flaring up. I know it's mostly exhaustion, but it's getting harder to control.
I glance around quickly, checking to see if anyone's watching, while Tom continues to walk away, oblivious.
"A girl?! I— I am, you know..." I mumble, wishing I hadn't opened my mouth.
Heat floods my face, and my anger boils over.
Lina's lessons flash through my mind. If I focus enough, repeat the mantra long enough, I can make things happen.
YOU ARE READING
Never Bend
FantasiAnnie doesn't know it, but magic surrounds her life and follows her every move. Between her recurring dreams, the strange evidence she keeps in a box, and her own journal filled with memories she can't remember, she was always suspicious that someth...
