Finally Free!

Boat Race and Ball

My eyes open and meet Radley's face. His eyes are closed and the room is bright with the shining of the sun. Just as I am about to reach out and touch him, I hear a knock causing me and Radley to jump.

I rush out of the bed to find Kris standing at the door with a smile on his face. In his hands is a white bag that he has crumpled together.

"Can I come in?" Kris asks me and I nod. Kris walks in and puts some clothes on our bed as he smiles mischievously then makes his way out without saying another word.

I look at Radley with a questioning look as he grabs his clothes while laughing as he makes his way to the bathroom. I look at the clothing and realise that it is very revealing clothing which causes me to tense but I try it on anyways. As I do so, I try to push out of my mind the weird interaction with Kris.

Once the clothes are on, I look at myself in the mirror as I trace the tiny but numerous scars that litter my body. The brightly colored clothing barely covers anything as my back, legs and stomach are left bare.

As soon as the shower stops, Radley comes out in shorts and no shirt which causes me to blush. He seems to be looking at me as well and I start to feel uncomfortable.

"I don't want to wear this," I say seriously and Radley looks at me with confusion, "I don't feel comfortable. You know?" "Then don't wear it," he says kindly, "wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. Just remember that it is a boat so wear light."

He makes his way out of the door and then I decide to throw over a light dress that covers me entirely which makes me feel a little better about myself. It feels like I am hiding my true self beneath it so that no one can find out the truth.

As soon as I come out of my room and make my way, barefoot, down the carpeted halls as well as the stairs that lead to the main room, I notice everyone is wearing what I am wearing but in different shades while the men follow Radley's clothing in different shades.

Everyone stares at me as I confidently walk and hide the trauma that it will cause others to see my body as well as the trauma it will cause me.

Once we get outside, everyone gets on a horse and makes their way to the beach which I have memorised. The sun burns my skin to a darker shade as we travel to the beach.

The ocean is calm as the waves toss about. Soon, I notice the boats that are further out and everyone starts diving in so I copy them. Then I realise why we were supposed to wear what we were given because it is way harder to swim with a dress.

As we keep on going, my muscles start to burn and I cannot keep myself up any longer. I feel someone grab me and I pull away from them.

"It's okay," Radley says as my fears dissipate, "let me help." I nod as he helps me to the nearest boat.

Once I am there, I start panting with exhaustion and I notice that I lost the dress that was loosely holding onto my body earlier. My heart starts to pound as everything becomes loud. The chatter starts to build up in my head as the waves crash and the music plays causing me to hurriedly pull Radley in front of me. Kris is waiting on the shore as he watches the race with the rest of us.

He turns around to look at me as we are mere centimetres apart.

"You okay?" he asks me but I struggle to say anything as I watch everyone else around me. He grabs my face and turns it towards him.

"I am just...I don't want anyone to see me like this," I say seriously. "Why?" he asks me but I don't have time to explain before they are splitting everyone up onto twenty-two different boats. We are, literally, pulled apart from each other as there is a schedule to live by.