Other Side Of The Closet [Percy Jackson Fanfiction] •Jiper•

Reyna ( P A S T)

C H A P T E R S I X T E E N

REYNA HAD ALWASY BEEN FOND OF RUNNING. The fondest of the sport primary started when people started to run away from her. She was fast and could outrun the dogs in her hometown. But this was different since with the dogs,she always knew they would come back and play with her. Her sister had spoken to her and told her it wasn't her fault she was different.

Hylla's words stayed in her head.

"Never forget who you are Reyna," Hylla was thirteen than and grew up to quickly. "United States can change you for the better or for the worst but never forget were you're really from." she held her tightly around her arms. "Puerto Rico."

She told her when her dad used to come the majority in a mess. He wreaked with vodka and sweat. His hair was glossed with grease and one day he would come wearing a suit and the next he was dressed with a pair of sweatpants and a white shirt with holes. United States changed their dad for the worst; Reyna and Hylla noticed that even though Hylla tried to hide that.

It sounded as if Hylla was trying to reassure herself but Reyna took her every word to heart. She bet her sister didn't think she'd still remember her words from now but Hylla's voice never left her. Reyna would never forget,no matter how deep she got into the U.S.A,she would never forget.

Reyna had seemed to look different compared to the other girls in this new town. She was latino born in and out. Her hair was thick and course black hair. Her eyes were a piercing,brown shade of color darker. Reyna was accustomed to seeing that shade but things were different now. Everyone looked different and talked different compared to her hispanic tongue.

It first seemed to struck her that she was unlike the other girls when they all played religiously every single day with their dolls outside in their parlors. No one ever invited her. She never went with them since the girl's mothers knew one another and had parties and birthdays together. Reyna knew she could never be apart of their community since she didn't have a mother who could take her to them. All she had was her sister and father who was off at war. But there was this one time with a girl in her second grade class had left their doll above their desk and Reyna got a good look at her.

She was authentic barbie doll with blond locks and baby blues. Reyna brushed her fingers down the doll's thin hair unlike hers that always seemed to form knots. She had never had a doll before in this was the first one she touched. Her thumb stroked her face, gingerly and skimmed the top of the doll's button nose and down. She couldn't help but noticed how different her and the doll was and how similar they were to the other girls'.

A thought struck her head to why someone would make a doll to simplify someone's face. Was it because the other girls were pretty and not her? Their elegant clothes shimmered in her head with the laced pink silk and white sandals. Did she not deserve to have a doll look like her? Reyna seated the doll back on the desk and backed four feet away until she was far from the story.

Reyna never forgot that moment as it stamped her head like a tattoo. She felt both ashamed and pity for the younger Reyna and that pity seemed to eat up all her pride.

THERE WERE PRIMARILY THREE OF THEM THAT TORMENTED REYNA.

The girl's names were Megan,Annie,and Emma. Out of all of them, Annie taunted her the most. Reyna noticed them out of the others since they hosted the picnics and were the leaders and assigned everyone's parts when they played dolls. She knew all of this because she liked to listen to their conversations during class and imagine what it'd be like if she got a chance to play with them. Of course, the rules were already tied for Reyna and none of them wanted to play with her.

They bullied her (making fun of her clothes and her father),taunted her,and pushed her to the ground while the teacher wasn't looking and even when he was looking since he didn't seem to mind or acknowledge what was happening. Reyna would never have imagined there was anything cruel behind their angelic faces and clothes suited for a princess. How simple they wiped the mess of their hands with water and soap as if nothing happened.

"Doesn't she look weird?" Annie stuck her lollypop in her mouth. She seemed to always have something in her mouth. "I mean just look at her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Reyna's eyes were wide and innocent and she was rather confused to what was happening. "What is wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Is has nothing to do with what you're wearing idiot. Even if you wore nice clothes, you would still look ugly." Annie said with a sly smirk on her face as Emma and Megan hobbled with laughter.

"Just look at her!" Emma chortled as Reyna felt her cheeks grow wet. "I bet if I pushed her to the ground,she would do nothing about it."

"Let's test it!" Megan stifled a giggle and she was the first to grab her shoulders and push her to the ground.

She felt her body slam to the ground. Her eyes dilated up and her head cracked against the hard,stiff dirt. Her tears slid down her chin and she closed her eyes to stop the pain blaring through her ears. The teacher was not far but he was too busy to notice her.

"How's the dirt down their, Reyna?" Megan asked mockingly. 

Reyna wanted to get up but it was as if her body was frozen in place. She felt no longer in control and her failure was shown like bold print sprayed across her face. Then,she watched as footsteps got nearer to were she was. Her neck was too weak to rise up. Then, her thoughts lifted. Maybe it was the teacher.

"What are you doing on the ground?" Someone asked her and she forced herself to move her head up.

It was not the teacher. She noticed the kid and somehow he seemed familiar. His name was Jason Grace and he was in the class next door. He had blond hair and blue eyes similar to the ones to the girls' but his had a golden glow to it. There was a cut below his cheek and she wondered to how he got it.

"It's no matter," She answered,glumly.

"but now I must know." Jason answered,stubbornly.

"if you do know,then my chances of having someone helping me up will be low." Reyna answered and he took his her hand and with all his might,got her up her feet.

"Did someone push you?" He asked her and aided her in brushing the dirt off her jeans.

"Yeah." She answered. "Megan,Emma,and Annie."

"What did you do to them?"

"Be me." Reyna grabbed her hand,awkwardly. "It's because I look different."

"That's no reason to push you." He said,smartly and added. "and different isn't a bad thing. My sister told me that."

She smiled,"I'm Reyna."

He returned it with a smile."I heard that you came here from Puerto Rico,right?"

Reyna nodded her head.

"Wait, so you know Spanish?" Jason asked.

"And Italian," She answered,nodding her head. Her mother had taught them since she was Italian and her father spoke with them in Spanish.

"I'm Italian!" He grinned.

After that,she spent most of her time and hung out with Jason instead. She didn't need the other girls with their designer clothes as long as she had a friend who actually wanted to be with her. Reyna switched seats so she could sit next to Jason and they spent the time being exchanging phrases in Italian while everyone in the classroom watched in envy since everyone else spoke only English and they shared a language only the two of them could understand.

Reyna never had any need to get any revenge from the other girls since this was good enough from her. Her ignoring them worked better than hurting them like they had hurt her.