iris [on hold]

➵ three

She woke up with a violet stain near her cheek. She decided on skipping breakfast, like always, and leaving home early to avoid the sight of the beast. She grabbed her coat and bag, exiting the room. The sight of her mom making pancakes greeted her. She tried hard not to look at the bruises on her arms.

"here, eat up" her mother quietly offered her a plate, but she just shook her head and left. She wouldn't forgive herself if she even took a bite, it was enough that she could barely look at her reflection.

With her hands in her pocket, she thought over her options, not that she had many. She certainly wouldn't go to school with the bruise highlighting her face, so she decided to wander about, just to kill time. She needed an excuse to get away from that hellhole, even if it was for a short amount of time.

The sun wasn't completely up yet, the streets were almost empty, and the fog boosted the eerie effect. She savored the silence; it was a companion she was delighted to have.

She strolled through the streets, until she arrived the bridge again. Memories of the night before flooded her mind, as she tried to recall the sight of her savior. She neared the edge again, recollecting the rush of emotions she had felt, wondering if she'd ever have the courage to try it again.

"welcome back"

she turned around only to find him, standing there with a smile dancing upon his lips.

"how are you?" he asks, drawing nearer to her.

She makes an attempt to smile, "better."

"oh really?" he raises an eyebrow, his eyes shifting to the lavender blot painted on her face, she could tell.

"not trying to kill myself right now. i'd think that qualifies as 'better', don't you?"

He looks directly at her, she's unable to make eye contact with him so she settles on staring at the ground; just small peeks at him once in awhile, enough to notice how his eyes were brown, just brown, like hers.
They weren't anything out of the ordinary, nothing like 'warm hot chocolate' or 'caramel', she'd read in novels, but she never understood those anyway. They were different from the ones she saw everyday however; ones filled with disgust and hate. His were soft, full of empathy yet determined.

"Hey, I just-"

She struggles to seep out the words.

"Thank you," she breathes out.

"i didn't do anything."

And before she could reply, he gets closer to her, his hand reaching over to her bruise as he mumbles something to himself.

She looks at him until his fingertips softly touch her bruise. It feels like electricity surging through her skin. Her instincts suddenly kick in and she instantly backs away.

He seemed surprised by the sudden movement, but he doesn't move. Instead, he smiles again, "what's your name?"

"Iris."

"well iris, i think we'll be meeting again soon."

And with that, he lights up a cigarette and walks away, dissolving in the buzz of the busy streets.

She didn't believe they would ever cross paths again.

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆

a/n- thank you to everyone who voted and is reading this story, your support means a lot. also, to anyone wondering about the lower case words, one word bruh, aesthetic. ✰ 

fast fact: more than 70 million people suffer from an eating disorder worldwide, with the three main types being; anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.

note to people with eating disorders (and body insecurities)-  Let me ask you this. Does your age determine your maturity? No, it's just a number. Then why do you starve yourself to knock down that number on the weighing scale?

Let me tell you this, you're beautiful/handsome, you're simply amazing.

Trust me, you are worth more than the numbers on the scale, and definitely more than the words people hurt you with. Being skinny isn't everything and starving yourself won't do any good. Don't be so hard on yourself. You need a proper diet. Its more important to be healthy than skinny. People? They're going to judge either way. There's no need to be like all those models you see in the magazines. You have the power to control your life. Your happiness lies in your hands. Redefine what 'beauty' truly means;

Beauty isn't a weight, beauty isn't a face. Beauty is what's inside your heart. Its sincerity, compassion, generosity and love. Its your soul. Its everywhere and everything except outer appearance.

I don't care what color you are, what race you're from, what gender you are or how much your weight is,

 you.are.freaking.lovely.

and I mean it.

xx