Come for Me

Chapter 7

Hunter stood looking in a mirror, observing herself. Her hair was up in pigtails and her outfit consisted of a mid-drift black shirt that in rainbow letters read 'PRIDE'. She wore a rainbow, pleaded skirt, rainbow knee socks and black converse with rainbow shoe laces. Her short, black hair was up in pigtails held by rainbow ribbons. She had rainbow lines underneath both of her eyes, rainbow lipstick and rainbow eyeshadow. Her nails were also painted rainbow and she had assorted rainbow jewelry.

Chris walks by and sees Hunter looking in the mirror, turning side to side.

"Nice outfit." Chris comments.

"Thanks. I bought this shirt online then cut it so it was a mid-drift."

"Do you own ANY shirts that don't show off your stomach?"

"Yeah, but I like showing mine off."

Chris then notices Hunter was observing the scars on her stomach.

"Oh." Is all Chris can say.

"Yup. August 23rd was eleven years since I stopped."

"Wow. So then you've broken the curse."

Hunter shrugs, "That's what I tell myself...Once you start though, it never really goes away. It sort of just lingers with you. You say you won't do it again and then you have one bad night...I don't know. It's been in my back pocket ever since I started, even when I stopped. I wouldn't wish self-harm on my worst enemy."

"Not even on he-who-shall-not-be-named?"

Hunter stiffens, then pauses, staring directly into her own eyes in the mirror.

"I've actually never thought of that." Hunter says, quietly.

Hunter pauses again, then shakes her head to herself and continues, "Anyway...I put them on my stomach and sides so they'd be easier to hide, but now hiding them is the last thing I want to do."

"Why's that?"

"They're a reminder to myself - and to anyone who may be watching me - that I'm stronger now than I was then. A lot stronger. Times were tough, but I pulled through, and they can too." Hunter says before beginning to make any last minute hair and makeup adjustments that she needed to make.

Chris stares at Hunter's reflection and begins to notice some more of the faint white lines on her torso. They were scattered in random places all along her sides and stomach. As Chris looked closer, Hunter even had the word 'FAT' engraved into her side.

Hunter glances at Chris, then resumes her touch ups, "I used to have some body image issues." She explains.

"Why? You're gorgeous."

"My stepmom used to make me feel horrible about my body. One time she even told me 'you can either be the pretty girl, or you can be the fat girl'. She's gotten better at not being that way, but..."

"Have you talked about any of this kinda stuff with your fans?"

"I try to if I get the chance, or if they ask. Obviously, I can't talk to all of my fans one-on-one and I try to be careful about putting it into lyrics. I use my lyrics to vent on occasion yes, but I don't want all of my songs to be 'I'm so sad and I'm so cold and no one can save me boo-fucking-hoo'. It's more about...conquering those demons, you know?"

"Of course."

"But I mean...when you're dong a signing or a meet 'n' greet and you see someone with slashes up and down their arms..." Hunter trails; she begins to tear up, but fights it.

"It's just really sad." She croaks.

"What's sad?" Reed asks, walking over.

"Seeing fans with scars." Chris says.