SHIFTED.✔

7

I stood there for a bit, holding onto my shirt staring after Katie. Then I rushed upstairs to look at myself in the mirror before Kerry came home.

She caught me.

"What are you doing dumb arse? You know they're going to get bigger." She flopped down on her bed, chewing gum and flicked through the pages of a magazine.

I looked in the mirror again. "What, you think I need a bigger shirt."

Kerry looked up at me blankly. "What are you on about?"

"You said they're going to get bigger."

Kerry blew a bubble. "Your tits idiot." She must have seen the disappointed look on my face so she closed the magazine and sat up on her bed. "What size bra are you?"

I didn't know. Mum bought all that stuff. I just wore what she gave me. Kerry jumped up off the bed, went to my drawer and pulled out a bra. She flipped it around until she found the label.

"Ten...you're a size ten 'B' dumb arse."

"I wasn't looking at my boobs," I said and hung my head because her comments always hurt, "I was looking at my shirt."

She flopped back down on the bed and frowned at me. "What's wrong with your shirt?"

"I met this girl today. She said my shirt was too big for me."

"Well dah?" Kerry gave me this 'are you that dumb' look then got back up off the bed and stood behind me. She grabbed the back of my shirt, pulled and said.

"Yeah, two sizes too big," she shook her head. "Are you really that stupid Charlie?"

I wanted to cry so sat dejectedly on the end of my bed looking at the hem of my shirt. I heard Kerry sigh.

"You know, Charlie you really have to get over this I don't want tits thing." She used her fingers to make inverted comas. "Mum buys you bigger shirts because you won't wear them if they show your breasts." She shook her head in disgust. "Who ever heard of a girl not wanting tits? You know you can get boys to do anything for you if you show off your boobs." She lifted up the magazine again to look through it.

"But mine are ugly."

She sighed and closed the magazine with more effort than was necessary. Then cocked her head and tried to look at me with interest. "What do you mean?"

"They have marks on them."

She shook her head again. "You really are a dip shit, Charlie. This is because Mum's always treated you like a baby." Kerry sat forward on the edge of her bed. "They're stretch marks. Lots of girls get them...and on their hips too. It's because...I don't know...we change shape, get bigger bums and stuff so we can have babies." She looked at me to see if she should continue and must have decided I needed some lessons. "When you get boobs your skin has to stretch so they can grow. The marks will go away...fade." She pulled down her top. "Look I've got them."

I peered at her but couldn't see anything.

"Come closer idiot."

There were tiny white marks which were just visible. She pulled her shirt back up. "Are you a les?"

I frowned at her not understanding what she meant.

"A lesbian. A girl who likes girls instead of boys."

"No!"

"Well do you like boys or not."

"Yeah...I don't know. They're not very nice to me."

Kerry threw her head back and laughed, "That's because you don't show them your tits." Then she grew serious. "Why aren't they nice to you?"

"They call me beach ball and say things like, I'd be really pretty if I lost weight."

Kerry sat in serious thought, her forehead crinkled. Then she got up off the bed. She went to her wardrobe and pulled out her pink Fox T-shirt and skinny jeans. "Here put these on."

"They won't fit me," I said biting on my lip.

"You won't know until you try," Kerry said mockingly and put her hands on her hips. "Come on."

So I did.

Kerry was really skinny and though I would never have told her, I thought she was beautiful. I got the jeans on but only because they were made out of stretch fabric, she looked me up and down.

"Cool...they're size 10, you're probably a 12." She handed me the shirt. I slipped it over my head, it was a little too big and the 'V' neck was really low.

"This is a twelve...you'd need a ten." She pulled the shoulders up and held it firm so from the front it looked like it fitted. "There, what do you think?"

I was almost afraid to look at my own reflection. I didn't look fat at all. She let go of the shirt and flopped back on the bed.

"You need to stop wearing the ugly shit you wear and start looking like a girl." She pointed at the outfit. "If you wore that to school those boys wouldn't be calling you beach ball."

I could feel tears welling in my eyes and heard Kerry sigh. She hugged me. Actually got up off the bed, came over and hugged me. "You're a really pretty kid, Charlie. Stop hating yourself so much." Then she pushed me away and looked at my face. "That's my job."

We both laughed. She jumped back on her bed and said, "Now get the fuck out of my clothes and if you ever tell anyone I was nice to you, I'll beat the shit out of you."

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved

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