I peered around me, searching for a spare comforting smile, but I only received those long, lingering stares instead. Those stares that would land on my face and then work their way down my body, taking in the size 2X shirt, fitted over my torso like a second skin, and then lower, to my thighs, scarred with a myriad of stretch marks.
I stared back at one particular unabashed individual, but even my glower did not deter him from gawking at me. Only when his friend said something to him did he look away, his scrutiny sliding off me like water. I took a bite from my sandwich, the sting at the back of my throat, threatening to send tears pouring down my face again.
No, not today, I thought, sliding a hand over my eye as if I could perhaps make the tears reverse their course through sheer force. I chuckled a little at the image, but to my horror, the sting worsened. I swallowed, the pressure relieving slightly, just long enough for me to quickly check around me to see if anyone was watching.
Initially, everyone seemed ignorant of my distress, until my eyes landed on the staring individual from earlier, talking to the friend next to him. Something he said made the other laugh, and now they were both openly staring, a smirk playing at the edges of their lips. The sting climbed up my throat, and I ran.
I bolted out the door, leaving my lunch behind. I wondered where to go before my feet already began taking me to a place where no one would stare at me and make me feel like a freak exhibit: the band room.
Before entering, I peered into the window, looking for any stray band member who may have decided to sneak in some practice. But to my relief, it was empty. I opened the door, letting it slam behind me and relished in the musty smell. It was a beautiful scent.
I located my violin in the corner of the room and opened the case to reveal the wooden instrument inside. I lifted the violin to my chin and raised my bow, siding it tentatively across the strings. The first few notes rose hesitantly, but after a few more moments, they sprung from my hands. And then the gray walls of the band room melted away, replaced by a boundless field of grass, their individual blades catching the fading sunlight as they slightly shivered in the gentle breeze. Rolling hills dominated the horizon, some rogue trees ornamenting their humble appearance. And the sun in the distance, all but a faint glow now, still kissed my skin with the promise of warmth. There breathed a pulsing vibrance threaded through the universe here, flowing through me.
Lowering my bow, the scene vanished before my eyes, the band room reclaiming its existence. And somewhere behind me, a voice said, "Wow."
I smiled for the first time that day.
[2nd place win in the Boxed Sets contest :)]
