Lost (in Your Emerald Eyes)

T H I R T Y

On Monday, Betty woke up way earlier than her parents. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and took a long run by the river before turning back home. Even by then, nobody in their right mind was awake in the neighborhood.

She showered, picked out her first day of school clothes, and while only wearing her underwear, took a seat by her vanity. She rubbed cream all over her body, leaving her skin smooth and adding a nice scent to it, after which she applied moisturizer to her face.

Betty had never liked thick makeup or understood the need to apply a generous amount of concealer and foundation. She liked her skin fresh and natural, and since she had never struggled with many zits or any type of acne, she didn't want to ruin it.

Simply applying some eyeliner to make her eyes look bigger, and the natural-looking mascara, she moved on to her lips. Another thing she hated on herself was dark lipstick, which mostly only made her use nude lip gloss. It made her feel pretty.

After the whole look was done, she let her hair dry naturally for a bit while painting her nails a pastel blue color, and once they had dried, grabbed the blow dryer.

The outfit consisted of white jeans that were slightly ripped on her knees and a chunky-knit pastel blue sweater that covered up the whole white top under it. The summer was surely over, the thermometer on her window proving it, and she wasn't about to make herself suffer in the cold classrooms.

After placing her hair in a ponytail and observing herself critically from the mirror, the girl sighed and tugged the hair tie back out. She left it loosely around her wrist in a way her mother would never approve of, and set her loose locks around her shoulders, again in a way her mother would never approve of.

The first day of school always felt so refreshing, and since it was her senior year, Betty had decided to start living her own life. She didn't need her mom telling her what to do, wear, or eat. Her own mind was messed up enough, and anyone adding to it was just too much to handle, usually.

Her backpack matched her outfit perfectly, as did the white sneakers on her feet, and Betty bounced downstairs with a smile on her face.

Her whole body was filled with nerves and excitement, but somehow the vomiting sensation in her stomach only made it all better.

Her smile dropped with her bag when she faced her crucial-looking mother. The woman's eyes trailed down her body and then up again before raising her finger and practically wagging it in Betty's face.

"No," Alice stated. "I won't allow this. Go upstairs and change."

"Well, I don't allow you to tell me what to do anymore. The pants are staying."

"Oh, Elizabeth," the woman deeply sighed. "Not only the pants. The hair, the shoes, your makeup... You look hideous."

"Alice," Hal suddenly spoke up after seeing his daughter's face drop. Her confidence was wiped away with a second, especially after the woman stated her last opinion.

"Your boobs are too big for this sweater. It makes you look fat."

"Excuse me?" the man snorted, standing up, literally. "She's our daughter, Alice. She's perfect, and don't you dare say otherwise."

Betty's eyes went wide, hearing his words, and even though glassy from her mom's insults, they looked proud. Hal had never had the guts to stand up for himself or anyone else, especially his kids, and Betty felt honored he had come out of the trans to protect her.

"I'm just gonna go," she whispered and grabbed her bag, leaving the house.