The bullies had no desire to face off with the woman they’d regularly seen doing the routines Haylee did. They backed off, but not without parting shots, “Well I guess now we know why she looks like that. I should have known a real woman wouldn’t have those arms,” they dismissed at Haylee, “The freaks all grouping together.”
The other woman thrust her chin up, “Don’t even think about ever coming in here again you sick fucks! I’m reporting you right now. Management will ban your ass!” as they left, Belle could still hear their voices as they called her a guy as they complained to each other.
Sobbing into her knees, she bit into her finger hard, rocking in place. She needed to dress, needed to move. But she couldn’t. She wanted to scream, but she forced it inside. Even breathing was hard enough. Too much. It was all too much.
Despite what it was the group of females were saying, Haylee didn’t budge, nor did she even bother replying to what was being said. There was not a chance in hell she would even entertain them with some kind of comeback, knowing that doing such a thing would only cause more harm than good. After all, she had tried talking so many times to get out of whatever discipline was coming to her, tried to talk her way out whatever fresh torture would come her way whenever she had done something wrong. It could have been the smallest thing, quite honestly… though even to this day, she couldn’t even stand the sight of marbled cake without feeling a rush of something akin to panic.
Sighing softly, she could hear the choked noises from behind her that had some of that hardened outer shell she wore softening, reaching immediately for the towel that had been discarded before she stepped forward and gently covered the girl’s shoulders.. she had seen the way Belle had dressed, saw the way that she held herself until this point…
“They’re ignorant,” Haylee spoke quietly, hoping that with the towel covering her and Haylee’s body providing a sort of block from the outside world it would allow Belle to calm down further.
Belle accepted the towel gratefully and wrapped it around herself. She was beyond thankful that the woman who’d stepped in hadn’t tried to touch her. Normally she could put up with it, but not as near breaking as she was now. Making a whiney noise, Belle grabbed the edge of the towel and bite into it. Her feet stamping on the tiles where she sat curled into a ball.
She hated this. Hated how she couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t make her voice connect to her mind. The way everything she felt was just too much. Her mind sparking into static and silence that defied description. Chewing on the towel and digging her fingers into her thighs to the point that she left behind the marks of her own nails, Belle finally found her voice again.
Sniffling and wiping her nose roughly with the back of her hand, her eyes wandered over Haylee’s feet and arms, anywhere but her face, “Thanks.”
RP backup 