(I Just) Died In Your Arms ~ Stanley Uris

033

"Aw, what the fuck!" I screamed, wiping my sweater down as much as I could, but the water already drenched it with putrid smelling liquid.

"That's what you get, slut!" One of them laughed, the door slamming behind them and the murmurs of bystanders erupting. I left the stall in defeat, only for my eyes to meet what the scribbled across the mirrors in lipstick.

Get the fuck out of town, you incest loving slut!

Real mature of them.

Obviously I couldn't go to class like this, so I stepped outside of the bathroom waiting for someone I knew to pass by, panic filling up inside me. What if no one came and I'd have to miss my first day back?

Finally Beverly had walked by, not even noticing me until I tugged her into the bathroom abruptly, closing the door behind us. The bystanders had left, so it was just us two, staring at each other eye to eye.

"What's up?" She said sweetly, but then caught a whiff of my clothes, her sweetness quickly fading. "Oh..."

"Do you have clothes or something? I can't go to class like this." I tugged at my collar, the sopping wet fabric clinging to my skin uncomfortably.

"Do you even have to ask? I always do." She threw her backpack on the floor, rummaging around to the bottom and pulling out neatly folded clothes. Having this happen to her a couple times already, she packed clean clothes in case the inevitable happens.

I examined them timidly, as the shirt had a plunging neckline and the jeans were ripped more than my liking, but I had no other choice.

I waved her goodbye as I looked in the mirror one last time, feeling ashamed and hopeless, as if the moment I stepped out of this bathroom I was a target for anyone.

Luckily I got to class right on time, my previous clothes stuffed in a garbage bin, my bare chest feeling chilled and my legs bouncing with anxiety, sitting next to Stan with no hesitation.

I look back at his eyes, waiting for him to say something. Instead he looked back at me, like a statue, his mouth slightly dropped as he looked me up at down.

"Be careful, you might catch flies." I whisper, nudging his shoulder with my elbow. His face quickly reddened, covering his cheeks with his hands.

"Shut up." He shoots back, his voice low and stern. Clearly, he hated to be embarrassed in a classroom full of observant teenagers. "You look good. Like really good. Where'd you get your clothes?"

"Oh well, these are Beverly's. Something happened in the bathroom and I needed to change." I smirk, fiddling with the lace collar of the long sleeve, the edges irritating my already sensitive skin.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." As much as I wanted to explain it to him, I realized telling him would only make him worry more, and the last thing I need is for him to worry about me another minute.

Stan looked annoyed, maybe because I gave him a single worded answer or that it was obvious that it was more than nothing, but he was abruptly interrupted by the teacher clearing his throat. Our attention was drawn to the front of the classroom, when Mr. Warner stared back at me, my absence dually noted by him.

"Ms. Parker, you're back?" He asked with caution, looking at me with a sympathetic stare. His stare made my heart face, even more when the rest of the class joined in, staring me down like I was a walking freak show.

"Yeah, I am." I nodded, sweating forming just above my eyebrow as panic slowly consumed me.

"And you're okay?"