On Display

Her gaze lingered, just a second too long, and suddenly the lighting changed. I reflected back down onto the fabric I'd covered myself in, now horrified as I looked quickly away in dismay. I folded my arms over my chest, but the laser-beam eyes of every other teenager and teacher still burned right through me. The aura of the room grasped me with pity, judgment, and shame, as I was left seeing the world in slow motion. I was now overwhelmingly aware of the fact that I was alone and lonely, in a crowd full of strangers. Everything was wrong. I'd worn the wrong clothes, makeup, expression, persona. My throat constricted as even the air wished to be distanced from me. I set myself to manual breathing, thinking in, out, in, out, till all too late I realized I'd forgotten how to breathe naturally. I felt my temperature rising, and tears threatening for no reason. I had no reason to be crying, other than the fact that I was too weak to function normally. My heart pounded and I knew the whole world could hear me crumbling, yet none of them would understand. I should've stayed home.