"No one can cherish the beauty of a woman better than a woman."

~●~

I was stupefied with the view.
There were burritos on the plate. I haven't got them to eat for almost 1 month.
I was so happy at that moment,and literally watering.

I sat on my table hurriedly with a strange pace inside of me.
And was about to take a one, suddenly got interrupted with my mother's voice,
"Did you wash your hands?"
I sighed and went to the basin, washed them and again come to my seat fastly, like it was some sort of race to eat one.

Then, I took a whole one, and was about to place it in my plate, my father spoke,
"Watch out Zelda, you have been eating alot these days, if you keep doing the same, you will be a fatty pig someday."
He mocked these things infront of whole family, and as usual they laugh at the end to make it look like a joke.

I scanned my brother laughter, who was just closing his mouth with his palm to not make it a big deal.

I bring my head down and some tears already advertising o my lower eyelid to fall down.

Was it really true?
Is that what they all feel about me?
Yes, I may eat a lot, but still, they won't never forget how to make their daughter all filled with shame in front of people. No matter what happens.

Well, its there all time habit especially my father. It hurts alot when he speak these things to me. He always mock me for my weight in a whole group. Yet, I know he loves me, even more than my brother. But the only problem he have is, insulting me for my weight.

I would have endure it, if the same thing had been done by my brother, and would have taken it lightly because he is also no less than a donkey.

But, what if your own parents humiliate you to a point, where you just don't feel the pitch of your self esteem?

I tried to ignore it, and wiped my tears off without anyone knowing and controlled the urge of eating more, infront of them.

Only took some bites of the salad and drank the tomato soup placed in a bowl. Didn't even tried to took a bite of my favourite one as I knew I would be again taunted.

I extracted myself from the chair, and about to take my leave but was interrupted by my mother,
"Where do you think you are going, Zelda?"
She asked while placing a bite of.

"I am going in my room. I am full."
I delivered my confession.

"What? You have barely ate something."
I scoffed at her statement, how can they just change their behavior so sudden?
Like, just now they all were shaming me, and now ordering me to eat more.
I am sick of this.

"Its OK, I need to care about y'all satisfaction, more than my comfort."
I said and ran to my room, ignoring all those glares and closed my door harshly.

I laid down myself on the bed, and hugged my duvet, along with my pillow. I digged my head in the pillow and started crying.
It was my all day thing.
I can never get out of all these.

I cried my eyes out making the pillow surface all wet.
Only my pillows knows, how much I cries.

I turned my head and stared at my ceiling.

"Let's get habit of this Zelda, its your life, just accept this."

___

Just like everyday, I sat on my usual seat, all alone.
I rested my chin on the palm and observes the mess. From afar, I can see Luna entering in the class while being all happy.

She looked so full and free of life, unlike me.

Eventually, she glanced me. And her hazel grey eyes shrilling with excitement, contentment and satisfaction. A smile grew at the tip of her lips, reaching the beauty mark below her right eye and revealing her pearly white teeth.

Her broad shoulders, tight ass and her long silky hair just looks amazing on her.

"Zelda?"
I saw her beside me all standing and extending her hand, the one with a half coated ring. I didn't even realized when she reached here so fastly.

You need to be in your track, Zelda.

I accepted her handshake as usual and replied with,
"Hey!"

She seated beside me and said,
"Good morning."
I replied the same.

Suddenly, her smile dropped and was replaced by a frown on her gloomy face.

"How are you? Are you alright? Does something happened to you?"
She pampered me with severely question at the same time with a clear frown.

"W-what happened?"
I stuttered because of her questions.
She touched my face and her index finger pad, sensed the dried tears and swallon eyes.
That happened because of so much tears I shed last night.

"Did you, d-did you cried?
Why she sounded like so submissive here?
She cupped my face with her broad palms and look vacantly in my eyes for the answer.

I was bewildered with her sudden questioning.

"No, y-you are mistaken."
I stated.

"Then,care to explain the redness of your eyes?"
Oh, how indignant she looks now.

"I-I just rubbed my eyes way to harshly t-today."
I observed how she clenched her jaw and left my face.
She nodded and didn't looked at me.

I was about to say something but suddenly class bell ringed.

Teacher arrived, and started saying while placing his things.
"Good morning students."
We all greeted him the same.

"I want you to all bring out your notebooks and books for the continuation of last class."

__

"Now, I hope you all get what you mean by BUFFER SOLUTION, and will practice it's question as your homework, thank you."
He said and went.

Suddenly, Luna spoke,
"Zelda? Can you teach me the buffer solution again?"

"Yeah sure."
I declared while taking the pen in between my index and middle finger and started formulating,
"So basically, the buffer solution are of two types, first Acidic buffer and second is Basic buffer..."

It took me almost 6-7 minutes, to make her understand the specific topic where she found the difficulty.
I capped my pen and put it down, only to get a vision of our taxation teacher.

__

"So class, I end up this topic here and hope that you will complete the given assignment before the mentioned due date."
Teacher ordered to us.

"So, what's up for lunch?"
Luna's voice lingered in my ear. This time, she was quite good in mood unlike morning.

"Vegie Salad."

"Are you perhaps on the diet?"
She questioned with a mystification amusement.

Anxiety is starting to set in as my optimism slips.

"No, i-its not like that, uh it's just...I like h-healthy food."
I fluctuated in my declaration.

She knitted her eyebrows to show the perplexity.
I faked my smile, but still no change in her composition.

"Really?"
She was so confident about this.

"Yes."

"But yesterday, you really pulled out the onion slices from your sandwich and didn't even have one of them. Now, you are all up to a salad for today."
She delivered and crossed her arms against her chest.

Regardless of my lies, her face still remains monotonous.
'She has observed me so well in just one day.' I thought. My concentration breaking every few thoughts to chastise myself.
I convicted up and down of my contact list, and interjected to myself about their knowledge of me. And get, none.

"I can't believe."
Luna interrupted the silence.

"If you are just trying to lose your weight,to fit in someone's standard, then it's not healthy."
She takes a hold of my hand, seeing the reservation in my eyes.

I shooked my head to wrong her statement but couldn't neglect her firm.
"Don't lie Zelda. Just know how perfect you are. Heck! You are not even obese. Would you mind to tell me your weight?"
I couldn't find the words to formulate.

"47 kg."

"Wow, and still have the wish to lose weight?..you are perfect just the way you are. Mark my words, if someone wants to have your presence, they will accept you irrespective of your physique. Because they love your real self, not the one to be 'perfect in everyone's eyes'."
I was flabbergasted. None have admired me like this, maybe I don't deserve this.

She continued,
"You mean the world to me, and I appreciate you in my life.    My life is enriched by your presence in it. I'm significantly better off for having met you."

Does she really mean that? I mean, these feelings of hers are true for real?

"A-are you for real?"
With bewilderment, I stated.

"Words can lie, but not the freakin' eyes, Zelda. And do my eyes lie in any case?"
No, I couldn’t even glimpse any absence of equivocation.

"No."

"That's it. And I am for real, there are many people out there who will signifies your beauty in every aspect. Sweetheart, you are so precious, you just need to realize that."
I squirmed with her nickname given to me.
Tears started to build up in my eyes, I couldn’t control the flow of emotions inside me. They were threatening to fall down and soon, started to roll down through my cheeks.

I abused my lips to not show this situation infront of her. But, guess, fate was not from my side.
She concaved my face with her hand while trying to wipe out my tears with her thumb.

"I understand, its OK, cry how much you want, I won't judge you. My shoulder is always beside you as a support."

At this point, I couldn’t control and burst into tears. I cried my eyes out at that time. We both were at the last bench and all alone in the class, as it was lunch period, so no one was present there.

She engulfed me in a hug trying to console me. I hate sympathy, and she was so bad at showing it. She was actually making me show my true emotional self rather than mocking it and pampered me with sweet words and small kisses at the side of my head.

"Are you OK now?"
She questioned when I dispatched myself from her acquaintance comfort.

I nodded my head in a positive agreement and wiped my tears.

"Maybe, your past never supported you from a side, and I completely respect that. Whenever you feel the best of me, you can share it with me..I will be there for you, no matter what the situation is or location is."
She confessed.

Yes, it was actually true, even though she made me feel so good and recognize my importance, still I cannot share my past events simultaneously.
It will take some time.
To heal.
To reveal the dark.

After so long, I got a shoulder to cry and that's 'her'.

"Let's have your lunch now, or it will end up soon."
She said while opening my lunch box.

"Where's yours?"

"I didn't bring."

"Why?"

"I forget it."
I speculated.

Eventually, she took out a 5-star from her bag and showed it to me with her as usual bright smile.

"This is for you, eat it."
I hesitated to have that, but she requested to me and I couldn't resist her pleadings, at the end.

I took a bite of it, and made her eat also.

"If anyone taunt you for your physique, eat one more infront of them."
She said making me to escape a windshield laugh.

"See, how beautiful you look."

I smiled in designation. She is so perfect, I wonder, how her family is so lucky to have her as a member.

Suddenly, a boy arrived and interrupted our talks.
I glanced him, and gasped.

"Him?"

____

Thank you.

(Word count- 2013 words)

Hey! Doing all good? I guess yes and yeah, be just the way you are. Your thoughts are appreciable.

~JIYA