Status: Most capitals left out in title for it to suit the story better.
Tell Me I'm Not Unnatural
because they always tell me i am.
She falls from her bed, the blankets twisting around her in a net that won’t let her go until she blinks and rips herself from their clutches. It’s three in the morning and the darkness glares from every corner of her sight. Shoving a hand over her mouth, she stumbles from her room and makes her way to the bathroom with crying, pain-filled steps.
The light glares even harder than the darkness and she throws up into the basin. Slowly, tears wind their way down her cheeks as she washes away the evidence of disgust and a rolling stomach. In the bathroom, she can’t hear the sounds as much anymore and for that, her stomach is relieved. She turns on the shower but doesn’t get in; instead, she sinks to the floor and puts her head in her knees, the sound of her sobbing drowned out by the shower.
She can now no longer hear their moans; she can no longer feel the walls shaking.
A voice startled her and that’s when she realises she hadn’t closed the door. “They’re at it again, aren’t they?” The sobbing girl looks up and sees her roommate, Debbie. Debbie grins sadly at the girl curled up on the ground. “These walls are paper thin; you’d think they’d try to keep their damn love life quieter.”
Another sob falls from her mouth as she stares up at Debbie with tear-filled eyes. She remembers their moans, the sounds of their love-making, and it haunts her. The man’s grunt was what sent her over the edge and stumbling with vomit in her throat.
Debbie kneels down beside her and takes her face in her hands. Softly, she wipes away her tears, even as they were replaced by more. “You’re crying again. How many times have I told you now? It’s not so horrible to be gay. You aren’t unnatural, just because they tell you so, just because you feel sick every time you think about being with a guy. Okay? You are not disgusting because you’re a lesbian.”
The crying girl nods, her eyes downcast and filled with other people’s narrow-minded opinions. Debbie could still see doubt and self-hatred but it was diminishing just a little bit, every time she found the girl crying and assured her it wasn’t wrong to prefer girls.
“Come on,” Debbie says quietly, pulling the girl to her feet and embracing her before turning the shower off. “Let’s go back to bed. You need some sleep.” And the light turns off, leaving the darkness to seep up the spilled secrets.
The light glares even harder than the darkness and she throws up into the basin. Slowly, tears wind their way down her cheeks as she washes away the evidence of disgust and a rolling stomach. In the bathroom, she can’t hear the sounds as much anymore and for that, her stomach is relieved. She turns on the shower but doesn’t get in; instead, she sinks to the floor and puts her head in her knees, the sound of her sobbing drowned out by the shower.
She can now no longer hear their moans; she can no longer feel the walls shaking.
A voice startled her and that’s when she realises she hadn’t closed the door. “They’re at it again, aren’t they?” The sobbing girl looks up and sees her roommate, Debbie. Debbie grins sadly at the girl curled up on the ground. “These walls are paper thin; you’d think they’d try to keep their damn love life quieter.”
Another sob falls from her mouth as she stares up at Debbie with tear-filled eyes. She remembers their moans, the sounds of their love-making, and it haunts her. The man’s grunt was what sent her over the edge and stumbling with vomit in her throat.
Debbie kneels down beside her and takes her face in her hands. Softly, she wipes away her tears, even as they were replaced by more. “You’re crying again. How many times have I told you now? It’s not so horrible to be gay. You aren’t unnatural, just because they tell you so, just because you feel sick every time you think about being with a guy. Okay? You are not disgusting because you’re a lesbian.”
The crying girl nods, her eyes downcast and filled with other people’s narrow-minded opinions. Debbie could still see doubt and self-hatred but it was diminishing just a little bit, every time she found the girl crying and assured her it wasn’t wrong to prefer girls.
“Come on,” Debbie says quietly, pulling the girl to her feet and embracing her before turning the shower off. “Let’s go back to bed. You need some sleep.” And the light turns off, leaving the darkness to seep up the spilled secrets.
♠ ♠ ♠
Loosely based on a true story, minus Debbie.I wrote this after I saw on someone's profile in their description that they don't think gay people should be allowed to marry and that they don't like it when gay people make out in public places. They're allowed their own opinion but they don't have to go putting it up where people they don't even know can be hurt by it...