Sick Hearts
Found
I'd become comfortably numb
Summer Woods gritted her teeth as she tied on her apron. Carefully, she prepared herself for her job at the local coffee shop.
She rolled down the sleeves of her light pink sweater, making sure to cover the bruises.
She gently applied another coat of foundation, masking the scars and newly formed scratches.
She positioned her blonde hair perfectly over her shoulders, hiding the red hand prints on either side of her neck.
She looked in the bathroom mirror at her reflection, and smiled. It was a smile she had perfected. Wide and bright. A Barbie doll smile.
It was her mask.
Ray Toro surveyed the room around him. Comfortably assured that nobody would recognize him, he slid his sunglasses off.
The coffee shop he had stepped into was filled with cheerleaders and jocks; nobody that he thought would listen to his music. Nobody that would know who he was.
He picked up his coffee and sat down at a table, his eyes wandered across everyone's faces.
But his gaze froze when he saw her.
She looked like every other girl there, yet at the same time she looked different.
Her clothes were neat and tidy, but they looked used. Old and worn.
Her hair was blonde and highlighted, but it seemed greasy as if it hadn't been washed in a while.
Her face was caked in make up, but he could see her beauty shine through it.
She confused him and interested him at the same time.
So he stayed for hours, watching her.
Summer Woods knew that he was watching. She could feel his eyes following her as she worked.
She knew that she should be scared.
But she wasn't. She was intrigued.
She wanted to watch him too.
Ray Toro stayed until closing. He was waiting for her.
"Excuse me?"
Her voice was a lot more confident than he had expected.
"I'm sorry, but you have to leave now; we're closing."
She was close to him now. Close enough for him to reach out and touch her.
He stared at her and she stared back. Until finally with a sharp intake of breath, her eyes fell to the floor.
"You're really beautiful," he whispered.
She looked up at the sound of his voice and shook her head.
"No, I'm not."
She spoke the words as if they were obvious.
"Yes, you are, underneath it all," he said as he touched one of her cheeks with the palm of his hand, wiping off some of her foundation.
She quickly drew away, covering the scratches on her cheek.
"It's okay. I know that they're there."
She suddenly felt self conscious and started to pull down on her sleeves.
"I know about those too," he said.
"You don't know anything about me!" she shouted in frustration.
"You're right," he agreed. "I don't know your name, your hobbies or your interests. I don't know where you live, or who your friends are, but I do know that you're hiding. I know that your heart is falling to pieces. I know that your body aches more and more each day."
She bit her lips as the words he spoke struck her.
"You're hiding," he continued. "Nobody really knows you. I might not know anything about you, but I do know you. I found you."
I guess you saw what nobody could see
Summer Woods gritted her teeth as she tied on her apron. Carefully, she prepared herself for her job at the local coffee shop.
She rolled down the sleeves of her light pink sweater, making sure to cover the bruises.
She gently applied another coat of foundation, masking the scars and newly formed scratches.
She positioned her blonde hair perfectly over her shoulders, hiding the red hand prints on either side of her neck.
She looked in the bathroom mirror at her reflection, and smiled. It was a smile she had perfected. Wide and bright. A Barbie doll smile.
It was her mask.
Ray Toro surveyed the room around him. Comfortably assured that nobody would recognize him, he slid his sunglasses off.
The coffee shop he had stepped into was filled with cheerleaders and jocks; nobody that he thought would listen to his music. Nobody that would know who he was.
He picked up his coffee and sat down at a table, his eyes wandered across everyone's faces.
But his gaze froze when he saw her.
She looked like every other girl there, yet at the same time she looked different.
Her clothes were neat and tidy, but they looked used. Old and worn.
Her hair was blonde and highlighted, but it seemed greasy as if it hadn't been washed in a while.
Her face was caked in make up, but he could see her beauty shine through it.
She confused him and interested him at the same time.
So he stayed for hours, watching her.
Summer Woods knew that he was watching. She could feel his eyes following her as she worked.
She knew that she should be scared.
But she wasn't. She was intrigued.
She wanted to watch him too.
Ray Toro stayed until closing. He was waiting for her.
"Excuse me?"
Her voice was a lot more confident than he had expected.
"I'm sorry, but you have to leave now; we're closing."
She was close to him now. Close enough for him to reach out and touch her.
He stared at her and she stared back. Until finally with a sharp intake of breath, her eyes fell to the floor.
"You're really beautiful," he whispered.
She looked up at the sound of his voice and shook her head.
"No, I'm not."
She spoke the words as if they were obvious.
"Yes, you are, underneath it all," he said as he touched one of her cheeks with the palm of his hand, wiping off some of her foundation.
She quickly drew away, covering the scratches on her cheek.
"It's okay. I know that they're there."
She suddenly felt self conscious and started to pull down on her sleeves.
"I know about those too," he said.
"You don't know anything about me!" she shouted in frustration.
"You're right," he agreed. "I don't know your name, your hobbies or your interests. I don't know where you live, or who your friends are, but I do know that you're hiding. I know that your heart is falling to pieces. I know that your body aches more and more each day."
She bit her lips as the words he spoke struck her.
"You're hiding," he continued. "Nobody really knows you. I might not know anything about you, but I do know you. I found you."
I guess you saw what nobody could see
♠ ♠ ♠
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