She Runs

She runs.

Her long tanned legs stretch out beneath her as she finds her gait.

Her Nike clad feet strike the pavement with purpose as her taut

body pushes forward. Her long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail

sways as she runs in time with her iPod. The sunshine warms her

 face and if she tries hard enough she can catch the scent of the

flowering roses nearby. She feels lean, muscular, and beautiful.

She can see the other girls from her classes looking at her.

 Envious, resentful at her athleticism and beauty. She casts them a

conceited smile and continues past.

Looking.

Searching.

He appears in the distance and the sight of him robs her mind of

thoughts. Her heart quickens in pace as she watches him approach

 her at a jog. His muscular body firm and powerful like carved

titanium encased in seamless bronzed skin. Sweat glistens in the

sun along his blonde hairline. The hard line of his jaw set rigid in

concentration as his feet pound the asphalt bringing him closer to

 her.

The swarm of butterflies within her burst into a flurry of activity

stealing her breath away as he notices her. His sparkling green

 eyes piercing deep into her soul. A smile plays around his full

soft lips as he slows his pace, her whole body is humming as he

greets her. His voice thick and smoky curls around her heart. She

breaks into a wide grin and begins to respond when suddenly her

 step falters. Her foot catches the other and she tumbles sideways

 landing hard on her side.

The evoked image of their encounter dissipates.

The mouldy dusty scent of her parent’s basement assaults her as

she lays on the cold unyielding floor. The treadmill beside her

continues to whirl. Her IPod lies beside her no worse for wear but

 music still blares through the earpiece. Frustration and agony

engulf her as irrepressible sobs shudder through her bulky frame.

Humiliation stings her already flushed cheeks. She is well versed

with that feeling. It taunts the jagged hole in her heart every time

his eyes swing the other way when he passes her in the halls. He

doesn’t see her standing there.

Lonely.

Invisible.

A ghost.

Dejected, she looks down at her stomach protruding out between

her new gym wear and sees the pink ribbons of stretchmarks

scored through her flabby skin. She's flooded with shame and

revulsion. She isn’t sure how she got this way. How she ever let

herself become this disgusting creature that hides behind the

bleachers every lunch time. Watching him train as she devours

copious packets of chips and chocolate bars. She knows he will

never love her like this. No one will ever love her like this.

She craves to come out from behind the bleachers. To run the

track in the sunlight. To be beautiful.

Resolute, she wipes away the sweat and tears from her face and

struggles to pull her corpulent body up from the floor. She notices

the flesh on her knee has torn open but doesn’t linger to wipe

away the blood. With renewed purpose she steps back on the

treadmill. It whines and labours under her heavy weight but she

turns her IPod up to drown it out. The first few steps are awkward,

 lurching, but she soon finds her stride. Her chubby feet cramp in

 her new running shoes and her plump legs spasm in pain.

She loses herself in the agony, in the music, in the moment as her

cunning imagination again begins to taunt her with convoluted

fantasies.

And she runs.

Author's Note

All feedback welcome :)