Work Text:
There was no reason she should have felt this way.
She knew deep down inside that Natalie could have never liked someone like her. It was useless to keep pining after someone who would instead do ANYTHING else than speak to you.
Misty knew this. She knew she was unlikeable, short, and unattractive.. Every single adjective that one could conjure in the spirit of hatred, distaste, dislike. That was Misty.
She was always the one that got left out. The friend kept on the back burner and only brought to light when someone needed to offload their shitty life, but hey! Her life was shittier, and they knew it. So at least she could help people feel better about themselves.
The curly-haired girl gazed deeply at herself in the mirror, her eyes scanning the reflection. Sad brown eyes looked back at her, deep, unfocused, and empty. She tugged the back of her shirt, allowing it to suction her tightly around the midsection, before letting it go.
She turned to the side, repeating the process over again.
Tug, release, turn.
Sigh. Repeat.
Misty’s eyes began to well, tears threatening to spill over if she looked for a moment longer. Letting go of her shirt she threw herself onto her bed; hugging her pillow tightly to her body lip trembling against its satin cover. As the tears poured from her eyes they soaked into the material, rendering it darker in colour.
How could Misty love anyone else if the mere image of herself made her feel sick to her stomach? She had to make herself prettier. She had to be presentable.
Pushing her body up from her bed she rummaged through the small wooden table that hugged the side of its frame. Pulling out her pens and other school supplies she threw them onto the floor. Tissues, sanitary products, and small journals were scattered around her floor.
She needed to be prettier.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, holding it for a brief moment before exhaling. Maybe her roommate would have something she could use. Laura Lee wasn't typically the type to use a ton of makeup, but she must have something. Misty glanced to the other side of the room, the blonde girl had left slightly earlier and showed no sign of returning, leaving her roommate to her own devices.
She crept over to the other girl's side; always neat and well-kept. It would be hard to take something without her noticing, so she would have to make it quick. Shuffling her feet toward Laura Lee’s bed she looked at her surroundings, checking to see what her best option may be. Bedside table, desk or…
Her eyes focused in on a small bag poking out from underneath the bed.
Bingo.
She lightly unzipped the pouch at the front of the bag, the sound that emitted from the zipper seemed to ring through the small room; bouncing from one end to the other. Misty lightly rummaged through, scared to crumple any of the papers that sat neatly inside. She sighed and zipped the small pouch back up, moving to the smaller one on the side.
Her eyes lit up instantly when she saw a small black tube. It was worn, and the label was illegible, but she knew that it was lipstick right away. Examining it closer she noticed that something was etched in the bottom, sloppy and rugged, but it became obvious who exactly this lipstick belonged to.
N.S
- Natalie Scatorccio.
Her grip loosened as the tube dropped to the floor, her hands shaking as she watched it fall slowly; her head buzzed with thoughts of the bleach blonde, thoughts that she hadn’t felt before. Anger? No, this was different, this was a deep burning feeling that was bubbling to the surface.
Envy.
She should have been the one to stash this lipstick away, to hide it like a little middle schooler with a crush. Not Laura Lee.
Kneeling down to the carpeted floor she snatched the tube back up, clenching her fist around it. She rolled it around in her hand, before uncapping the lipstick and rolling the product up. It was a deep, rich shade of red. Something that he would only wear in an intimate setting. She scoffed internally, she should be the one witnessing this brilliant colour upon his lips. Not Laura Lee.
Walking over to her mirror she sat on the floor, crossing her legs and leaning forward. Catching her reflection she bit her lip as her eyes began to well again.
No. She wasn't allowed to cry this time. Babies cry.
She puckered her lips and smeared the crimson across them, rubbing them together to spread the pigment evenly. She began pressing harder, she needed more, more lipstick, more beauty:
More Natalie.
Misty drew circles until the lipstick was worn down and no longer usable. It was ruined, she couldn't use it anymore. Nobody could.
She glanced at herself one more time in the mirror expecting to see a woman, radiating glamour. Someone confidant. Someone pretty.
But all she saw was Misty.
Her jaw tensed as she stared deeper at herself, taking her sleeve she began to rub the lipstick off, smudging it all over herself, making a mess out of something she thought could have been beautiful.
She knew exactly what she was.
She was a pig in lipstick.
But if you put lipstick on a pig,
It’s still a pig.