30 Day Writing Challenge: Day One- holding hands
It's cold out. The kind where you breath out in large puffs to see the swirling air even as your eyes begin to water from the burn. Many people have gathered outside after finishing the school's seasonal cup of pumpkin spice coffee and turkey with gravy.
Many people stand in groups, huddled together with hot drinks or cigarettes. Others still stand off to the side in the soft layer of snow covering the ground. Colorful leaves still dot the trees despite the frigid air.
Rose sits at one of the many tables lined around the edge of the high school. She has a thick book, one of her favorites, opened up in front of her. She turns a page and adjusts her glasses, taking a sip of her hot chocolate each time. She rolls her shoulders slowly and pushes red bangs from her eyes and behind her ear with her purple beanie.
"Hey fag." Her back tenses and she keeps her eyes on her page. Behind her she can hear a few people laughing.
"Leave me the fuck alone." The familiar alto voice she knows exactly who it belongs to. She turns her head some, the scene at the corner of her vision.
"Oh look at that, queer's talking back." A group of boys surround the brunette. The guy who spoke first steps forward and shoves the brunette down. She turns her head fully now, closing her book and shoving it into her bag.
"Go suck a dick Anthony. That's all you're good for anyway." The brunette picks up their things and tries standing only to be kicked back down. She flinches.
"You fucking faggot. How the hell can you say that when you act like a girl princess." He kicks at the brunette again. She looks around, hoping, needing someone to step forward and break it up. Instead she's met by a growing size of people surrounding them, cheering.
"Come on princess get up. What? Do you get special treatment because you want to be a girl? Freak." Her heart beats quickly in her chest as she watches the scene unfold.
"Fucker." The brunette manages to stand and tries walking away.
"Where are you going sweetheart? I'm not done with you." He grabs their collar and whips them around, raising a fist. She nearly flies off of the bench, she stands so quickly. His fist comes down and hits them on the face once, twice. She runs as fast as she can on a slick sidewalk.
"Who's going to help you now you disgusting garbage?" He sneers and raises his fist again right before she shoves past the line of people and tackles him. His much higher body mass only makes it so they stumble into the snow, his grip releasing the collar. She turns to make sure the brunette is okay. She bends down and helps pick up their things.
"What the fuck?" The guy walks over, face red and furious. "Why are you helping this freak?" He scowls and motions towards them. She stands slowly, puffing out her chest some as she looks up at the obviously much taller male.
"No one deserves to be treated like this." she looks down at the brunette, an apologetic look on her face, "And I should've intervened sooner."
"You're going to defend this faggot? Ha! No one would in their right mind." A few people look around and nod slowly, a few murmuring things from the back. She stands her ground and looks down again, meeting dark brown eyes.
"I would." She holds out her hand to the brunette. They take it and stand up. She doesn't loosen her grip, interlocking their fingers. "No one should be pushed down for being born the wrong gender," She smiles at the brunette, "And Kanaya is beautiful just the way she is." Kanaya looks at her with wide eyes.
People from around them stand in shock, a few pointing at them. She puffs her chest out again and pushes through the circle, taking Kanaya with her. When they get back in the school she buys them both hot chocolate with peppermint and extra marshmallows. They walk towards their next classes, stopping in the hallway and sitting on the floor.
"Thanks, you really didn't have to help me." Kanaya runs her thumb nail along the brim of the cup.
"No I should've said something earlier when they were picking on you." She looks at her profile. Short brown hair, straight nose, thin lips. A boyish look.
"You don't mind? Me being transgender, that is?" She shakes her head.
"You are who you are. Even if Daniel," Kanaya turns her head at this, "feels like she is really Kanaya." She smiles again. They look at eachother for a few moments more. Kanaya looks away first, a slight pink tinge to her dark cheeks. She slowly slides her hand over until their fingers brush. Kanaya's hand turns over slowly before linking with hers.
They don't say anything more. Just take sips of hot chocolate and read from Rose's favorite book, occasionally catching the others eye and smiling.