Horse Teeth

"Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

Penelope splashed some more cold water on her face and rubbed her hands over those blood shot eyes. She let out a tearful sigh before repeating the lie once more.

"Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

By this point in her life, Penelope would have preferred the sticks ands tones. Although she still looked young, Penelope was a 23 years old college undergrad.

Why was she so late in her education? What have kept her behind? Why did she keep running away?

Well, shit it wasn't stick and stones.

The warm water felt good on her face and helped calm her breathing. Eventually, she had regained control of her emotions enough to once again look at the reflection in the mirror.

  She saw a pretty girl with large crystal blue eyes that sparkled and raven black, shoulder length hair that was cut into messy bangs. She saw saw a good figure with large bosom and curvaceous hips. Even a pessimist like herself could not deny that she had a nice, rosy complexion (not too tan or pale) and a cute little button nose. These were all positive things that many young girls would die for, but none of them made Penelope  smile.

Penelope hated smiling.

As crazy as it seems, smiling was what lead to her standings in front of the mirror balling her eyes out.

Summoning all the courage she could muster, Penelope reached into the back pocket of her skin tight, dark blue riding jeans and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. She thought it silly that something as flimsy and thin as this notebook page could hold such power over her, but such is the way of life.

Penelope gave one more defiant stare into the mirror, once again admiring her shimmering blue irises before looking down and reading the note.

Horse Teeth.

She couldn't help, but let out a little small, empty laugh before turning her attention back up to the mirror.

She didn't know who wrote this letter (though she had a long list of suspects), but she hated them more than any person in the world at the moment. She hated them for their sick cruelty that was carried around like a badge of pride to their friends. She hated them for starting trouble when she never once sought it out herself and had always treated others with utmost respect. Most of all, she hated them for being right.

The college girl a smile for examination in front of the mirror. It was nothing she hadn't done before and it never got easier.

In some ways she had to admit that some people would kill to even has this set, straight and pearl white, but they were just too big for a girl her size and she had much more gums showing than a normal person would. Factor in her big chin or long face in general and it just makes things worse.

Penelope had a cute face - but it was a cute HORSE face.

She tried to tell herself that it wasn't her fault, you can't control the way you look, but that was only part of the story. In a strange way, some of it she brought on herself.

  Perhaps is she was studying to be an accountant or a doctor or some other mundane job than the jokes would have been saved to small whispers and snickers below her notice.

  But fate is a more fickle bitch than that and Penelope just had to be an equestrian major.

  It was the absurd kind of thing you couldn't make up, but she loved animals and loved riding. She honestly couldn't think of anything else she'd rather be doing with her life, but apparently her dreams come with a heavy price. The comparisons were unavoidable.

  So one again the college student found herself alone and sobbing because of the same jokes that followed her from middle school to high school to even the first pitiful, failed attempt at college.

  She gave the anonymous note one more pitiful glance before crumpling it up and tossing it on the ground. She even gave it a good stomp with her riding boots, the ones that had gathered a day of dirt and stink from the farm.

"You heartless bitches," she shrieked getting some good therapy in as she ground the piece of paper into the tile floor. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Great question," a deep, male voice called out from behind her. "You look pretty harmless to me, snow bunny."