Faith couldn't help but let her tears trickle down her face.
"I'm so sorry, Faith," Lina comforted her, leading her away from the crowd.
"I just...I still can't believe that happened." Faith's voice was barely above a whisper. "I showed the town...everything."
"Don't worry about them," Lina's expression softened. "Let's get you home."
She took one last glance back at the crowd before wiping her tears.
"Okay," Faith whispered. "I can't be here anymore."
Lina agreed. But even as they walked away, Faith felt the heavy weight of humiliation trailing behind her.
They pulled out of the overfilled parking lot and drove in comforting silence. The looming darkness of the empty country road soothed Faith's emotions. Out here, nobody would see her. She leaned her head against the window and let her eyes wander out at the dark countryside aimlessly.
Before Faith knew it, Lina had pulled into her driveway, and she was relieved to see her dad's farmhouse. Unfortunately, he was out of town, which meant he wasn't here to comfort her about her public humiliation. Faith stared at her house, feeling heavy in her chest. She really didn't want to go inside and be alone with her thoughts.
"You want some company?" Lina must have sensed her thoughts.
Faith turned to look at her and saw the deep concern in her friend's eyes. "Yes, please."
The two best friends made their way up the creaky wooden steps of her front porch. Faith excused herself to go to the bathroom, and Lina waited for her.
Faith could barely look at herself. Her eyes were red, her mascara had smudged, and her foundation had faded away. She was a complete mess, and knowing this, she held back even more tears. She slowly pulled up her sundress and couldn't help but flinch a little as the fabric brushed over her bruised thighs. The bull had done quite a number on her, and although she had a pretty high pain tolerance, this was beyond that. Luckily, she had some bruise cream in her bathroom cabinet from the time she had a nasty fall on one of her morning runs. She grabbed the small tube and squeezed a generous amount into her palm before massaging it into her affected areas. She let out a soft sigh as she felt the cool sensation instantly soothe her. She knew she had to take a break from her morning runs, but that was a small price to pay.
Faith cleaned up her ruined makeup with wipes before making a beeline for her room. As soon as her door shut behind her, Faith ripped off her yellow sundress, allowing the fabric to flutter to the floor. She glared hard at it before kicking the dress aside. She then grabbed a pair of jean shorts and an old t-shirt, yanking them on. They were comfortable, familiar, and most importantly, it covered her fully. She instantly felt a little more like herself.
When she emerged, Lina was waiting in the hallway. "You okay?"
"No," Faith exhaled deeply. "I'm still mad at that stupid sundress."
Lina grinned. "Well, I've got an idea. Bring that sundress out to the back porch."
Faith was confused but curious. "What for?"
"Just trust me," Lina just winked.
Faith followed behind her as they stepped out onto her back porch. The cool night air was refreshing as she took a deep breath to savor it. She watched as Lina started a small campfire, the orange flames dancing in the firepit. The crackle of the fire sure was soothing, but Faith was still confused about what Lina was planning.
"Alright," Lina said, turning to Faith, "if you want to get back at that dress, I've got the perfect solution." She pointed to the fire. "Throw it in."
Faith blinked, her mouth falling open. "Burn it?"
Lina nodded. "That thing caused you so much embarrassment. You'll feel much better once you get rid of it—for good."
Faith hesitated, staring at the sundress crumpled on the ground near the firepit. Her heart pounded as she considered it. This stupid thing had been the source of her humiliation, and she knew she was never going to wear it ever again. Lina had a point. Burning it was a great way to get revenge.
She picked it up and casually tossed the piece of yellow fabric into the flames.
The second the sundress made contact with the campfire, the flames attacked the dress and began to consume it almost instantly. Faith watched as the dress slowly burned away and disintegrated, the smell of burning cotton and synthetic fibers noticeable in the air now.
"Finally," Faith muttered. Standing up, approaching the remains of her dress in the fire, she raised her voice. "You betrayed me in front of the whole town tonight! Thanks to you, the town will never see me the same way again! Die in hell, you bastard!"
"Wow," Lina couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "That was intense; I'm proud of you. Feel better?"
"Much better," Faith smiled, grateful for her friend. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
Lina went inside for a moment and came back with two bottles of ice-cold beers, handing one to Faith. They clinked their bottles together, and Faith took a long sip before taking a break. She never needed a drink as badly as she did at this moment.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. The fire continued to flicker and dance. The crickets quietly chirped, and the stars were littered across the dark night sky. It was all so calm now.
"I know tonight was rough," Lina finally broke the silence. "But...you were really brave."
Faith let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, brave and stupid. I just had to prove them wrong, didn't I?"
Her fingers tightened around the cold bottle. "I should've listened to you. In the heat of the moment—"
"You weren't an idiot," Lina interrupted her softly. "You were standing up for yourself. Nothing wrong with that."
Faith sighed, staring out at the fields that stretched endlessly behind her house. "If only I were wearing jeans and a supportive top, then I would have proved myself...without giving everyone a show."
"They'll forget sooner or later," Lina comforted her.
Faith wished she could believe that. Henderson was the kind of small town where everyone knew everyone else's business. News would spread like wildfire. By tomorrow morning, she won't be 'Faith Cameron' to the town anymore, but instead 'that wild girl on the bull'.
"No, I think the problem is with these." Faith looked down at her breasts. She cupped them from underneath, lifting them upwards, before letting them fall and flop. "I miss when they were B-cups."
"No, you don't," Lina called her bluff, laughing. "Back then, you were really insecure about how small they were."
Faith sighed. "Well, I still hate them now."
"Hey, be nice to your airbags," Lina replied.
"You did
not
just call them that," Faith glared at Lina hard, although in a playful way. "Whoever shouted that from the crowd, they can go to hell."
"At least you have airbags," Lina pushed her comparably small chest forward. "Look at what I have to work with."
"You mean, what you
don't
have to work with?" Faith couldn't help her smartass reply.
"You got me," Lina chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "But trust me, maybe everyone will talk about it for a while. And eventually, they'll move on to the next thing. People always do."
"I wish I could move on that easily." Faith looked down at her lap, her fingers tracing the condensation on her bottle.
"You will." Lina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Be patient; it just takes time. And hey...I was watching the whole thing, and I was impressed as hell. You stayed on the whole time; not many people can manage that."
"I suppose," Faith let out a reluctant smile.
They sat together, sipping their beers as the cool night breeze brushed against their faces. Finally, after such a torturing night, Faith felt herself relax. She was still ashamed and in physical and emotional pain, but at least she wasn't alone.
The next morning, Faith woke up feeling groggy.
She had woken up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat after the nightmare that she had. She was back on the mechanical bull, fully naked this time, and strapped to the machine by wrist and ankle cuffs, for some weird reason. This was odd to her, as she had never used those in bed before, but she had known about their existence. As her body repeatedly got tossed up and down onto the bull, she was powerless to do anything besides being able to squeal in pain. Her massive melons bounced against her body, and her round, curvy ass painfully slapped against the saddle of the bull. A crowd—a crowd much bigger than the one from the actual incident—was watching the whole thing. The faces of the men in the audience were full of delight as they watched this helpless, naked slut show off every inch of her bare body.
Faith shuddered as she recalled it. She practically jumped out of bed and made her way into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She instantly felt better. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, then went to make breakfast.
With dismay, Faith realized she had less than half a cup of orange juice left, and she was down to her last egg. Making herself the saddest-looking fried egg she'd ever seen, she sat down to eat, dreading the day already. She needed groceries, and life went on, whether she was ready or not. She couldn't hide from the town forever.
Finishing the last sip of her juice, she threw on a loose shirt and jeans, tied her hair into a messy ponytail, and drove into town. Her heart kept thumping in her chest as she drove down Main Street. Her paranoid eyes scanned the sidewalks for familiar faces.
She kept her head down as she hurried into the small grocery store, grabbing a basket and moving quickly down the aisles. She was missing some items as she approached the checkout line, but she accepted it. She had to leave right away.
Faith almost made it there when she heard someone call her name. "Faith, that you?"
