Blindsided 13

“Good morning, Sir. Could you spare some change for our school fundraiser? Robbie asked a man rushing by in a high, sickly voice that hurt his vocal cords.

“Sorry, I have no change,” the man mumbled before continuing on his way.

Feeling like a complete and utter fool, Robbie let out a heavy sigh while rocking from side to side on his uncomfortable shoes. The round-toed Mary Jane-style pumps with precariously thin heels and an ankle strap that cut painfully into his foot had been waiting along with his outfit. And having now worn devilishly painful shoes for the last three hours, his hatred for them burnt strong.

Leaning down, the shaky man scratched his nylon-clad thigh and winced. It wasn’t the first time he had been forced to wear a pair of tights in the last few days. But whereas the ones he’d worn with the Lolita-style outfit were light and airy. This pair was thick, clingy, and itched.

Panting, Robbie reached up to loosen the tie that felt like a noose around his collared neck. Its tightness, along with the blazer was almost suffocating. Another person approached, but before Robbie could even open his glossy red lips to ask for her money, the fashionably dressed young woman raised her phone to her ear and dramatically turned her head. Robbie couldn’t blame her. Nobody liked being harassed for money, especially by a grown man dressed as a sexed-up version of a schoolgirl!

When he closed his heavy eyelids, he could still picture the smirk on the woman at the costume shop's face when he first looked into the bag. The thought haunted him, as did her comment about how cute he was going to look when all dressed up. “A school girl!” He had exclaimed, “No way! I can’t wear this.” But he had, along with the wig that accompanied it. And now stood up on the first floor of the shopping centre balcony while looking around nervously, he wanted the ground to open and swallow him whole.

(See image 21)

Prying open his lips while having to use a little more force than usual due to the tackiness of his gloss, Robbie took a step to intercept an elderly woman. “Excuse me, Ma’am. Could you please help me? I’m…” Frantically waving her arms, the woman cut him off. “Get out of my way, you sicko,” she loudly announced while quickening her pace. “Whatever you’re selling, I don’t want it.”

Shaking his head which caused his twin pigtails to swing around wildly, Robbie looked past his thick lashes at the clock high up in the middle of the shopping centre and groaned. It was only midday but felt like he’d been standing there on his aching legs for days. So far, he had humiliated and degraded himself by harassing passers-by. And to make matters worse, he was nowhere near the thousand pounds Agatha was demanding. With sixteen pounds in his blazer pocket and two hours to go, he knew he had very little chance of completing the challenge. It almost felt like he had set up to fail!

“What’s the point?” he thought, blinking a few times as the annoying fake lashes fluttered in front of his vision. “No forfeit can be worse than standing here any longer. To hell with this.” Peeling the wig from atop his sweaty head, Robbie tossed it to the ground in anger and stomped off.

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The call came in at two on the dot, where Robbie informed Agatha that he didn't have her money. She didn't sound surprised. In fact, she took great pleasure in mocking him before explaining what his forfeit would entail. And after hearing what he would have to do, Robbie regretted not trying harder to get the money. Especially given how in the last hour, he had started to feel the same cramps, headache, and shivers of the previous day returning.

Entering Shar’s beauty salon, the familiar sound of the bell rang out above his blonde head, hurting his ears. “Robbie! What are you wearing? And are you alright? You look terrible.” Shar announced as the feminised man clumsily stumbled in through the door atop his unfamiliar footwear.

“No, not really,” Robbie cried, tottering over to lean against the counter as the cramps in his stomach made it feel as though he was being stabbed repeatedly. “I didn’t make the money, and now I’m here for a forfeit, but I think I’m going to pass out.”

“Here, come and sit down,” Shar announced, rounding the counter to help the distressed man over to a sofa on the far wall. When seated, she sat next to him and rubbed his shoulder gently.

“I’m sorry, Robbie, but I can’t help you now, “She explained while continuing to rub his shoulder. “I have a customer booked in for five minutes time. Perhaps, we should call you an ambulance?”

“No,” Robbie shot back, making Shar jump. “I just need another tonic, then I’ll be alright. Agatha said to come here. She said she had booked me in for an appointment. Supposedly, it’s already paid for.”

Shar narrowed her brow as her mouth fell open slightly. “No! Don’t tell me you’re my two thirty?”

“Ruby Lovewell?” Robbie muttered with a sarcastic smile on his heavily made-up face before groaning and clutching his midsection.

“Oh my God! No way!” Shar announced, bringing her long purple nails up to cover her mouth. “Robbie, Are you sure about this? Do you know what this appointment is for?”

“I don’t care,” he replied, moaning in pain. “Something about a new look. Fillers or something. Please, Shar. Just do it. I need the pain to go away!”

Breathing deeply, Shar shook her head. “Ok, Robbie. If you’re positive this is what you want, follow me. But I have to warn you. What I’m about to do can’t be easily reversed!”

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Still not sure which had been worse. The stabbing pains in his stomach or the piercing ones as Shar repeatedly injected him in the face and lips with a needle?

“Are we done?” He asked in a shaky voice, seeing Shar walk away.

“Yes, you can sit up now,” She replied, flashing him a weak smile. “Do you want to see?”

“No,” Robbie firmly announced while gingerly getting to his nylon-clad feel. “I just need my phone.”

“It’s over here with your shoes,” Shar replied while pointing.

Grunting, Robbie plodded over, wincing as he glanced down to see the torturous high-heeled shoes tucked neatly beneath the table.

“Urgh… my face feels so weird, and my lips are all numb,” he mumbled as he stopped in front of Shar and gently touched his face. Looking down at the feminised man, Shar placed her hands on her hips and smiled.

(See image 22)

“The feeling will return in a few hours, and the redness will disappear. Just try to take it easy for the rest of the day,” she answered in a soothing tone.

“Sure, Take it easy,” Robbie mumbled as he opened the camera on his phone. “You say that like I have any kind of free will. I don't know if you've noticed but…” Robbie didn't finish his sentence as he was silenced by the sight of his puffy face covered in red dots on the phone's screen.

“Oh my God!” he screamed out in shock. “What have you done?”