Monday comes with more heartache than expected after a weekend of biting words and sharp razor blades to numb the inescapable pain. The moment I got home on Saturday, I was bombarded with accusing questions and screaming abuse. My mother did nothing to stop it, though I hoped she would, and let me down once again. Sky and I camped in my room for the rest of the weekend, playing video games and taking his mind off things.
I pull into the middle school parking lot, letting Sky off and giving him the usual "no monkey business" speech, before heading down to the high school. After parking my car, I tug the sleeves of my sweater down and grab my bookbag out of the back seat. It's gotten warmer over the weekend and I've had to settle for staying indoors most of the time to hide my arms.
I try to stay invisible; head down, no eye contact while weaving through the busy halls, but a very firm body blocking my path prevents that. I look up at the jerk who sent me sprawling to the floor, and find that it's none other than Bryce Matthews, the Emmet High School king with his lackeys crowded around him. I mumble an apology before standing and trying to make my escape, but he grabs my arm, yanking me back in front of him.
"What'd you say, freak?" He sneers, not releasing his iron grip on my arm.
I wince, trying not to show the pain on my face because of where he's got ahold of me. "I'm sorry." I reply, a little louder.
The sooner I get this over with, the better. He'll leave me alone and I'll go back to being a "freak" with no friends.
"I still can't hear you." He taunts as I twist my arm to get out of his grasp, ignoring the pain.
"Well maybe if your big ego wasn't filling your fat head, you'd have better hearing!" I snap, unable to contain my frustrations any longer.
This gets an immediate reaction from Bryce, but not one that I had hoped for. He yanks me closer to him by that one arm, eyes full of fire. "I'm going to let you get away with this one, freak. But next time I hear you say something like that, expect the beating of your life." He seethes, letting go of my arm, and shoving me back to the floor before strutting away with his posse.
I sit up, watching him disappear to terrorize someone else, before shoving myself off the floor and starting toward the class I'm already late for. Making my way down the winding hallways, I take a corner too sharp and run into yet another person, feeling myself fly in the direction of the ground again. Before I even have time to hit the floor, a hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, holding me suspended in midair.
I pull into the middle school parking lot, letting Sky off and giving him the usual "no monkey business" speech, before heading down to the high school. After parking my car, I tug the sleeves of my sweater down and grab my bookbag out of the back seat. It's gotten warmer over the weekend and I've had to settle for staying indoors most of the time to hide my arms.
I try to stay invisible; head down, no eye contact while weaving through the busy halls, but a very firm body blocking my path prevents that. I look up at the jerk who sent me sprawling to the floor, and find that it's none other than Bryce Matthews, the Emmet High School king with his lackeys crowded around him. I mumble an apology before standing and trying to make my escape, but he grabs my arm, yanking me back in front of him.
"What'd you say, freak?" He sneers, not releasing his iron grip on my arm.
I wince, trying not to show the pain on my face because of where he's got ahold of me. "I'm sorry." I reply, a little louder.
The sooner I get this over with, the better. He'll leave me alone and I'll go back to being a "freak" with no friends.
"I still can't hear you." He taunts as I twist my arm to get out of his grasp, ignoring the pain.
"Well maybe if your big ego wasn't filling your fat head, you'd have better hearing!" I snap, unable to contain my frustrations any longer.
This gets an immediate reaction from Bryce, but not one that I had hoped for. He yanks me closer to him by that one arm, eyes full of fire. "I'm going to let you get away with this one, freak. But next time I hear you say something like that, expect the beating of your life." He seethes, letting go of my arm, and shoving me back to the floor before strutting away with his posse.
I sit up, watching him disappear to terrorize someone else, before shoving myself off the floor and starting toward the class I'm already late for. Making my way down the winding hallways, I take a corner too sharp and run into yet another person, feeling myself fly in the direction of the ground again. Before I even have time to hit the floor, a hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, holding me suspended in midair.
