Fiction

Not ten minutes into the hour, there was an announcement over the intercom, calling the whole high school into the gymnasium for a beginning of the year pep rally.

We were supposed to stay with our own class, but of course, as soon as we entered the gym all of my classmates parted ways and ditched the teacher to sit with their friends, leaving me by myself. Hell, even the teacher went to go flirt with another staff member.

I sighed and trudged my way up to the top of the bleachers, tugging on the sleeves of my jacket that covered my retraced scars and sat in between two people I’ve never seen before.

They both seemed equally quiet and also sat alone. We could have been the three musketeers of outcasts, but that would have required talking to each other, and that wasn’t going to happen.

It was an hour of nothing but cheerleaders ranting and teachers preaching to us about our futures, but what did they know? It’s not like we haven’t heard it all before. I just wanted to get out of here, away from all the kids who set out to destroy others lives, and away from the claustrophobia that was beginning to set in.

I tried to focus on what was going on below, to get my mind fixated on something other than this head rush. The cheer squad was up again, getting ready to pep about joining sports to support school spirit.

That’s when I noticed a few of the main girls as they were looking up this direction and giggling after their cheer had finished. I couldn’t place where they were looking, but it didn’t leave a good feeling in my gut. Suddenly, the three of them looked directly at me and flipped me off, even as they were standing in front of a group of teachers who pretend to be clueless. That’s when I realized who the girls were. They were those bitches from the bathroom yesterday. I had no idea the where on cheer squad.

My heart was racing as I felt the air compressing from my lungs as my shoulders bumped into other people every time I shifted. My face felt flushed and my head was spinning. I had to get out of here.

I couldn’t take all of the dirty looks and harsh gestures any more so I burst up out of my seat and made my way down the stairs as quickly as I could without tripping over my own feet and falling all the way down. I swerved right past the teachers from behind their backs and dodged a pompom from one of those snobs. It barely missed my shoulder but I made it out of there alive, bursting through the gym doors.


Maybe it wasn’t the best place to hide, especially after yesterday’s incident, but it was the only place that I could seclude myself in privacy until the tears would stop.

Sitting on my backpack and leaning into the furthest corner from the toilet, I sat with my knees tucked against my chest and sobbed like the cry baby I am in the bathroom stall that I was in just yesterday with my unstable emotions.

I don’t know why I let those girls get to me, but with all of the things going on already with my life it just seemed to add onto the pile of crap I had to deal with for the past week. Face it, more like my entire life.

My scars were the very proof that not once have I ever been truly happy.

I snatched my head up at the sound of the squeaky door opening and then closing with a bang and then foots steps came my way.

Oh god, it’s them isn’t it? Did they follow me?

I heard giggling from whoever stood in front of the mirror with their friends. What were they planning on doing to me?

I slid off my bag and crawled quietly as possible to look in between the crack of the stall door, hoping they couldn’t see me or even get to me since I had locked it.

The dirty floor was disgusting but I had to make sure. When I peeked through, at first all I saw were three girls, one with straight brown hair turned away from me and possibly fixing her makeup in the mirror while the other two blondes only stared at their own reflections.

“So are you going to ask Tanner out or what Cynthia? I know you’re totally into him.” One of the blondes said.

The brunette turned to face her and smirked and I sighed in relief as I finally saw all of their faces. None of them were in cheerleading outfits and I didn’t even recognize them. They all looked a little too young to be seniors anyway.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Lucy. Come on, let’s go back in before we get caught skipping the pep rally.”

And with that they left, leaving me alone and still in pieces. I don’t know what I would have done if it were those cheerleaders. I may have been able to stick up for myself with words yesterday, but there was no way that I would could fight them being the pacifist that I am.

I got up and dusted myself off, wiping my sticky hands on my jeans before I picked up my backpack and quietly unlocked the door to go wash my now filthy hands.

Before I dried myself off, tears and all, I locked the bathroom door so no one could enter and find me in here. Now the only thing I could do was stare at myself, possibly hating everything that I saw.

What did I ever do to those girls, or anyone for that matter to be treated like this, to feel so hated, to make me hate myself so much? I didn’t deserve this. The tears began to fall back down again and there was no stopping it. I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I just let it go and cried. I cried and I held myself against the sink so I wouldn’t fall onto this nasty floor.

I don’t know how long I had been in there, but apparently it wasn’t too long because everyone was still in the gym talking and watching the rally. I could hear them from in the bathroom.

Should I leave before I get into trouble for being in here? Then again, where else could I hide before they found me?

I sighed, knowing I had to face them, to be brave and just walk away. I couldn’t be a coward. I won’t let them make me feel this way, and I will not let them take me either.

I wiped the tears away again, checking to make sure I didn’t look like I had been crying before I slipped my bag back on and opened the door. I looked around the back of the door to make sure the hall was completely empty before walking out and heading back the way I had come. I wasn’t sure when the assembly would end, but maybe I could play sick and wait in the nurses office until I ‘felt better’ and the day was almost over. But then again, it had started during first hour.

Hell. I was going to be here for at least 5 more hours. Well then, I better fake dying in order to get out of this.

Suddenly I felt my hair being pulled as someone yanked me back and slammed me as hard as they could against the lockers on the left side of the hallway. My face smacked right into the lock on the door of a top locker before I fell to the ground in heap of a bloody mess.

Where did the blood come from? Was I bleeding?

I looked up and my fears were the worst as they came true.

Notes