Save Me

•~ NOTHING TO SAY ~•

When the bell rang for lunch, all students bolted out of their seats and out of thr room after haphazardly throwing their things into their bags. I handed my homework over to Sir Ron exchanging nods before I hastily made my way out and through the busy hallways. A prickling sensation licked from the bottom of my spine up to my neck, an indication that I was currently being subjected to stares. Teeth gritting in annoyance, I turned to glare at them which made them flinch and suddenly they had somewhere to be. A few swerved out of my way as I arrived at my locker to grab a few things so I didn't have to come back.

I'm feeling a bit lazy to do so. After ensuring my locker was shut tightly, I joined everyone else towards the cafeteria. Where I was, once more, subjected to more stares. And an uncomfortable silence. Though, this time, they didn't hold any malice, mockery or any of the sorts. I didn't look nor care and just went straight for the line and grabbed a tray. As soon as I got to my table, I brought out my book and read, silently eating and blatantly ignoring everything else. I vaguely heard the cafeteria slowly started to become lively again. But even as I focused on my book and my food, I could still hear them.

"He did that!! Can you believe it?!"

"I had no idea he could play!"

"Is it just me? Or do I find Chris extremely hot when he was playing?"

"Nope! Me too!"

"I do too!"

"He was really good!"

"What can I do so I could attend the same classes he has?"

"I want to be in one of his classes too!"

I sighed quietly. You know, if you're going to talk about someone, don't you think you should do it quietly? Not when the subject of your conversation is literally in front of you? I felt my phone vibrate so I oulled ut out to find a text stating to get some groceries. Just as I put my phone down, the football team arrived and walked past my table but each gave a gentle pat on my shoulder. Not showing how surprised I was, I gave a sidelong glance until they got to their table.

When I once caught them looking at me, I swear, I thought I saw them all wink at me with proud smiles. I blinked twice before averting my eyes and back towards my book.

'Did I blush? No. I don't think so.'

I finished my meal and strode out of the cafeteria, getting a bit sick of all the whispers and unabashed stares. In less than five seconds, the bell rang and students poured out inti the hallways, rushing around and fumbling with their bags as they went to their respective classes. On ny way to the third floor, I almost bumped into Sarah. She was briefly surprised but she looked up at me as I stared blankly at her.

"Hey. Thanks for what you did back there. Lord knows how much they deserve it. It's about time karma finally caught up to them." She said, a grateful smile gracing her face at which I responded with a curt nod. Since both of us has the same class next, which was Algebra, she walked alongside me. Silent but companionable and when we arrived, I held the door open for her at which she sent me another smile. I could've sworn I heard dreamy sighs but maybe that's just me.

Of course, I didn't fail to notice that the entire soccer team was absent during lunch. Except Jace, who was being mauled by a pretty blonde.

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The day passed by and the bell for my last class finally chimed. After Algebra, I was joined by Renz and two more boys on the way to History. I didn't mind, of course, it was actually nice to have company. But here in my last class, I was completely alone. While the rest of my classmates went shooting out of the room, I calmly stood and took my time making my way to my locker.

The hallways were starting to empty out leaving behind a few more who, like me, wasn't exactly in a hurry to leave. Instead of going through my usual route towards my house, I went to the store. After checking off my list, making sure I have everything, I stood behind an elder lady who was glaring impatiently at the man infront of her because he was flirting with the cashier who was clearly uncomfortable. I wanted to step in, but I didn't need to because the old lady infront of me whacked him with her handbag.

Shocked, and obviously drunk, the man slinked off and out of the store grumbling apologies while I laughed quietly. The girl giggled and thanked the elder. I didn't know that she heard me laugh because she turned to smile at me. I helped put her bags in a small cart for her to push to her car and she thanked me by patting my cheek. I grabbed the bags full of goods, thanking the girl whose name was Fiona, and walked the rest of the way home. The sun had already set as the sky was tinted a light hue of orange and pink.

My street was near the store and I just needed to turn at the next corner. Lampposts began to flick on but as I entered through an alley, I stopped upon seeing several silhouettes leaning against the walls and dumpster of the alley. I squinted through the dark and it didn't take long for me recognize it was none other than the soccer team. Diggs came slinking out the shadows first, his face adorning a glare. His hand was in a fist while his other arm bared a sling. Of course it should, since I purposely dislocated it. They must've had a hard time popping it back in place.

That mere thought made me smirk in satisfaction. The one who tripped Renz came out next followed by the rest. 

"You humiliated us Laswell. You surprised us with your skills and gave us gifts," Diggs sneered, gesturing to their injuires they claimed they'd received from me. "Since we received some, it's only fair we give you ours." At that, they flexed their hands and stalked towards me. I sighed, letting them snatch the bags from my hands and throw it to the other side.

'D*mn. I hope the eggs are okay.'

Slowly, I found myself surrounded. Each exit blocked off by at least two from their group. I cursed inwardly when I found that there were at least sixteen of them. And I know for a fact that, a soccer team has at least only eleven players. With the exception of Jace and Leo, I don't recognize the others. They must've called them. I can still fight, but the bruises from last night are still very fresh. As long as they don't aim for my hips, I think I'll be fine.

Oh who am I kidding? I would be hit everywhere since I'm taller than them. I bit my lip, grunting as my head snapped slightly to the side. I glared at Vic who smirked before punching me in the gut. I barely doubled over as I grabbed his arm, stopping him midway from delivering another punch, and smashed my fist against his face. He cried out, stumbling to the side as I dodged a kick but I grabbed that leg then threw him towards two more men.

I felt a kick on my back and ducked to avoid another punch which unfortunately met one of his friend's face causing him to cry out. I delivered a kick backwards which sent the man rolling down the alley and punched the one infront of me. Then, I smacked a guy's face which made him did a whole 360° turn. Diggs managed to deliver a kick at my ribs which caused me to grit my teeth but I grabbed his bandaged arm and squeezed causing him to scream in pain before shoving him away.

Two guys came barreling forward and crashed into my stomach. I barely stumbled and ggrabbed them both by their torso and lifted them over my shoulders. They landed with a harsh thud and a pained yelp. I didn't see Vic jumping off from the dumpster and ended up getting a kick at my hip which made me grunt and before I could recover, a strong kick was sent to knee which caused me to stumble forward. One of them jumped onto my back with a battle cry before two more joined.

I didn't know how long we fought, but by the time I got Diggs to his knees, one side of his face all bruised up, I woke up alone in the alley. I remembered them running away, Diggs sneering maliciously at me before limping away to follow his friends then I sat down to rest. I must've dozed off.

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My vision was a bit distorted at first but it quickly cleared up. I grunted, clutching my already bruised hip and gingerly got on my feet. A flash of white hot pain rushed through my hip and up my spine which confirmed that they managed to hit my hips. With the wall as my support, I took a quick inspection at myself to find the collar of my sweatshirt stained with blood. I lightly felt up my lips and grimaced at the dry blood that had accumulated all over the cut.

I pushed off from the wall, staggering towards the abandoned bags and skimmed through them before silently thanking the eggs were safe. My body screamed in protest as I grabbed the others and resumed my trek back home. But a quick glance at my wristwatch had me gulping in apprehension.

'Sh*t! Two hours had passed!'

Sweat beaded on my brows as soon as my house came in view. I did my best to hide the panic from taking over me and braced myself for what's coming next. Slowly, I opened the front door to be met with a dark room. The only light flicked on was in the kitchen. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol invaded my senses, making me scrunch my nose in distaste. The door behind me clicked softly and as I trudged over the living room, the kitchen counter a few feet away, my world came crashing forward.

I groaned, shutting my eyes at the pain shooting in through my nose as my face came in contact with the floor. My shoulder stung since I fell too hard on it and gingerly rolled onto my back. The bags never reached the safety of the counter as the sound of the faint cracking of eggs echoed through the dimly lit room. I looked and stared blankly at another set of deep blue eyes currently filled with nothing but pure hatred and anger.

The eyes that once held happiness, warmth and love were replaced with disgust. He pressed his muddy boots on my tender stomach and I mistakenly let out a groan but quickly silenced myself. He grabbed the collar of my shirt, tanking me towards his face. His breath smelled distinctly of alcohol and cigarettes and I gathered every ounce of my strength to not cringe at the smell.

"You're late. I told you the consequences of coming home late but you failed to heed my warning. But it's fine. You're just in time for it anyway." I swallowed tremendously at the emphasis and stared at his unfocused eyes. I vaguely felt my breathing picking up but I made sure to show that my face gave nothing away. He rained punches on my face then banged my head on the floor. My vision darkened at the impact and I bit down on my tongue, preventing a scream that threatened to make its way out of my mouth when he slammed his foot down on my wrist.

I'm surprised my face hasn't swollen up yet. My head stung and I briefly closed my eyes to stop the spinning room and felt him shift. He grabbed my arms, his vice grip basically cutting off the circulation of the blood, as I stared blankly at the ceiling. I made sure to stay silent so as to not worsen the punishment. The abrupt sting of his belt on my skin made my breath hitch. I did nothing. With him, I can't move.

I'm living in a nightmare that I can never escape from.

Before all this, my life was normal. Amazing. I was loved and wanted. We used to laugh, have fun and played around. We'd go out and travel, see the mountains, the seas and every scenery gave me a thrill which made me crave it more. But now? That memory was just that, a memory. A fairytale. It disappeared all in one night, the night that turned my life upside down. A night where my hell began. 

Before, I was free. Now I'm trapped.

Where I was once loved and treated right, now I was tossed aside and unwanted.

The smile I once caused, turned into sneers of contempt.

The hands that I used to hold, now I flinch away at.

The back I used to hug was now cold and unwanting.

The mouth that used to protect me now harms me.

The eyes I once looked at with love, now I couldn't meet.

My body became numb, blood dripped out of my mouth. I could feel the pain everywhere and I wajted to scream yet my mouth remained shut. Because that's what he wanted. So I just closed my eyes and waited. When I was roused awake by the sound of bottles smashing, my body throbbed in pain. I felt drowsiness seeping into me and I all but welcomed the darkness with open arms.

At least here in the dark, I'm fine. I'm alone, but fine. Here I can rest for as long as I want.