Tainted Rose

Prologue: The Beginning

I fell to the ground as the other boys in my class laughed and surrounded me during recess. Every time I kept trying to get up, they would push me down again and laugh. Tears began to flood my eyes, every time I fell into the concrete floor, it would hurt the old bruises made from the other students. 

"Why are you always stumbling on your feet? Get up already", one of the boys said with a mischievous smile. I sniffled as tears ran across my face, I tried to get up again and another boy pushed me down. I fell face-first into the floor, I could feel how the floor scrapped a bit of skin on my forehead. 

"You're so clumsy, stop falling on the ground. Didn't you say you wanted to play with us?" Another boy said, I did wanted to play with them, but if I knew this is what they meant by play, I would have never agreed. I should have known better when they approached me, no one talks to me in this big school, they only make fun of me or either hit me. I should have known better to trust them.

"I wouldn't have said yes to you guys if this is what you meant by play", I mumbled lowly to myself. It looks like one of the other guys heard me because he grabbed me by the hem of my hoodie.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you", the boy said pulling me closer to him. He looked into my eyes and I avoided his gaze, I could never look them in the eyes, they intimidate me.

"NoI fell to the ground as the other boys in my class laughed and surrounded me in our recess. Every time I kept trying to get up, they would push me down again and laugh. Tears began to flood my eyes, every time I fell into the concrete floor, it would hurt the old bruises made from the other students. 

"Why are you always stumbling on your feet? Get up already", one of the boys said with a mischievous smile. I sniffled as tears ran across my face, I tried to get up again and another boy pushed me down. I fell face-first into the floor, I could feel how the floor scrapped a bit of skin on my forehead. 

"You're so clumsy, stop falling on the ground. Didn't you say you wanted to play with us?" Another boy said, I did wanted to play with them, but if I knew this is what they meant by play, I would have never agreed. I should have known better when they approached me, no one talks to me in this big school, they only make fun of me or either hit me. I should have known better to trust them.

"I wouldn't have said yes to you guys if this is what you meant by play", I mumbled lowly to myself. It looks like one of the other guys heard me because he grabbed me by the hem of my hoodie.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you", the boy said pulling me closer to him. He looked into my eyes and I avoided his gaze, I could never look them in the eyes, they intimidate me.

"Nothing", I muttered lowly. He only threw me to the floor again, my lower back hit the floor harshly causing me to yelp quickly. 

"Someone give me hand sanitizer for my face, I can't believe she was so close to my face just now. She smells like s**t", he said with a disgusted face. The other boys just let out a small laugh.

"No one told you to grab her hoodie, you did that on your own", one of the guys said.

"I'm not even surprised that she stinks. Maybe that's why she has no friends", another boy said.

"No, I bet you she has no friends because no one wants a fat ugly friend like her. Just look at her, wouldn't you feel embarrassed having her a friend like her", another boy said. They all laughed and I just lowered my gaze, resisting the urge to cry again.

"Maybe that's why her parents died, they couldn't bare having an ugly fat daughter like her", one of the boys said. They all laughed, a sudden splurge of confidence came into me, I grabbed the hem of his shirt with one of my hands and punched him in the face as hard as I could. 

"Don't say things you don't know! My parents did not kill themselves, they died in a car accident! They weren't embarrassed by me whatsoever! They loved me very much, so stop lying!" I yelled at him, all the confidence I had for that moment completely vanished once I saw his face. He looked at me with so much rage, one of the boys grabbed me by my arm and took me away from him.

"How dare you punch me, you b***h!" He yelled and punched me with so much force that I fell to the floor. "Don't touch me again with your filthy hands, ever!" He yelled and kicked me hard in my lower abdomen, I clutched my stomach in pain and coughed uncontrollably and gasping for air.

~Ring Ring~

The school bell ranged letting all the students know recess has ended. The boys all headed back to their classes laughing and saying how much fun they had, except the one who kicked me. He crouched down next to me and looked me in the eyes.

"You tell anyone what happened today, and I will kill you", he said. I nodded in fear for my life, I didn't exactly know if he would actually take my life, but I didn't care, better safe than sorry. He then left, leaving me in the cold concrete floor, I didn't move an inch due to the aching pain that coursed my body. It was after the school ended was when my body managed to not ache as much as before.

I walked into the classroom grabbing my backpack from my seat. As I walked out of the room, many students stared at me as I left, many laughed silently due to my appearance, and a few gave me pitied gazes. I wouldn't blame them, I looked like a total mess. My hoddie had a ripped hole around my elbow and has been tainted by a small amount of blood, same as my sweatpants. My hoodie was also somewhat dirty, due to the constant falling on the dirty floor. Who would want to be friends with a girl like me? It's true what those boys said before, I'm just a fat and ugly girl.

Once I entered the orphanage, I went straight into my room. Because I was a bit older than the rest of the kids, I was given my own room for me to have privacy. Even though that's nothing to be proud of, parents that want to adopt don't like older kids, they usually take the younger ones. Not many parents choose older kids like me, that's why I have given up the idea of one day getting adopted; no parent would want an older girl like me as their daughter anyway, I only cause trouble.

I put my backpack onto my desk chair and threw myself on my bed. I flinched a bit by my old and new bruises and cursed silently at myself for forgetting them. I stood up in front of my mirror that was next to my bed and slowly lifted up my hoodie. You could clearly see a reddish bruise forming where that boy kicked me earlier, I poked it softly and flinched right after.

'Why did he have to kick me so hard? Even my left cheek was getting red from his punch'', I thought. Then I started to check my old bruises to see if they were fading away. The bruises on my arms were beginning to fade, as well as the bruises on my waist. The bruise on my back was fading, until I fell on it earlier, meaning it will take longer for it to heal. I sighed and went to take a shower.

Once I was done with my shower, I lotioned myself and then put on a fresh clean orange hoodie with a pair of black leggings. I put my knotted curly hair into a low bun and lifted up my hoodie to leave my room. Even though it's still hot outside, I don't like showing my bruises out inside the orphanage; I don't want Ms. Adrieana worrying about me again, while the others who also work here just think I'm nothing but a troublemaker and get into fights often. Thankfully, the orphanage also has central air conditioning, so whoever asks why I'm dressed like this, I can say I'm just cold.

When I opened my door, I saw Ms. Adrieana and a foreign man standing next to her with a smile. Ms. Adrieana had a wide happy smile on her face, making me feel a bit worried for some reason.

"Congratulations Promise, you're going to be adopted for a week!" She exclaimed excitedly, I just looked at her shocked.

What does she mean by adopted for the week!