BENEATH HER PAINS

WHISPERS AND SORROWS

The rain had stopped just before the bell rang, but the sky was still filled with heavy clouds.

Rosewood Elites parking lot was filled with laughter, and chatter as students came in. Some dragged their feet.

Students moved in small groups through the school gate, everywhere were buzzling with different activities.

Students and teachers assembled for the morning devotion, with the principal leading them, after then he gave some announcement.

While the students were gathered, she walked into the assembly hall slowly with a calculative step, putting on a black hoodie, which was pulled over her face.

She wore her oversized black sunglasses which shielded her eyes from having eye contact with her classmates, and to prevent people from seeing her reddish and puffy eyes.

She tried suppressing the emotional pain that emerged from her.

Her jeans hung loosely on her waist and her white sneakers were too clean, like they hadn’t touched a single dirt. She wrapped a dark blue scarf around her face, covering the scar that still carried a fresh wound that ached her. Her hands were buried in the pocket of her hoodie.

Students around took note of her presence and were surprised by her sudden presence, they had thought she wouldn't return, heads turned in whispers, she didn't say a word nor looked at anyone particularly.

Some stylishly took out their phones and took some pictures of her.

“Oh my God... is that her? She is looking like a zombie,” a student said.

“She looks different and I heard she attempted going for a surgery, but couldn't afford it,” a student said it loud enough for her to hear and there was laughter everywhere.

“Why would she even come back here?”A girl whispered, loud enough for people to hear.

“Even the ugliest thing in the world is more presentable than her.”

There was laughter, they weren't so loud to the hearing of the teachers and principal, but their piercing eyes said everything.

“She thinks using the scarf to cover her scars will help anything, maybe she should have been burnt in the fire,” a student mocked.

“I heard she screamed for hours during the fire and half her hair is gone”, another student echoed

Aria felt the tension in the air, as their cruel words pierced her heart, she didn't show signs of weakness nor cry.

She walked away from them, into her classroom, her gaze fell on hope..

Hope stared at her in silence, she had heard the rumours earlier, that she would be coming back.

She never wanted believing that she would be back, and having met with the disaster that left her scarred.

Would she be able to face the people she had once mocked?

Hope blinked slowly, she has never liked or hated Aria, even when she always tries to get her nerves, seeing her in pain made her heart ache. She remembered how she walked round the school like she owned the building, now she looks like the shadow of herself. There were no mocking smirk on her lips, no confidence in the way she walked, nor her endless noise with her lousy friends, Bella and Tina. Looking at her she could denote her silence, and could feel her pains. Seeing her being ridiculed and mocked didn't seem alright.

Tina and Bella leaned on the locker applying their foundation and lipgloss in the classroom, when she turned around she saw Aria walking towards their direction.

“ Tina, look! Aria's here,” she said loud enough for people to hear.

Her hands held to her chest like she was concerned..

“O my gawd!” Tina shouted, covering her mouth pretending to be shocked. “Is that you Aria? I'm so happy to see you,”she forced a smile.

Bella's eyes lifted up with a fake concern. “We've missed you, and you didn't tell us you would be coming back soon.”

Aria didn't respond to any of them, she sat down on her locker, placing her head on the desk.

“Wow,” Bella muttered under her breath, “she looks like a ghost.”

Tina laughed. “A burnt helpless ghost.”

“Seriously,”Bella whispered. “She should have remained where she was.”

Hope felt angry and irritated.

Their voices weren't audible enough, but they were filled with hurtful words.

Just then Miss Carolina walked into the classroom putting on a blue cardigan over a black jogger.

Her eyes searched for Aria.

“Oh, sweetheart”….miss Carolina called out softly, “it's good to see you again.”

“Aria didn't speak,” she turned unsure if she was the one Miss Carolina was speaking to.

She placed her hand gently on Aria's back, her voice was warm and natural. “Welcome back, Aria, we are so happy to see you”

“I know it's not easy coming back, but I must commend your bravery. Your seat still remains untouched and we've missed you.”

Aria looked confused, unsure on what to say, she felt like crying, she had expected Miss Carolina to be distant as the way others have been, but instead she welcomed her with love.

Bella and Tina rolled their eyes in disgust, why is she being sweet towards her they whispered.

In class, everyone was tense, no one wanted to sit next to her, they shifted their chair away from her, everyone avoided her like she has a contagious disease. She kept her head down.

Hope sat down behind her, she was curious to know what really happened to her, and how she managed entering the fire.

Miss Carolina carried on with the teaching of the day, without getting bothered with the whispers.

---

By lunch, everyone in school was already aware that she was back.

Aria's name was on everyone's mouth. She was the last person to enter the cafeteria, with her hoodie and glasses still on her to hide her face. The cafeteria was filled with lots of people taking pictures of her. There were lots of comments that were flooded on the private group chats. She held onto her tray with her trembling hands as she walked past the tables of students and her old time friends who turned their back at her. She sat alone while she chewed on her food quietly. No one joined her, not even her allies, Tina and Bella who had always worshiped her feet.

Hope sat alongside Marcus, Zayne, and Jayden. They had initially tried striking up some conversation with her, earlier that day but she snubbed them. Aria refused talking to anyone, she felt they all wanted to mock her as others had.

Hope couldn't eat her food, she caught Marcus frowning in Aria's direction, “She looks disorganized….unlike her,” he muttered.

Jayden was quiet as he ate his food.

She isn't talking to anyone, “everyone is acting like the burns on her face was her fault,” Zayne said.

By the time the last bell rang, everyone rose to their feet and left the cafeteria.

There were lots of photos about Aria, ranging from her at the assembly ground, standing near her locker and while she walked the pathway.

Someone had uploaded her pictures with the caption, “From Aria the Queen to a Burnt Fellow.”

Another person wrote a caption of, “she should have remained in the fire and still maintained her hotness rather than coming out.” Lots of people reacted to the post as they attacked her online.

Hope felt bad as she saw the headlines, she wanted to say something positive but she stopped, she had nothing to say to someone that once made her life miserable, when now, the world was turning against her…

—-----

In the girl's bathroom, Bella stood by the mirror reapplying her lip gloss.

Tina giggled at the glance on her phone, “Have you seen the comments so far?” She asked Bella. Come and see, Someone has photoshopped her face onto a burnt marshmallow, she said.

Bella nearly choked while laughing. “People are savage.”

“She deserves whatever that's happening to her, she thinks she is untouchable.” Tina smirked.

“But wait, did you see the way she looked at us like we were still friends,”Bella said, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe she feels, we will feel sorry for her, not anymore, after all her idol is no more and she has nothing except her name.”Tina said with a mocking tone.

Hope entered the bathroom to wash her hands, but was disappointed with what she heard. “You’re the ones who follow her around like puppies. you both worship her at all times, so what stopped?”

Bella turned with a mocking smile, “So now that we don't worship her, Is our life not better?” They both laughed.

Tina rolled her eyes, “Don't act like you are bothered about her, she also bullied you, you remember?”

Hope didn't bother responding to them, she washed her hands and walked away. She imagined herself to be Aria and felt pity towards her.

Outside the school.

Aria waited for her mum to pick her up, the sky has turned darker with thunder rumbering, a few drops of rain touched her hoodie, but she wasn't bothered.

Hope watched her from the opposite direction, their eyes met. For the first time that day, Aria spoke, “I know you hate me.”

Hope blinked, “no I don't hate you and why should I?”

“You should because I once bullied you in the past.”

There was a long pause

Aria’s mum pulled up, she got in without saying anything else to hope.