Finding Peace

Chapter Three

Hello everyone, this is just a quick note to say that I'm not going to be putting trigger warnings before triggering scenes. I keep on thinking about it and then totally forgetting... So this is your final trigger warning. This chapter is VERY intense. The rest of the book will be intense also just probably not this bad. If you think it's going to bother you, PLEASE do not read it. With that being said, enjoy!

By the time I get to school, the bleeding has slowed down at least a little bit. I rush to the bathroom and quickly bandage all of my new wounds. I don't have to worry about people walking in on me because I took so long to get here, first period is already almost over.

Once everything is bandaged, I rinse my face in cold water, taking the few extra minutes I have before the bell rings to collect myself. Just remember, deep breaths. You can do this. Ah who am I kidding, I can't do this. This is ridiculous. I don't even really care about school anyways. Why do I put myself through this torture?

The bell rings, shaking me out of my thoughts. I get lost in thought all the freaking time, that's probably not exactly a great thing... Also, why do they make those things so freaking loud? I swear one day that blasted bell is going to break my eardrum.

Quickly, I make my way to second period, math, my worst enemy. It just never clicked in my brain, I'm no good at math, but I'm okay with that. I can do all the basics, that's all you really need right?

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Lunch finally rolls around and I could not be more ecstatic. I am sick and tired of sitting on those terribly uncomfortable chairs, listening to some teacher drone on about things I could care less about. Looking around, I catch sight of my one and only friend Isabelle.

"Z! Oh my goodness you have absolutely no idea how much I missed you yesterday! I had no one to sit with and it was just so terribly dreadful. Oooh do you want to hear the tea?"

I smile and sit back, this is my favorite part of the day. I can just sit and listen to Izzy go off about all of the things that she deems important in her life and I can just pretend to be normal for once.

"Um, of course I do girl! Spill!"

"Well, you'll never guess what happened, you see Aaron Mills cheated on Jessica again! And then Jessica got back at him by-"

I spend the rest of the period just listening to her gossip about all the different couples and how one of the new teachers is supposedly incredibly hot. I never really care about the stuff she's saying, but it's nice to focus on something other than my life every now and then so I don't mind. I know that if I ever needed to talk about something that she'd listen to me. It's just how we work, she's the chatterbox and I'm the listener.

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When I get home that afternoon, I'm shocked to see my mother waiting for me in the living room. I wasn't expecting them home for another hour, they never get home before me. Dread starts to creep inside my veins as she smiles sweetly at me, that's never good.

"Zillah dear, won't you come join me?"

I cautiously sit on the seat furthest away from her trying to hide my panic.

"Well dear, your father and I have made a lovely decision. You see, we've been struggling for several years now. We just simply don't have enough money as it is so we've made the most wonderful deal." A sick smile creeps over her face as she stands and walks over.

"I don't understand mother, what do you need from me?" I have to hide my hands under my legs so she doesn't see how much I'm shaking. They never tell me about business deals. And they certainly never ask me to sit with them.