collide, m.sturniolo (✔️)

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TWO WEEKS LATER:

''flo-''

''don't defend him, roxi.'' she snapped, tears in her eyes. ''don't even try.''

''i wasn't, babe.'' roxanne said softly. ''i was going to ask if you wanted a hug?''

florence nodded, her face beginning to crumple as her best friend pulled her in. roxanne hugged her tightly, resting her cheek on the top of florence's head. the ginger girl began to cry quietly, tears running down her face and dripping onto roxanne's arm.

''why has everything gone so badly?'' she sobbed, genuinely wanting an answer.

roxanne felt like she was going to cry as she held her best friend, pulling her in tighter. 

for two weeks, florence had been getting bullied. at first, everybody thought it would stop on its own. gabriella and roxanne begged her to tell the principal, but she thought they would call her mom, and so she just hoped it would get better if time went by.

but it didn't.

 it was getting worse. 

people said mean things to her in the hall, whispered about her as she walked by. they stopped including her in classes, and began sitting away from her. they didn't say anything nice to her, and the boys would occasionally make fun of her for who she was dating.

a few of the girls sabotaged her things, and their friends purposely jammed florence's locker so that she couldn't open it. they made sure she had to sit at the uneven tables and they ruined her lunch table so that she had to sit somewhere else.

 but they didn't say anything about matt.

she realised that her threat had worked and, honestly, she was glad because she wasn't even sure if it had been empty. when people spoke badly about matt, she felt anger flood through her entire body. she didn't know what would happen if they kept it up, but she hadn't heard anything new about him, and so she guessed they had listened to her. 

florence was having a really, really hard time at school. truthfully, school had always been her safe place and now...it was completely ruined. she was beginning to get really depressed, not bothering with her appearance and just sleeping whenever she was in the home.

the only light in her very dark life was her boyfriend.

her now ex boyfriend.

''i just don't understand why he's broken up with me.'' florence cried. ''i didn't do anything.''

''i don't get it either, flo.'' roxanne whispered. ''did he give you a reason?''

florence winced, reliving the break-up.

-

''flo?'' matt's voice mumbled through the door. ''can i come in?''

she frowned slightly, not sure why matt was asking permission. since they had slept together, she said he could enter whenever he wanted. there was nothing new he could see, and she hardly getting dressed every minute of the day.

''of course.'' she replied.

matt opened the bedroom door, and she instantly sensed something was going on. he was looking down at the ground, rubbing his arm nervously as he shuffled closer to her. he sat at the edge of the bed, which he never did and she frowned again.

''what's up?''

''i need to talk to you.''

''okay.'' she sat up straighter. ''why are you sitting down there? come sit next to me.''