Reasons Why

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a/n - okay, I know I said I wouldn't post anything for another few months or whatever, but I put this short story into a local writing competition and I came FIRST PLACE!!! I was so excited I had to share this with you guys and I was (and still am) so so happy because I also get money and hey, who doesn't love winning money right? 

Anyway, in saying that, I was also very very surprised because this took me an hour or so to write and none of it is planned at all and I thought it would be rly rly crappy (but apparently not idk??).

Love you all, enjoy xx

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I'm late.

That was the only thing that Emilia could think of as she stood in front of the school gates – that, and how much she didn't want to be there right then.

She stood there and she stared for so long that she was startled by an amused voice from behind her that came so suddenly she almost jumped.

"So, are you gonna stand there all day and be even more late to class, or are you going to go in?"

It was a boy in her year level she's never once spoken to in all her high school years, despite having shared a few classes together.

A boy whose name she couldn't even place or pretend she knew.

She blinked at him and glanced back at the school, all the students and teachers disappearing from her sight considering the bell had gone quite a while ago.

She still couldn't move.

"I don't want to," is all she can manage.

Stepping beside her and trying to see what she saw, the guy turned to her after a few more moments and said, "Then don't."

She wanted to agree with him and tried to turn away, but even that was a motion that forced her whole body to groan in protest.

What was wrong with her?

"You okay?" he asked her.

Her mouth opened before she could stop it – "No."

"Why not?"

Don't answer, she had told herself, looking away to stare at the cars that drove past their school, don't answer or he'll know that there's something wrong with you.

"I don't want to be here," she said despite her own thoughts, still refusing to meet his gaze. "At all."

She didn't think he'd understand her, simply because she's told people that sentence a number of times beforehand and every person had laughed it off and added a me too! or yeah, tell me about it. It was probably because she always sounded so flippant or whiny when she had said it, but for the first time ever, as she felt the boys' stare on the side of her face, she said it with absolute seriousness.

"Oh," he muttered, and she thought – great, Emilia, you did it again and scared off yet another possible new friend. But as she watched the different cars and vans and trucks go by, she couldn't find it within herself to care.

And then he did something no one else has done before.

He laughed and walked in front of her so she had no choice but to look at the grin on his face; one that was full of reassurance rather than amusement. "Come on," he said, shifting the school bag on his back and already starting to walk backwards.