The Pain of We (ON HOLD)

2

I stood in the dark morning, the rain and fog still thick in the air. The bus was late today. I kept glancing down the road, looking for the bus.

A dark figure started walking up the road. I gripped the straps of my book bag and tensed. I watched the figure as he approached. He stopped beside me, leaving his hood up. He glanced at me. "Lark,"

It was you.

The bus pulled up to the road and we got on. I sat in my usual seat and you sat up front.

Are you okay?

...

I noticed you in second hour, but I didn't say anything. After yesterday... I'm surprised you're at school today. I don't know if I would've been able to come after that.

"You will be given partners for this assignment. I chose the partners at random."

The teacher read off a list of names. Mine was last... Partnered with you.

"Lark and Jarsen."

You didn't look at me, but I looked at you. I stood up, taking my bag with me. I sat down at your table. "So... Uh... Do you want to write, or search?"

You were silent. "I know what he did to you." You whispered.

I took out a sheet of notebook paper and started to do the research on my own. "It doesn't matter what he did to me," I muttered.

...

I opened up my notes for math and started to look them over. The lunch room was loud, filled with people I didn't care about. Next year I'll be gone, I'm leaving this town in my dust. I just wish I turned eighteen before graduation.

I glanced up and caught your eyes. You made no move to look away like most people. Do, instead you stared and stared, almost like you were staring through me, right into my mind.

I looked away first, but I still felt your eyes on me.

...

My eyes were closed as soon as I sat sworn in my seat on the bus. My ear buds were in and I just wanted to get home. The seat shifted under me and I looked up. You were now sitting beside me, looking straight ahead.

"What's your problem?" I asked, fed up with your bull shit.

"What do you mean?"

"You stare at me and you said you knew what he did to me? You don't know anything about me. Let's keep it that way."

He looked at me before talking again, "You're lonely. You want a friend but you're too scared to let anyone get close to you because of what happened in Elementary school."

I stood up, only to be knocked down by the bus moving forward. "You know nothing about me." I hissed before putting my ear buds back in.

...

I got off of the bus and hurried to my house. Some dogs got into the trash and I really, really wanted to leave the trash on the ground, but I couldn't, not without consequence. So I bent down and picked up the trash before making my way into the house.

I did my chores and found something to make for dinner. I went up into my room and showered, hurrying to get the cheap shampoo out of my hair and drying off with an old towel. I walked downstairs just as Dad walked through the door. I went into the kitchen and got him a beer and started to make dinner.

...

I was not burned tonight.

Vote, Comment, Follow, Share