"Why today". I think. "Of all days, why today". I'm sitting at my desk in room 203, homeroom. Today is picture day and my dad has ruined my day by "blessing" me with this black eye. All I had asked was if he could wait to drink until I left for school. Next thing I know, I'm holding ice on my bruised face on the bus to school. "As you all probably know, today is picture day." Mr.Bentill says. "I'm actually surprised that half of you forgot your paper bags, you don't want the school to see some of your faces. Do you?" He jokes. Everyone laughs. Everyone except me. "I wonder if he has extra", I think. Usually, Mr.Bentill is funnier, but today, his joke sort of stung. As he searches the room, his eyes meet mine. He immediatly seems to regret what he said. "Lucy, do need to see the nurse?" He asks. Great. Just great. My eye has been noticed and suddenly everyone's staring. "Just what I need on a day like this, attention.". I struggle for words as the class watches intently. Finally I say, "um...no...I'm fine". I lie. I am everything BUT fine. I feel so many things right now I don't even know what fine is anymore. Somehow I gather the courage to say, "I just fell down the stairs yesterday". Of course, he, along with everyone else, knows this is bullshit, but he refrained from pushing any further. "...ok then, well, it's time to go to picture day. Left side of the room, line up". Said Mr.Bentill. As we all walked to the gym, I couldn't help but notice the looks of pity from my classmates. "Don't give me your pity, It's bad enough It's picture day" I brood. I despise pity. Just the idea of treating someone else easier because of their situation makes me sick.
As we enter the gym, I'm suddenly blinded by a bright light. "The flash on these camerea's are intense!". We get in line...or to me death row. As students smile, and camera's flash, I can't help wonder how hard this is going to effect the end of the year when we actually get yearbooks. "Next" the camera man says. She has brown hair with a hairclip bunching it all up. She has circular glasses that kind of look like she took them from a stereotypical librarian. As I walk up in front of the green screen, she winces. Slightly, of course, but anyone could notice it. As I pose, I turn my head, trying to hide as much of my eye as possible. She notices. "Ummm...sweetheart, I'm going to need you to turn your head a little bit". She says this cautiously, as if I were a timebomb. In that assumptuation, she'd be correct. Millions of thoughts cross my mind. "damn it, why!" And "Things are already bad, how come this has to happen?" seem to be screaming in my mind. "Do I...have to...?" I wimper, "I mean, can't I just take a makeup photo? Please?" . I'm anxious for her response. Every second feels like an eternity spent of waiting for a specific moment, knowing it all could be in vain. She sighed, "fine, I understand.... Next!" As the next person in line moves on ahead, I sit up against the wall. "Thank GOD for that save". I think. I'm so realived, that I don't even realize the the shadow watching me from the gym window.
YOU ARE READING
Peter
HorrorLucy has terrible parents. Mom smokes, Dad drinks, And neither of them care about Lucy at all. Eventually, Lucy runs away. Now she must face the biggest threat to her life alone and hopeless.
