Target Practice

~chapter 1~

*flashback*
"Move faster summer! It's my turn, it's my turn!" I yelled at my best friend, pushing her out of the way as I ran past her and through the mud, back to the rope swing.
"Riley! Slow down! Wait for me!" Summer playfully yelled back at me. This was my favourite part of the school holidays, spending it at the dam with my best friend. Every year our families would come up here together, and Summer and I always snuck off early in the mornings to the dam before everyone else had woken up.
I laughed and giggled as I swung from the rope swing yet again before quickly sucking in a breath of air before I plummeted into the murky dam water. As I swam to the top, I could just see the outline of Summer's figure. Deciding to scare her and splash her I popped my head out of the water and pushed my arms forward, sending a wave a water into her face.
"Riley!" Summer hated it when people splashed her in the face because she always got water in her mouth and nose. Let's just say her reaction time isn't the best.
Quickly retreating to escape the mud that was about to be thrown at my head, I took off faster than anything and swam for my life to the other side of the dam.
"Get back here Riley!" I could hear summer yelling after me. I felt the splashes of water on my back and my head from Summer attempting to throw mud at me from a distance, and missing.
Once I has reached the edge of the dam, I quickly jumped out and climbed up the muddy riverbank before sprinting back around the the rope swing. Suddenly, I fell over laughing uncontrollably as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist.
"Summer!" I managed to get out through a fit of giggles.
The weight of her being on top of me was suddenly lifted as she took off towards the rope swing, me soon chasing after her.
But just as Summer was standing on the branch of the tree, her hands wrapped around the rope and ready to jump off, I started climbing up the tree too, thinking she would have jumped by the time I got far enough up the tree to shake the branch. But she didn't. I heard a scream before I looked over and saw Summer had fallen off the branch, while the rope had been wrapped around both her hand and the branch by accident. She was left hanging from the branch by just her right hand before the part of the branch holding her arm up snapped, sending her and the tree remain into the dam water.
"Summer!" I screamed and jumped into the dam after her. After a minute of her not surfacing, I started to panic and dived down looking for her, but the water was too murky to see. I sprinted up the banks and through the uncut weedy grass to the house before yanking on my Dad's arm and dragging him down the dam behind me.
"Hurry up Dad!" I shouted after him, still sprinting.
Once we had reached the dam, both of us panting, dad finally half caught on to what was happening.
"Riley, where's Summer!?" He asked with an urge and concern in his voice.
"She fell off the, the branch, and, and...she..she..the branch it broke and.." I hadn't even finished my sentence before dad jumped into the water, and after a minute resurfaced with a very pale and blue looking summer.
"SUMMER!" I screamed as loud as I could. Dad placed her on the bank in a frenzy and started resuscitation. I knew that it wouldn't end well. It couldn't.
I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding in as Summer started coughing, trying to catch her breath. I watched as the colour slowly returned to her face just as I heard sirens and a car. Turning around, I saw an ambulance pulling up beside the bank and people running out with a stretcher before placing Summer on the stretcher and wheeling her into the ambulance. I briefly saw her parents rush into the ambulance with her before falling on my knees and breaking down.
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A nonstop flow of tears ran from my face as I sat in the hospital waiting room. Summer was quickly taken into surgery about an hour ago and I haven't heard about her since.
I heard a cough from in front of me, and as I looked up, my heart raced. A doctor. 
"Miss Evans?"
"Yes." I managed to get out through my croaked voice
"The surgery went well. She took on a lot of water, so her lungs were drained. Her wrist needed serious surgery and various pins were put in. Her head needed stitches in 2 places. She has also bruised her ribs badly from when she fell into the water. I'm sorry that you can't go in, but you may come and see her tomorrow if you like."
"Okay. Thank you." I managed to say through choking back my tears. This was all my fault.

*end of flashback*

I was brought back to the cold and hard reality when a sharp pain appeared in my left cheek. The school's wannabe princess is back at her shenanigans again. Great. Note the sarcasm.
The force from the slap had knocked me and all my books and papers I was holding to the ground. Slowly standing up and squaring my shoulders, I looked the little stuck up blonde bimbo in the eye. She may bully me and abuse me but I will not let her think that she scares me.
"Go away Summer." I said to her face before bending down to pick up my books and putting them back in my bag. I then turned to face her straight in the eye again so our noses were almost touching.
"Now you know I won't be able to do that. Someone so poor, and ugly, with such a sad life and a stuck up personality like you, thinking they're the greatest person ever and prancing around like their life is just fantastic when it's actually about as eventful and incredible as dog poo must be taught how to keep to themselves. And I'm here to teach you that." Summer sneered in my face, jabbing a finger in my chest at the end. I wasn't going to let her think I was intimidated by her.
I took a step closer to her. We were so close now I could feel her breathing. Our foreheads were nearly touching. I looked around and saw quite a big crowd had gathered. I guess no one ever causes drama with Summer like this and stands up to her.
"Oh so you're calling me stuck up? Have you looked in the mirror lately hon? You know, some people should use a glue stick instead of a Chapstick." With that being said I shoved her shoulder and started to walk away from her. I had only made it a few steps when I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to face her again.
And she thought I was about to walk away. She thought wrong.
"Oh, and by the way, your sad excuse for a human is showing. You might want to tuck it back in." I added before storming off and pushing through the crowd that had gathered as I heard a round of Oooos.
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Okay. Maybe I did have the guts to stand up to Summer today. Maybe I did send her a worthy comeback or two. That is my specialty i have to say. The queen of comebacks I am. But sitting here in the shower, crying my eyes out, I no longer have to pretend to be strong.
I'm sick of pretending. I'm sick of holding back the tears as I stand up to the thousands of bullies I face in a day.
I learnt from experience to cry in the shower. It muffles the sobs.
I don't cry because they hurt my feelings or whatever. I don't cry because they physically hurt me. I cry because I've been strong for too long. I've spent too long trying to be strong and holding it in when actually it hurts. It hurts deep down. It hurts when she talks about my family, my family that used to be. My now broken family that was once perfect. My now broken life.
It hurts.
But I try to be strong. To stand up to them and show them they can't get to me. They do. Every. Single. Time.
I ran my fingers over the scars on my legs. I remember what every single one of them was for.
This one. I talked back to my dad.
This one. I snuck out of the house to sleep at my friends for the night.
This one. I actually don't remember that.
I broke the TV remote and got this one.
I took to long to come home after school and got this one.
My scars are endless stories, waiting to be told. A part of me that is buried down deep inside my soul. A part of me that is broken. A part of me that cuts deep when people talk about it. A part of me that reminds me of what life used to be. My life.
Filled with happiness.
Filled with love. With joy.
It's gone now. I highly doubt it will ever come back.
*flashback*
"Mum, Dad. Come on!"
I shouted as I ran around the house in my penguins pyjamas.
"We're coming honey." My mum laughed as she came and sat on the couch next to me. My dad out in Christmas music while Mum went and got a present from under the tree.
"Merry Christmas baby." She said and kissed me on the head.
I ripped open the wrapping paper before gasping as my eyes widened in shock and what I had gotten that Christmas.
My first ever doll house.
*end of flashback*
More tears welled in my eyes as I remembered the dollhouse I kept. It was still in my cupboard.
Life was never going to be that perfect again.
I knew it wouldn't.
I have a broken family.
I have a broken past.
I have a broken future.
I have a broken heart.
I'm the broken girl.
But it's not the type of broken that can heal.
I'm broken for good.
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Hey everyone!!!! Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it. This will be a quick note so please take a few seconds to read it.
Okay so. The next chapters will be longer. The updates will hopefully be not too far apart fingers crossed. Stay tuned for a video trailer of the book!
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~h&a