Belle's Bakery

In distress

"Hello Belle's Bakery, we have sweet treats for sweet people. How can I help? " 

" Monique? " A voice whispered 

"Arun? Are you alright? Why are you whispering?"

"Pit Vipers" he said still whispering

"What are they doing?" She said voice raising

"Nothing, they've already gone. "

"Something's wrong though, I can tell" she said, worried

"I just feel really tired and worthless all the time. I don't enjoy some of the things I used to anymore. I hate myself. I wish I was dead. At least then they'd leave me alone. I feel scared all the time, can't sleep,have panic attacks, have nightmares and have flash backs because of the Pit Vipers. I always think about what they've done to me and I'm in constant fear that they'll come back. "

"I don't want you to die. Please don't say that. Think of how many people would miss you. Your friends, family, me. I'd miss you so much , I wouldn't be able to cope. You're not worthless Arun"

"You'd forget about me eventually and move on with your life" he laughed bitterly

"No I wouldn't " she said vehemently 

Instead of denying her reply Arun let out a series of pained whimpers. He sounded like he was in agony.

"Arun? What's wrong?"

"Help me. "

"What's your address?  What can I do to help?" In her haste to help him, she had forgotten that she already knew his address.

"19 Boroughbridge Road" he said leaving her other question unanswered. 

"I'm on my way" she quickly grabbed her bag and made up an excuse. Then she ran out and climbed into her car. It didn't take long before she reached his house. It was a small semi-detached house pained white with a beautiful, thriving garden.

 Monique knocked the door gently but there was no answer. She knocked again but with more force. Still no answer so she tried the handle. It was unlocked. Feeling as though this was wrong, Monique opened the door, calling out for Arun. A weak voice responded and she followed it to the bathroom. Her eyes widened in horror at what she saw.

"Oh my God" she gasped, taking in the sight. A boy lay on the floor, skin marred by bruises and marks. However that wasn't what concerned her the most. No. His arms were covered in thin scars and as her eyes scanned the rest of his frame she became more and more concerned. His arms weren't  just covered in scars, they were laden in fresh wounds. Bleeding cuts which appeared self-inflicted. She choked back a sob. As her eyes returned to his face she noticed that his nose appeared slightly crooked as if it had been broken. Probably by his bullies she thought. A noise of pain and whisper for help broke her out of her unpleasant reverie.

"What happened Arun?"

"I went to buy some stuff from the shop for my mom while she's at work but the Pit Vipers saw me and started beating me up. They were saying that I was weak and had to get my 'girlfriend' to fight my battles for me, then they were really sexist and racist. Sexist to you and racist to me that is. After I finally escaped them, I felt so awful about myself that I... did this" he said holding up his arms so that she could clearly see his cuts.

"Oh Arun, you know what they said isn't true. You shouldn't have to feel like that. You know that they're the ones who should feel awful not you. They're just horrible people who'll never be liked by anyone."

"Thanks Mon"

"You're welcome. Now do you have a medicine cabinet with a first aid kit"

"Yeah it's over there" he said pointing. She followed his finger opening the wooden cabinet and grabbing the first aid kit. She then opened it and began applying bandages and antiseptic creams to his wounds. 

"Should I call an ambulance? "

"I think that would be a good idea" Monique was already punching 999 into her phone, hoping they would answer. She then quickly explained the situation to an operator, who told her that an ambulance would be there in 10 minutes. 10 long, slow minutes later and the ambulance arrived in a flurry of blue and red lights. Monique rushed to answer the door and lead the paramedics to Arun. They praised her for her work and lifted him onto a stretcher. One of them quietly asked her to explain what went on. She summed up the events as best as she could and the paramedic nodded before telling their colleague. 

"Would I... would I be allowed to go with him? In the ambulance I mean. It's just that he's my friend and I don't want to leave him on his own." The two paramedics smiled at her kindly. She knew they had veiled their sympathy but she felt that they weren't doing a very good job.

"Of course you can dear. I expect this must be hard for you, seeing your friend like this" Monique simply nodded, now not trusting herself to speak. She too had veiled her emotions behind a stony, stoic mask but as the reality of it hit her and the woman's compassion laid siege to her calm, collected state, Monique knew that tears were brimming. 

Eventually Arun was loaded into the ambulance and Monique took a seat beside him, holding his hand. She was warned to notify the crew if anything happened to him but it wasn't needed. As creepy as it sounded, she would watch Arun the whole way to see if he was alright. Nothing else was going to happen to him on her watch.

Soon they arrived at the hospital, which looked like your average hospital. The whole building was covered in white: white walls, white ceiling, white floor and lots of windows. It had a strong smell of antibacterial soap and disinfectant. The paramedics signed Arun in at reception before taking him down a corridor. Monique went to follow but the receptionist, a kindly looking lady in her thirties with dull, frizzy brown hair, dark eyes and a smile, stopped her.

"Sorry love, you're not allowed down there. Don't worry though, your boyfriend will be fine. You'll be updated on how he's doing anyway and you might be able to visit. " 

Monique didn't have the heart or the energy to tell her that Arun wasn't her boyfriend so she smiled and said "Thanks".

"That's ok, I'm only doing what I'd want someone else to do if I was in your position."

"I appreciate it though so thank you," she glanced at the woman's name tag "Susan"

"You're welcome so what's your name?"

"Monique "

"That's a pretty name"

"Thanks"

Instead of Monique sitting anxiously twiddling her thumbs and pacing, she enjoyed a conversation with Susan ,which took her mind off of Arun in the hospital room. "Oh look Monique, a doctor's coming towards us". Hope inflated inside her like a balloon but much like a balloon it was fragile and ready to pop.

"Monique Earle, correct?" The doctor asked

" That's me"

"I've got some news for you "

A/n: Hi guys! So there's a cliffhanger, exciting right? Please don't hate me. So what did you think? Please vote and comment your opinions. I'm interested. You may have noticed some British references so I'm sorry to those of you who don't understand them. Please ask and I'll explain. This chapter is dedicated to @IoineNicholas, who made some amazing covers for me so thank you.  I will pick one to use and upload it soon. Check her out, she is also founder of @saveblackcharacters which is an amazing campaign that this book is a part of. Check them out too. Also, please say if anything in this story offends you and I'll change it. Thanks bye.