Taken by My Forever | ✓

Chapter #9

I woke up the next day feeling strange the moment my eyes fluttered open.

My eyes hurt, I thought as I blinked a couple of times, staring at the ceiling. Frowning as I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, and switching on the lights first, I went over to the mirror.

My jaw dropped, "Holy shit." I gasped when I saw a sprinkle of white crumbs on my eyelashes.

Before anything, I touched the white crumbs and right after I did; a flake fell into my eye. I jolted away from the mirror, wiping my eye with my index as it burnt like salt.

And then a thought came to me: Is this the salt from me crying?

With a new idea in mind, I crept to the mirror, and looked at my face more carefully. I frowned a bit, licked my thumb and wiped it over my cheek, my eyes looking at my actions with intense care. I brought my thumb to my mouth and pulled out my tongue, licking it.

Salt...

I frowned. I didn't plant my face into a bucket of salt did I?

As I thought of everything that would have salt crusting over my face I realized.

Holy shit, I cried... and my tears crystalized into salt.

I tugged carefully at the scarf adorned around my neck. The mark I was bearing on the crook of my neck had settled to a dark purple, fading into a red. I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat. Mustering all the little pride I had left, I cupped my hands under the running tap water and washed my face. When I was content with what I looked like, I dried my face with a towel and went back to my room, as I got ready for school.

***
Tuesday... day two... I wore shorts and a loose tank top that was pink in colour, and I covered my hickey with a scarf once more.

***
I stayed quiet as a mouse, which was a little out of character for me, but I felt like if I spoke one word, said one greeting, bid one 'Goodbye'; I would have broken down.

My friends would ask me what was wrong, all expressing the same look of worry on their faces, but I'd smile and wave them off.

"I'm just tired." I'd say... I'm just tired, I repeated to myself like a chant.

They all understood the toll schoolwork had on all of us, but Lucy seemed to be the one that saw through my quiet demeanour, my lingering gaze and tired eyes.

At lunch, Lucy had asked me if I wanted anything from the cafeteria, but I shook my sagging head.

"No, thank you." I smiled. 

She looked at me with pity in her eyes, "What's wrong?" She asked, sitting opposite me as we both sat on the bench with each of our legs on either side of the bench. 

"Nothing, I'm just tired." I laughed a bit at my own lie.

"You know I love you right? And I like your scarf too." Lucy told me, nodding as she said that, hoping I'd say yes about me knowing she loving me.

But I stiffened when she mentioned my scarf, "Thank you, I-" I smiled.   

Isabel cut me off "Stop lying!"

I burst out laughing at Isabel's sudden outburst.

"I love her more than you do!" Isabel countered playfully.

"You clearly don't show it! Look! I'm the one holding her hand!" Lucy stuck her tongue out.
"That's a lie and a half." Isabel said as she tilted the packet of chips she ate.