Life after death

The first encounter

I land with a thud on the hard rock road. Pain shoots up my legs from my knees. I push myself onto all fours and wince as gravel sticks in my new grazes. Slowly, I stand up but am pushed straight back over. Laughter fills the air as I tumble onto my stomach. I look around and see her friends standing over me, laughing, pointing. Once again I crawl onto my feet, but this time I don't get pushed down. "Come on Sky. You want to face me like a man or be a coward and run?" Eliana laughs spitting on my shoes.

"No. I don't wan to do anything. Leave me alone." I mutter through puffed lips.

"What'd you say, bitch?" Elaina shouts tautly.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I scream, my voice wobbly,

"No." She says smugly.

With one last burst of animosity, Eliana throws her hands on my shoulders and shoves me backwards. She kicks me in the ribs with all her might. Her friends crowd round me and each one spits on me. One lands on my forehead, one lands on my cheek. They stand around me kicking me and throwing anything their hands can find. They'll leave no patch of skin un marked.

Once they're done, they leave me on the hard road and pull out their phones, take photos of me and run off. I drag myself off the road, onto the curb and curl into a ball and cry.

I finish crying and waddle my way home. Opening the front door, dread and shame wash over me. I'm going to have to tell Mum, I think to myself. What's she going to say? How will she react? The kitchen goes quiet as I slam the front door. "Skylar? Is that you?" Mums melodic voice calls out to me.

"Yeah." I call out, my voice brittle.

"How was school?" She asks softly.

I walk into the kitchen to see her. "Great" I say with an eye roll.

She turns with a smile on her face which instantly drops into a frown. Her eyes search my body, hurt is all that she has on her face. I feel ashamed of how I look and I want to leave but she'll follow me if I move. "What happened?" Tears well in the corner of her eyes.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine." I fake a smile through quivering lips.

"Tell me." She whispers as tears run down her face. "Please."

"I tripped over a root at school and fell down a hill." I lie and it kills me.

Her eyes are sceptical and she believes me for a spilt second but then says, "No you didn't, TELL ME THE TRUTH." She half yells.

"A few people at school got angry with something I did and this is the result."

I look at myself and a stinging feeling hurts my chest. My vision goes blurry and then goes clear as warm salty tears run down my cheek. My breaths become short. I throw my head into my hands feeling vulnerable and foolish. I lift the edge of my top over my eyes it instantly is saturated. I want to hide. I want to run away and not face mum. I feel her grab my hands, I lower the edge of my top and look at her, sniffling. She hugs me. I hug her back, sobbing on her shoulder. "It'll be alright Sky. It was today. I won't happen again." Mums voice is filled with hope and belief.

I listen to her, believe her.