Breaking the Silence

Seven

Everything hurt. Everything inside me screamed at me to stop when I tried to move. My plan was to sit up and move myself to my bed, but obviously that wasn't going to happen.

It was dark, nearly pitch black in my room, telling me I'd been unconscious for hours. But if it was that dark, that would mean I needed to get up for school soon. 

I groaned softly and attempted to roll over, to no avail. I tried again, only for the same sharp, knife-like pains to shoot through my ribs. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from crying and got myself onto my hands and knees.

Slowly, I leaned back on my knees, wincing as it hurt my right leg. I let out a breath as I was able to relax in a kneeling position, but was already dreading the next step: standing up.

It might've only taken less than five minutes, but it felt like it took an hour to get to my feet. And then I nearly tripped on my way to the bed. I gripped the quilt and collapsed, passing out again the moment my head hit the pillow.

The next time I woke, the room was lighter, but I knew it wasn't quite day. A grey hue had taken over the blackness from before.

I sat up, only to bite my tongue to stop myself from crying out. How could I have forgotten to take it slow? I turned and lowered myself to my stomach, moving as slow as possible. I reached down and unzipped my backpack that had been thrown on the ground beside my bed. I stuck my hand in and pulled out my iPod and headphones.

I grunted as I pulled myself back into my bed, gripping my iPod with one hand and clutching my midsection with the other, trying to ignore my ribs. I groaned and collapsed back onto my pillow when I saw the time. 4:33 AM. That means I had an hour and a half before I really had to be awake.

But I couldn't fall back asleep. I tried and tried, but my eyes just didn't want to stay closed. Giving up, I put in my earbuds and clicked play on my music. Taylor Swift came on and I relaxed, leaning back on my headboard and staring at the ceiling.

I had just gotten to the point where I was tired enough to fall back asleep when my alarm rang. Thanks a lot, life.

I sighed and turned off the music, sticking my iPod back into the bag. I slowly slid off my bed and stumbled to the bathroom. I took a quick, but painful shower and pulled on jeans and a striped hoodie that went to my chin.  I chose the hoodie because I knew it would cover up the mark on my neck; the one Jack left when he'd choked me.

I grabbed my backpack from my room and went to the kitchen, not realizing my brush, the mirror, and any makeup I had was untouched this morning. Because of the pain, it had taken me a lot longer to get ready, leaving me only five minutes before Jack woke up for work.

I ran my fingers through my damp hair, wincing at the painful movement and the thought it probably looked like a mess. I was starting to stress out; I didn't have time. The clock was ticking and I knew I had to get out of here at any moment. So, I placed a box of cereal, a bowl, milk, and a spoon on the table.

I heard his door swing open just as the spoon hit the table. Hopefully it was good enough, because I ran then, ignoring the searing pain in my leg, my ribs, and my back. I fought through the pain until I was halfway down the street and I felt safe enough to relax.

I gripped my hoodie, wanting to scream. Why was this my life? Why couldn't I have loving parents? Why was I spending my life with that monster? Why didn't my mom take me with her? Being dead seemed a whole lot better than living at the moment.

Just like the rest of my morning, the path to school was slow. I reached homeroom just as the bell rang. I lowered my head and slid into the same seat as the day before, ignoring Jaycee.