toxicity

Chapter 1: Marie

My breath caught in my throat. My whole body shaking as the tears I had so desperately tried to conceal begin to make their way down my face leaving small, wet tracks. It was him...

———

"Alicia. Turn around. Back to work."

My Maths teacher glared at me with eyes that screamed "your grades will suffer for this". I just sighed turning back to my desk, there was never a moment she ceased to pick on me. It didn't matter that for a big percentage of the time when I turned around to talk to the person behind me it was work related or that I was currently sitting on a straight A. Over time we had had our run ins and I'm pretty sure we both realised that we were never going to agree or get along, so stubbornly I stopped asking for her help. I'm pretty sure that offended her ego, but it was the least I could do in return for the things she had done for me. Thankfully, soon after she had embarrassed me, yet again in front of the class, the bell rang for homeroom.

I packed up my books, plonking them in my right arm. They snuggled nicely against my hip. As always, the class groaned out the standard greeting that was compulsory for all students to say, before pushing and shoving to see who would exit the classroom first. For me it was surprising that this was the manner with which the top Maths class acted. It was to be expected though, most of my grade was a bunch of idiots. I just let them push and shove, eventually making my way to homeroom.

It seemed that my Math class was the first to be let out as I was one of only a few from my class to be waiting at our homeroom. So I just stood there, alone as usual, not really making any conversation with my peers.

"Licia!"

A girl from my homeroom had called out to me from two classrooms away and was now running up to me. Before I knew it I was having fingers dug into either side of my spine. I jerked away from Marie's torturous grip, laughing it off as per usual.

"Stop it!" I joked, rolling my eyes, as a slight smile came to my face.

"Guess what! Guess what!"

"What?"

"So I was in Maths right when I almost died," Marie exclaimed as our homeroom teacher arrived and let the kids that were there so far into the classroom.

"How?" I asked half puzzled, half humouring her.

"Well, I was leaving class when I tripped over thin air. I hit my knee on the metal of the desk and almost hit my temple on the edge of the wooden part. See, I got this bruise!" she said holding out her leg.

Personally I couldn't see anything but I just nodded in agreement.

"Well I'm glad you didn't,"

"Yes I'm glad too," said Marie before she hopped away to put her laptop onto charge.

One day I would tell her how much energy it took me to smile when she hurt me. How much energy it took not to scream at her when all she ever did was talk about herself.

But today was not that day.