"Just fucking leave me alone" I rolled my eyes and walked faster, leaving him behind me.
I didn't wanna associate with Melodys 'boyfriend' or friend. God who was he to her? They barley text, they don't hangout and he didn't seem that interested in her. It felt like he just used me as a excuse to get out of there.
But it didn't matter, I didn't want him. I didn't want his help, or a ride home from him. I didn't want anything. I just needed him to leave me alone
Tomorrow was the first day of school, and I wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed. And, as our annual tradition we would always take my parents boat out and have a small party on the ocean. Not this year, there was no way I could build up to courage to actually go on the waters.
So there I was, the next morning in the school parking lot. This wasn't just a normal high school, people always found a way to get expelled or do something to get arrested. And most of the time, Keeth was behind it.
"You wanna go for a swim Loni?" Roman laughed his ass off while he teased me. God I always hated that bastard and his fucking minions.
"Why don't you mind your own fucking business for once?" I fired back. I wasn't even in the building yet and here I was getting bullied by him.
"Oh come on, I'm sure you have a swim suit under those clothes" he said. I stopped in my tracks and froze. Every fucking word that came out of his big mouth DISGUSTED me.
"Huh? Did you come prepared Loni?" He taunted. I could feel him tower over me, considering our height differences. As soon as I reached back to slap him in the face, he caught my wrist and held it above my head.
"Did you really think that would work again?" Fine, I may have slapped him countless times to the point where it didn't work anymore. But I could always pull out of his grip. So I tugged as hard as I could, my wrist didn't budge. And again, and again. He laughed and stared down at me as I kept trashing my arm. I felt his cold hand come in contact with my waist as it snaked it's way under the fabric.
"What the hell are you doing?! Get off of me Roman!" He laughed once again and got close to my face.
"God you're so fucking annoying!" I was furious at this point with him.
"It's nice to see you too Lennon" he said, raising his eye brows as he dropped my wrist. I scoffed at him as he addressed me by my last name. No, before you ask we didn't date. He's tried countless times but I always declined. So, he resorted to teasing me every single day with anything that could get under my skin.
It felt like everyone's eyes were just plastered on my as I walked down the hallway and into English class.
"Loni! It's so good to see you!" Mrs Ryleigh said as she came over a pulled me into one of her tight hugs.
"How have you been since the whole thing with your grandma?" She had a huge smile on her face, this lady wasn't the best at showing sympathy but at least she tried.
"I've been fine Mrs Ryleigh" I gave her a small smile and headed over towards my seat. Again, everyones fucking eyes were on me. Even jerolds
"Can I help you?" I said to him. He quickly turned his head back around and looked down at his papers. Jerold was always the weird kid that would pick his nose in the back of the class. And, not to mention, he was a creep.
Lately everyone and everything found a way to piss me off. I was SO tired of hearing the same sentence over and over again.
'Are you okay Loni?' No, I'm far from 'Okay' but I always smile and say I am. Ever since mom died me and Luke went down a rough path, it felt like I was alone. I can't deal with anything anymore and-
"Loni?"
I turned my head in the direction of his voice.
"You don't look so good" he said as his eyes lowered to my hand. I hadn't realized that I snapped my pencil in half as my thoughts were buzzing all over the place. And, to make things even better, Grayson was sitting right next to me. In our assigned seats
"I'm fine" I didn't want to talk to him, not after last night.
"Did you get home safe?" He asked. So much for not talking about it
"Yeah I did" I stared down, tapping my broken pencil on the desk
"Can't even look at me when we talk?" He crossed his arms and stared at me.
"Look, I'm not in the talking mood right now okay?" I rolled my eyes and focused on the teacher. The day was slow and full of the same question over and over again.
"What do I do? Its only the first day back to school and I hate everyone there" I said to Milly, one of the dolphins in rehab. She stared up at me through the water and smiled. Her sunburns and respiratory infection healing over the past month. And surprisingly, the whole aquarium was quiet, but I wasn't complaining
"I'm terrified to swim in any body of water now, first mom died and then grandma, Milly"
She made a clicking noise and nodded her head over to the tank. We were on the resting platform in her area, just so I could check up on her. And honestly, sometimes she was the only one I could talk to that would listen.
"I don't know Mill" I put my hands in my lap and stared at her. She made another clicking noise and smiled, slowly inching her way off the platform. I sighed and watched her as she turned around in the water to face me. Her smile widened as she waited for me to come swim with her, so, I stood up and walked to the edge of the platform. Before I could change my mind I plunged into the cool water, Milly immediately by my side swimming around my body. As soon as I opened my eyes under water as bubble escaped my nose and everything went black
"Loni take your brothers hand and go" she said.
"Mom I don't wanna leave you!" I shouted over the loud rain and gushing waves crashing in.
"LONI COME ON!" Dad yanked my hand away from moms and pulled me and Keeth with him to the rescue choppers ladder as our whole boat began sinking. With moms body in it
I was only ten
I gasped for air as I stumbled back to the platform in Milly's tank.
"Loni! what happened?" Keeth said as he raced to the edge and grabbed my arm. My breathing was all over the place as I shook my head, trying to regain consciousness of what was going on.
Keeth helped me sit on the ladder at the edge of the tank and held my shoulder.
"Is she okay?" Someone asked Keeth as he waved his hand in front of my face, trying to get me to look at him
"Earth to Loni? What just happened? you nearly drowned" Keeth said to me as I shook my head again, wrapping my arms around myself in my cold wet suit.
"I-I don't know" I gulped and put my hands on the railing, pulling my self up. I made eye contact with Grayson as I walked past him and up the stairs to the roof top area with all the rehab pools. My "office" was up there, so I entered and Locked the door, pulling my wet suit off my body.
Tears fell off my face as I struggled to put my shorts and tank top on. I just blacked out in the fucking water. If it wasn't for Keeth I might have drowned, and died, just like mom.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Loni I need to know what happened, was Milly hostile? Did you hit your head?" Keeth shouted as he pounded on the door
"Loni!" He opened the door, my back was faced towards him as everything was frozen.
"Loni" He turned my shoulder so I was facing him. I was holding my wet suit in my hands as my tears fell off my cheeks. I stared right into his chest while my breathing was still uneven, Keeth took the suit from my hands and put it on the desk, then proceeding to pull me into a hug, holding the back of my head to him.
"Did Milly do something? I have to know Loni because-"
"It was mom, Keeth" I said into his chest. He pulled away and furrowed his eyebrows at me, looking into my eyes.
"What?" He whispered.
"That night when the boat sank, and we lost her" more tears slipped out of my eyes as I looked up to him. He let out a shaky breath and shook his head
"Did you fall in?" He asked
"No as soon as I hit the water I blacked out" I wrapped my arms around my body and let out a disappointing sigh. I was so disappointed in myself, being scared of what I love the most.
What I've loved since I was born, what was basically my second home. And not being able to carry on moms one wish.
