Chapter Two: It Ends with Me

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"Stuck in a life that I didn't want anyway... One of these days, yeah, I might just disappear, And you won't even know."

[Song: "Norman Rockwell"- The Mowgli's]


RECAP:

High school senior Naomi Lorraine has only her wit and sharp mouth to fight against the insults and bruises Dartwell High gives her. All in one day, she finds herself meeting the three mysterious senior transfer students: Bennett Frazier, Jordan Wallace, and Declan Lynch. Bennett saw that she got a sign stuck on her back that read "Kill Yourself", Jordan is her new lab partner in AP Physics, and Declan defended her against some guys in soccer (or "football", but this is America. Don't @ me).

Naomi found a note left by Jordan in her textbook inviting her to meet with them on Saturday at Starbooks, a famous coffee chain everyone obviously knows. However, since she values her life, she didn't go. Now she has to see if she still has a life to live when she comes back to school on Monday.


~


"Well, would you look at that," someone mused. "She's trying to fight back."

"It's kinda sad if you ask me," his friend said with a laugh.

I struggled under his strong grasp, but it was a wasted effort as he held my arms behind my back. Even though he was one grade below me, the sixth-grader was still stronger than me. I hated middle school. I hated myself. Too small. Too weak.

"You should've done our book reports like we asked," he sneered. "Hopefully after this, you'll learn your lesson."

"You're Asian aren't ya?" His friend asked, walking towards me. He grabbed a clump of my hair, forcing me to look up to him. "Why not try to do some karate and-"

I didn't let him finish when I kicked him right between the legs. As he crumpled onto the floor, I didn't give his friend a chance to react when I knocked my head back and he yelled at the impact. Pushing me away, I stumbled forward and my hand went up to the back of my head that was throbbing from the backward headbutt.

Once I regained my balance, I moved to run away but was shoved onto the floor. Looking up, the two of them towered over me with the rage clear on their faces. I knew that however they were going to beat me up was going to be much worse.

I did learn my lesson that day.

I should never fight back.


I sat up in my bed and let out a tired yawn. I blindly patted for my phone on my nightstand and was able to find it. I turned it on and winced as my phone's bright screen blinded my weary eyes. I woke up before my alarm again.

With my eyes still closed, I dragged myself out of bed and used my arms to guide me to my bathroom. I'm going to give my eyes a little more time to adjust as an apology for my biological clock waking up before my mechanical one. I heard my phone alarm go off. And there's my mechanical one.

"Ow," I grumbled as I bumped my shoulder against the doorway.

I blindly patted the wall until I found the switch and turned on the lights.

"Ow," I grumbled again as I opened my eyes, then being met with the glory of artificial lighting.

Once my eyes adjusted after blinking a few times, I took off my bracelet that hung tightly on my left wrist and placed it on the counter. My grandmother gave me the bracelet when I was twelve. It was after I got my first period and she gave it to me as a reward for now becoming a woman. It was an adjustable brown leather bracelet with a simple tribal design, worn with age but I have been taking good care of it.

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