The Last Week Chapter 1

Chapter One

“Mommy, I don’t want to go to school.” I say standing at the end of our neighborhood waiting for the bus. My hand grips hers and my eyes start to tear up. I look around at the other students hanging around in little groups with their friends.

“You have to sweetie.” She says letting go of my hand, “You have to be a big girl now. You’re a middle schooler. It’s time to grow up.”

I see the bus turn down the road and fear wracks my body. She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t understand how mean those kids are to me.  As the bus stops in front of me and the doors swing open; I try one last time to escape the hell I’m about to reenter.

“Mommy, please, I’ll do anything. Don’t make me go. Please, mommy.” I grab her hand once more.

She smiles an uneasy smile once the tears start rolling down my face. She looks around at the other moms how they stare, wondering why she can’t control her child.  She bends down in her high heels and pencil skirt, putting a hand on my shoulder. She squeezes it tightly and whispers “Get on the bus now. When you get home, young lady, you’ll be punished for your nonsense. You’ve embarrassed me.”

She stands and wipes her hands like I’ve had some terrible disease and nods at me. I turn swiftly on my heel and climb the stairs of the bus. I look around at the sneering kids, all larger than me; they’re the same ones from elementary school. I lower my head and walk to the back of the bus. Multiple feet trip me; the kids giggle as I stumble each time.

There’s only one seat open and it’s next to Jeremy. His too familiar evil grin stretches across his face. Once I sit down next to him, he turns and faces me, “You’ve grown uglier over the summer!” He laughs and all the kids around him laugh with him. Getting a little high off of the attention, he pulls my hair painfully, jerking my head back. He grabs scissors from his book bag.

“Your hair is too long and ugly. Maybe you should cut it.”

My eyes grow wide and I try my hardest to squiggle away from him, but he only holds on tighter.

“What’s going on back there!” the obese driver says glaring at us in the mirror. His black beady eyes stare into mine.

Jeremy pushes my into the dirt covered floor as the bus comes to a stop at the school, “She’s picking on us.”

The kids laugh as they all walk over me, stepping onto my skirt and hands, kicking me. Then I’m all alone on the bus, except for the driver. His eyes bore into mine, “I don’t want any trouble makers, you hear. I won’t tolerate it. This is your one and only warning.”

I nod, grabbing my book bag, and I stumble off the bus.  My long hair has untwisted from its braid and the red ribbon that once held it back is now in Jeremy’s hands, taunting me. I walk slowly towards the school, whispers surround me.

Ever since I can remember I’ve been these kids punching bag. I never fight back. I never even say a word to them. The only person I’ve ever talked to was my mother. Even she, though, doesn’t seem enjoy the sound of my voice.

I’ve always been picked on for the silliest things: my long blond hair, my glasses, being too small, having freckles around my nose. I’ve never understand why these things make me something to play with. I’ve never understand why those kids hurt me the way they do. I reach my locker that I learned how to open at open house last week.

I stuff my book bag in and grab my stuff for the classes. This is the first year with different classrooms, different teachers, different everything. I look down at the schedule that shakes in my hands. I can do this. I can.

I close my eyes taking a deep breath. Then I walk forward. I take one step and I hit something hard. My eyes shoot open as I fall backwards on my butt. A boy stands up above me, his apologetic green eyes staring into mine.

I’ve never seen him before... He stretches his hand forward, grabbing mine, and he pulls me up. He scratches the back of his head, ruffling his black hair, “Sorry about that. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

When I don’t respond he studies me. A kind smile spreads on his face and he puts out his hand, “I’m Robert.”

I just stand there eyeing that hand, waiting for it to do something terrible. He sighs, “You do this.”

He grabs my hand and places it in his and shakes. Is this boy trying to be nice to me? Why doesn’t he pick on me? Or is he?

“Now you’re supposed to say your name.”

I open my mouth, but no words come out. After a long second he just shrugs, “It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk. I’ll just call you… Sky. Just until you tell me your name, okay?”

I nod and he smiles brightly at me. He grabs my schedule from my hands, “Oh, look! We have mostly the same classes! Isn’t that cool!?” His eyes brighten and he grabs my hand pulling me along with him, “Now I can bug you all day until you talk.”

I stumble as he drags me through the halls. People whisper and stare, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“So, I’m new here. We just moved here from North Carolina. I kinda miss the trees and stuff, but I guess it’s cool here too… all the buildings and stuff. My moms’ afraid I’ll get lost one day. Anyways, have you lived here your whole life.” He looks back at me. I nod my head.

“Well, have you ever been to the beach?”

I shake my head no. He gasps dramatically, “You’ve got to be kidding me! Like never ever? Come on you can’t be serious!”

I just stare at him. We’re still walking down the hallways. It’s becoming more crowded by the second as more kids are dropped off by the buses. Everyone stares. He shakes his head, “I’ll have to take you there one day. It’s amazing.”

He stops at a door and looks at the number, “This is it!” He pulls me through the door and what I see stabs me in the stomach. There sits Jeremy and his little gang of kids. He snickers at me, but the smile falls off his face once he sees who is holding my hand.

He walks forward with his arms crossed, “Who are you, dude? You new?”

“Yeah, I’m Robert.” He lets go of my hand and reaches it forward towards him.

Jeremy dismisses it and says, “Since you’re new I’ll give you a little bit of advice. That girl, you don’t want to hang around her. She’s a freak.” Jeremy looks at me with disgust as he says this, “You might want to stay as far away from her. Or-“

“Or what?” Robert says looking at Jeremy weirdly. He withdraws his hand, “She’s my friend. I can hang around anyone I choose to.” He turns away from Jeremy and towards me. He smiles and says, “So, where do yah wanna sit at?”

I shrug not really caring. He grabs my hand again and tugs me to the far side of the room, away from the gaping Jeremy. We sit down and I stare at this Robert boy in wonder. Did he really just stand up to Jeremy and call me his friend? I don’t understand…

He continues smiling and he still talks to me about the beach, even when the teacher is talking. He whispers to me in every class talking of surfing on the waves, making sang castles, the sea gulls, collecting shells. He paints me a beautiful picture with his words and I can’t help but long for this place.

Jeremy or any kids don’t even come close to me while Robert is around. They just stare with hate and anger surrounding them. Throughout the day I start feeling like Robert is an angel sent down to protect me from the monsters, but the day ends too soon.

Robert waves at me as he gets on his bus, “I’ll get you to talk for sure tomorrow!” Then just like that my guardian angel disappears and I’m left unprotected. I stare at the giant yellow bus in front of me. The kids pile on, looking back at me and laughing. I’m suddenly very aware of them all. I climb on the bus last and sure enough only one seat is open.

Jeremy laughs, “Where’s your friend?”

I sit down beside him, not answering. All the kids turn around in their seats, watching, listening. Their eyes shine with lust to see me unhappy.

Jeremy grows angry, “Why don’t you ever talk, huh? Are you dumb? Are you an idiot? Really I thought glasses are for smart people.”

He takes the glasses from my face and throws them on the ground, “You won’t need those anymore they’re only for smart people.”

The bus erupts in laughter, but I don’t know what’s so funny about this. Why is watching someone else suffer so funny? Why can’t they all be nice like Robert? Why are they all so mean to me? I reach down trying to find my glasses. Finally my hand finds them. Jeremy’s foot crashes down on my hand, and I hear a crunch.

Pain shoots through my hand and tears threaten my eyes. I will not cry in front of them. I will not. His foot lifts off of my hand, “Oops, sorry about that.”

I lift my glasses towards my face. Putting them on I realize there’s a crack going across one lens. Oh, no mommy will kill me. Oh, no. I look down at my pinky finger and see that it’s bent awkwardly. Is that broken? It hurts a lot.

“Is she going to cry?”

“Oh my god! She’s going to cry!”

“No way! She’s such a baby!”

“Baby!!”

I stare through my broken glasses at my finger. I put my other hand over it, so I won’t look at it. I close my eyes tightly. I can make it through this…

          “Ew her finger is turning a weird color.”

          Jeremy jerks my hand towards him, making me wince in pain. He studies it and laughs, “You broke it.” He bends it around and I try my hardest not to scream. He laughs at the expressions that cross my face, “Why don’t you scream, freak? You really are a freak! Does this not hurt you?” He jerks the finger to the side making me bite my lip painfully.

          The bus jerks to a stop in front of my neighborhood. I jump up quickly and run from the bus. The bus driver glares at me, “No, running!”  I run through the yards, running to my house. The tears finally spill over. Why are they so mean?

There’re no cars in the driveway. Daddy is off on another business trip and Mommy doesn’t get home till really late. I grab my house key from under the rug of our giant white house. I unlock the heavy door and push it open. I replace the key and walking into the dark house. I pass by big elegant rooms, climb the long white staircase, and open my bedroom door. My bedroom is plain, nothing too special.

          Martha stands just inside my room, making the bed. She takes one look at me and sighs, “How can you make your outfit so dirty…” she shakes her head and spies my hand.

          “Did you fall again?”

          I nod my reply. She walks forward and roughly inspects my hand, “It’s broken.” She takes the pinky and jerks it. Pain shoots through my hand once more and I hear a terrible pop.

          “It should be fine now.” Her Spanish accent laces her words. She finishes the bed and places my pajamas on it, “Now, I’ll be back with dinner later. Behave and stay in your room.”

          She leaves slamming the door behind her. Mommy and Daddy don’t like me leaving my room, only if they have friends over and they want to show me off, but they don’t like doing that much. They expect me to stay silent in my room, not making a peep, and I do what they want. I know the consequences of not behaving.

          I know I’ll experience another spanking tonight, mommy said so. I change my clothes and starting reading ahead in my text books. Hours later I hear the front door slam shut. I try my hardest to ignore it. I hear high heels climb the stairs, awfully slowly. Then my door creaks open. I turn around and see the long wooden paddle in my mother’s hands.

She hands it to Martha who stands just behind her, not wanting to dish out the punishment in fear of breaking her flawless nails. She likes to stand and watch though. I close my eyes and wait for the pain.