Sometimes

Chapter 2: Mistaken

I hid my face in my hands, cringing away from the laughter. 

"You're so ugly! No wonder you can't get a boyfriend! And what are those? Oh, you cut? I bet you're just doing it for attention!" The swarm of girls that had formed around me just seemed to get bigger and bigger. The words they said got more threatening and more disgusting. Their eyes got narrower and seemed to turn ice cold as they stared me down. 

I tried to scream for help, to tell them to stop, that it wasn't funny...but I couldn't do anything. I was frozen in place. Tears slid down my face as I was forced to watch the group of girls mock me. 

It wasn't long before one of them decided to pull me up by the hair. Before she even had me off the ground, a huge chunk of my hair had been ripped out. I screamed in pain. In a sudden burst of movement, I tried to claw at her. I even tried to plead for help from the other girls with my eyes. But nothing was working. 

She snaked her hands around my neck, and the other girls just encouraged her as she cut off my air supply. 

"Stupid bitch!" She sneered. My throat began to burn from the lack of oxygen. It burned even more when I let a piercing screech leave my lips. It hurt even my ears. 

Suddenly, I was being shaken violently. 

"Jordan! Jordan, wake up!" Luci's voice filled my ears as she shook me awake. My eyes flew open, and I had to take a couple of deep breaths before my heartbeat evened out. I was shaking from the fear that I had just endured. 

Immediately, I was in Luci's arms, and she was rocking me back and forth. Tears brimmed in the corners of my eyes. "My throat hurts." I gasped in between sobs. Luci nodded understandingly. 

"You were screaming for a good minute and a half. I was downstairs with your parents, so I told them I'd come up here and check on you." She kept rocking me as I began to calm down. Her arms tightened around my waist when I tried to pull away. "Nope. You're telling me about that dream."

"I just...I just can't handle it anymore, Luci! Everyone thinks I'm a joke! I can't keep a boyfriend! They were all laughing at me and pulling my hair and one even strangled me-" Luci's hand went over my mouth. 

"Strangled you? Jordan, I will never ever let that happen. I don't care how much this bitch or that bitch hates you. I'll push them into a pile of cacti." I looked up at her in surprise. She probably expected me to make her promise to not let anyone strangle me, but her eyes widened when I replied. 

"A pile of cacti?" 

"Jordan, yes. A pile of cacti." A giggle escaped my lips. Suddenly, more came, and I couldn't stop. Luci gave me a questioning look. When I quieted down, I securely wrapped my arms around her and sighed. I have no idea how I got so lucky.

Luci has and always will be my rock. She never judges me. And she's been there through everything. You see, if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be here. She's my best friend. Alli is as well, but I've known Luci since I was little. We've literally been friends for a decade or more. It's been the best ride of my life, and I wouldn't change it for anything. It takes her a while to snap out of her shock and hug me back, but she does it. And she squeezes me just as tight as I squeezed her. 

"Thank you." I breathed. 

"For what?" 

"For being there for me." I felt her giggle against my side as she pulled away to look at me. She quirked an eyebrow. 

"You're my best friend. It's my job." I rolled my eyes and slid off of my bed. 

"You think they'll ask me what was going on?" I mumbled as I reached for the door. Luci shook her head at me and motioned for me to go downstairs. As we were making our way into the kitchen, she stopped me in the hallway.