Open Up *Scömìche FanFic*

Chapter 10

MITCH

Watching the blood run down my arm from the cuts on my wrist is addicting. I sit in the bathroom, taking the blade to my wrist over and over.

Faggot.

Ugly.

Fat.

Worthless.

I finally return to my room after I clean up and remove any evidence of what I did. I pull on a baggy sweater and sit back on my bed, looking at the ceiling. I can't tell Scott. He wants me to stop, but I can't. Not with all that's going on. And it's only the first day. What am I going to do?

I can't tell my parents or Kirstie either. Nobody can know. It's my little secret.

I close my eyes for a little while, and end up falling into a deep slumber.

- - -

The next morning I sneak some of my mom's makeup to cover my black eye as well as I can. I pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater so I can cover my scars.

At school, I keep my head down and avoid eye contact with anybody all day except for Scott and Kirstie, the only people who actually care about me at that hell hole.

Scott keeps shooting me worried glances whenever we see each other. I try to assure him that I'm fine, I'm just tired, but I know that he knows I'm lying. Well, I am kind of tired. Tired of all this shit. But I'm lying when I say I'm fine.

When we're walking in the hall together later that day, Kirstie keeps trying to talk to me.

"You can tell me how you're feeling, Mitch. You can trust me," she says quietly.

She eventually gives up when she can't get an answer out of me.

Finally it's time to go home, and I'm relieved. No one touched me physically - not yet - although I got plenty of disgusted glances and was told what they thought of me. Several times.

I walk swiftly home after kissing Scott goodbye and promising to call him. I need to get home. I need to get through the rest of this week. At least it's Wednesday.

"Grassi!"

I knew I wasn't so lucky.

I pick up my pace, not running but almost there. I hear footsteps pounding on the ground behind me, so I break into a sprint. Not today. Not today.

I'm knocked down by two people, who hold my arms to the ground as I struggle and kick my legs. Travis towers over me and smirks.

"Hey, Mitch. You thought you could get away? Tough luck, bud."

He punches me in the stomach, causing the wind to go out of me, and his friends to start laughing.

"So weak. Hey, did you see what everyone's saying about you?" He punches me again, this time in the face.

"They're calling you worthless. It's true. You're a fucking worthless little bitch who can't stand up for himself. You're ugly and fat and worthless." He punches and kicks me over and over. I hear myself screaming for Scott over the sound of laughter and my own sobs. My vision blackens at the edges. I can't hold on.

"Your boyfriend can't help you this time, Mitch!" Travis cackles, pulling back to deliver the punch that will indeed knock me unconscious.

"Are you so sure about that?" I hear the familiar voice as I see Travis being hit to the ground.

Scott, my gorgeous savior.

I feel him pick me up and hold me to his chest. "Leave him alone. Just fucking leave him alone," he demands to Travis and his friends.

I hear footsteps, and then Scott directs his voice to me. "Mitch, oh, baby, are you okay? Shit. We need-"

"Don't take me to a hospital, Scott. Please. Don't," I whisper, clinging on to consciousness.

"I have to."

"No. Bring me to my house. My parents aren't home yet. Please Scott." Tears run down my face and my eyelids flutter open and closed.

I can't go to a hospital... They'll see my cuts and tell my parents and Scott. I can't.

Scott sighs. "Fine."

Then everything goes black.

- - -

SCOTT

When I was walking to Maddie's car with her, I heard Mitch's screams for me. So now, I carry his unconscious body to her car.

He needs to go to a hospital.

He told me not to take him.

He needs to go.

He'll hate me if I take him.

I tell Maddie to go to Mitch's house and drop us off. I carry him up to his bedroom and lay with him. I feel awful. His beautiful face is bloody and bruised.

Finally, he wakes up. I give him an ice pack to hold to his head as I wrap my arms around him and pull him into my lap.

"Thanks," he whispers, "for saving me."

I kiss his cheek in response. But I'm terrified about what will happen when I'm not there. When he's alone with that douchebag and something like this happens - or worse. He's too special to deserve this.

I don't know how long we sit like that, but I never want to go home. I just want to stay like this, with this beautifully damaged boy in my arms.

There's definitely something he's not telling me, though. He seemed so distant from me and Kirstie, even. I'm scared. I'm really scared.

Eventually he tells me I have to leave. His parents will get home soon, and he has to do something about his face.

I lean in to kiss him before I leave.

"I love you," I whisper before I realize what I'm saying. I pull away and freeze, waiting for his reaction.

He looks a bit taken aback, but he smiles at me and says, "I love you too, Scott."

But as I walk home, his face is on my mind. There was something behind that smile of his, even as he said those words - something that looked a lot like genuine sadness.