No More Lies, I Promise - The Watty Awards 2011

No More Lies, I Promise - Chapter 2

My eyes were fixed on the clock.

3:27

My eyes followed the hand around, urging every second to come faster.

"Amy? Can you answer that?"

"Hm?" I moved my eyes to Mrs Frances at the front of the class. I kept my hand cupped around my cheekbone, covering the swelling.

"What's the answer?" she repeated.

"Erm..." I struggled with the maths on the board. The things I had memorised about fractions rushed through my head. "17?" It was more of a guess than solid evidence.

"No, you just guessed that. Anyone else?"

I tuned out again, looking back up at the clock.

3:28

Go faster! I urged.

The quicker I got out of this classroom, the quicker I could get home. The quicker I could get away from them.

Something hit the back of my head. I turned fast enough to see the laugh echo around their table, and the rubber bounce onto the floor.

"Ignore them," Lizzie whispered in my ear, "They're just trying to annoy you."

"I know," I sighed, " but it doesn't help me stop wanting to," I broke off and mashed my fist into my palm.

"Yeah, same," Lizzie sighed too, met my eyes and the dark iris's filled of conscern and pity.

Lizzie was dark skinned and black haired. She was shy to outsiders, yet when you got to know her, you found out why.

Suddenly, the bell rang, making me jump. The clock was slow. The clock was slow!

I shoved my chair backwards and stood up with the rest of the class. I pushed my pen into my pocket and grabbed my bag from under the table. I began to move towards the door, when the teacher blocked my way.

"You all have to be quiet first."

I dragged myself back to my seat. She was so deliberately doing this. Stupid maths teacher. Stupid stupid stupid!

I stood tapping my foot while the class bustled around me. Why wouldn't they shut up?!

I realized that the noise was from behind me.

Oh God.

They were deliberately holding me up. They were waiting for Frankie and, I'm guessing, Hannah's brother. I didn't need to be a genius to work out why.

I felt nervous. My palms were damp.

How bad would it be this time? I had no way of getting away. We were at the very top of school, out of the way of teachers and students. And there was only one way of getting down to the buses. And, if they blocked that, there was no way to get past.

I could see three shapes through the window.

I had excepted my fate by the time we were dismissed. I wasn't going to run. They would only chase me, or wait until they saw me again then I would get it worse.

Someone grabbed me by the collar and shoved me against the wooden paneling. The class filed past, neither hate nor sympathy in their eyes, except for Lizzie. She was projecting a sorry-but-I've-got-to-go look. I knew she did, her mum would kill her if she got into another fight. She held my eyes until she dissapeared round the corner.

The boy with his fist at my throat snapped it back towards him, flinging my body to the floor.

"How dare you touch my sister," the boy hissed as I pushed up with my arms, feeling the scratches down my face. My heart was beating fast, pumping adrenalin. This was going to hurt. A lot.

Then there was a foot in my stomach and fire in my side. I tried to hold back a scream as I rolled onto my back. Three laughing faces stood above me.

"Once apon a time your naughty little daddy had a naughty little affair,"

Oh no.

"And your naughty little daddy found the perfect woman, didn't he?" Jessica's voice hurt more than the pain in my side.

" And lucky for little old Amy, that perfect woman was no less than my mum!" Her hard boot connected with my head, flinging it to one side. My eyes spun and my head pulsed the pain in a constant loop.

I didn't know what was happening until someone was sat on my stomach and had pinned my shoulders down to the floor. Someone else knealed by my head and lent down and breathed in my ear.

"Sticks and stones may break your bones, but what about fire?" She laughed, a horrid, revenge full laugh, then I heard someone flicking a lighter.

Oh dear God, oh no, oh God, please no.

"This is for my sister," the boy growled, then pushed his hand against my hair.

I screamed and writhed as one side of my vision turned orange.

Flames. Flames! Put them out! Put them out! Put them out!

I rolled on the dirty tarmac. Over and over, rubbing my burning hair into the ground as best I could. I thumped my head with my palms, and they felt like they were burning too.

The pain was excruciating. I couldn't stand it. The heat, the smell. I was terrified. I could die, if I didn't put this fire out.

I heard them laughing as I rolled over and over, then got an image of them leaving me burning on the floor. They took their bags with them, and then they turned back for one final look at me before going to catch their bus.

I was still patting my head even when I knew nothing was burning. Tears were pouring from my eyes, and each time they ran down my cheek, I furiously wiped them away. I couldn't cry. No. Not here, lying like the loser I was on the dirty floor. No.

But the tears wouldn't stop, even when the teacher came out of her classroom. Before she could finish locking the room, I picked up my bag and ran.