ISABELLE
I watch Mr Brown walk over to Naomi's table. He looks down at her, slightly irritated.
"Would you like me to stop teaching so that you can talk without disturbance, Naomi?"
He raises his eyebrows and she shakes her head, apologizing softly. He gives her a warning then walks back to the front to continue his lesson.
It's been a week since Trevor and I spoke. A whole week of me lying awake at night, trying to figure out what to feel, think or do. Did I manage to do so? No. I still don't know what I'm supposed to feel or think.
I don't know if I should accept his apology or not. I won't lie, I missed him, but I don't think letting him back into my life is a smart thing to do.
I spoke to the rest of the friend group and they told me that he came back at the beginning of the year.
Once again. I was the only one who didn't know.
I groan in frustration and a discomfort that I have become extremely familiar with appears in my lower back. It circles my stomach and a soft whimper escapes my lips.
One hand grips my stomach and the other lays flat on the desk. The girl seated next to me, Mikayla, turns to me.
"Are you okay?"
I nod and sit up straight, ignoring the pain.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
I give her a faint smile to which she nods. She then goes back to ignoring Mr brown by stroking her pencil across one of the pages of her drawing book.
Judging by how it is nearly full, I'll assume that she draws often and judging by what I've seen of her work, she's actually really good at it.
I turn to the front again after I take a deep breath in an attempt to clear my mind of everything. I try to focus on the weak sunlight that shines through the window into the room. I focus on the soft voices whispering and pages flipping as Mr Brown asks us to turn onto the next page.
**
"How was school, nana?" Mama asks me as I pull out a chair to sit next to her.
"I made a new friend today." I respond, excitedly.
She looks at me and she smiles, showcasing her dimples.
"Well, what's your new friend's name?"
"Trevor." I tell her, swinging my feet from the edge of the chair as I watch the action of her hand moving swiftly across the large canvas that she bought yesterday. "He's new." I continue. "He was really nice too. He pushed me on the swing and then we played tag."
"Oh, is it?"
I hum my response, nodding my head as I look around the room.
The window is open just enough to ventilate the area without the winds disturbing her. My heart smiles as mama's favourite sound fills my ears. Like feet, the rain treads the pavement, creating a calm ambience. At least that's what she calls it. She says the sound gives her peace, that it clears her head. From what exactly? I don't know.
My eyes drift back to my mother. She notices and puts the paintbrush into a paper cup before turning to face me completely.
"What is it?" She asks, her eyes flickering between mine.
She squats in front of me so that she and I see eye to eye.
"Can he come to my party?"
She nods, choosing not to address my nervousness. "Yes, he can come."
YOU ARE READING
DAMAGED
Teen Fiction9 years after the death of her mother; Isabelle Johnson has finally convinced herself and everyone around her that she is okay. But is she? When she almost dies at the hands of the man she called 'dad', she is forced into moving in with her best fri...
