Help

thirteen

Today is a really bad day.

-

They are all staring at me. If my day couldn't get any freaking worse we have a supply in my first period class. Many students love supply teachers. They view it as a free period where they can goof off and not do work.

I hate supply teachers.

Because, for some reason, they do not have anything written down on the attendance sheet stating that I do not speak.

The teacher is filling in on todays lesson. She reminds me of your classic crabby old granny supply. She's been calling on me all class and no one is telling her I don't speak. They watch in amusement. People hate me here.

It's only first period and yet I already want to kill myself.

When second period rolls around nothing gets any better. Jake is here again. His eyes have been set on me the whole class. I can't focus, everything is closing in. My tears are threatening to spill, my heart is racing out of my chest, my head is going to explode, and the room is getting really, really hot.

In one quick motion I grab my backpack because I refuse to use my locker now, especially since Lucien isn't at school today.

He has some hockey game with Dominic. Leaving me alone at school.

Anyways, I stand up give the teacher a look of I need to go to which she silently excepts with a nod of her head. Speed walking down the halls I make sure my backpack is secured by snapping the buckles together my chest. In my speed walking panic I make the worst decision possible and leave the school building and the school grounds.

I don't want to be there.

So I left.

The stares, the whispers, my tight shirt, my greasy hair, everything.

Everything is wrong. Nothing is right.

My legs are itchy.

I am crying.

"Oh how pathetic." A voice from behind me taunts. I freeze.

No.

"Making a scene like that in front of the whole class, crying your pathetic heart out," Jake tsks at the end. My body is frozen in fear. I feel nothing but pure white fear of the boy from behind me.

"Where did you plan on going? As you can tell, there aren't many places to hide." I look around, for the first time since I left. The school is surrounded by woodlot, a two way road connecting the school with the rest of the world. I'm walking along a barren road at ten in the morning. No one comes down this way, not at this time at least. Meaning, no one knows where I am right now. No one can protect me from Jake.

The one day Lucien isn't watching my every move like a hawk. I took that for granted.

He walks around my shaking unmoving body. "Jesus, no need to fear me." He raises his hands in surrender.

He has a bruise on his chin, a tattooed tear drop under his eye. I never noticed it until now.

He's killed someone.

No one's around.

He's killed someone.

"Florence Young," he tsks. "What would dearest older brother Massimo say about running out of school?" I don't know if I should be surprised that he knows Massimo or terrified of why he knows Massimo.

"Your family—your father, he fucked up bad all those years ago." He picks a strand of my hair up, twirling it around his fingers. "I don't know whose dumber, your father for killing my entire family but me, or your dearest brother Massimo for not checking to see who goes to his precious sisters high school."