Broken Wing

Chapter 1

The weather going down in the cold months of winter had everyone coughing and cursing their tongues off at the place they call home. Everyone looked as if they were held at gunpoint and forced to move their feet out of their mourning beds and into the hellhole one calls school.

Returning to school was tough for those who had just begun to learn what sleep was, for those who were endlessly humiliated in front of what seemed like the whole world. It was going to be the toughest year yet, for it was the last year of high school and to achieve the grades you had dreamt of for the past decade of your learning years.

But this was just the start of life.

Acacia strolled down the lane to her school, gripping onto her arms for dear life as the claws of the icy wind dug into  her flesh to feast on the innocence of her so called purity; unfortunately for her she forgot to grab her winter's coat from home, so she had to spend the day shivering through the fierce beginning of winter, broadcasted to be one of the coldest in history for England.

Her black blazer was draped over her shoulders, and even though she was wearing a woolly vest underneath her tight school shirt the cold sunk through the fabrics and left a print onto her stomach. Her black school trousers were itching her inner thighs as she remembered she didn't put on the right pair of trousers; this one was obviously the one she had to return as it was so small and tight on her it almost ripped.

The sun was high in the sky, shining onto her long curly golden hair shimmering bronze, yet it made no difference to the icy weather, blowing her ringlets across her face. Her nose went numb as the wind entered it's way into the nasal wonders and froze her relentless mind. As the cars stopped to give way, she gave a little jog as she entered the school gates, the towering trees bushed around each other in the orderly manner they were raised to be.

To her surprise the school halls were filled with students from her year, jumping and messing about with each other. As she walked through the crowd the quick whiff of stuffy body odour slapped her across the face, causing her to scrunch her nose up in disgust. Between a few people she recognised as the "Black Squad" she found her friends, in fact her best friends- talking in a corner and she squealed in delight.

"Lavender! Roxanne!" She sang as she swung her arms around her besties', bringing them in for a tight hug.

"Ace," Lavender harmonised alongside Roxanne, "how've you been my little Italian pizza!?" Ilirya took a step back and smiled.

Oh if they knew how my month of "holidaying" went, they'd feel so sorry for me. But I hate pity, I don't want them to do that!

"Uh..it was fine, you know, the usual..shopping." She mumbled, forcing a smile to dance amongst her cheeks.

"Yes girl, I've seen what you sent me, is that all?" Roxanne questioned, her chocolate brown eyes eyeing Acacia's grey panicking ones through her square glasses, her Afro Minnie Mouse ears bopping up and down, teasing her.

"Oh..no, no of course not!" Lavender chuckled as she continued to go on her phone. "I have, like, way more than that..like, 3 more bags to what I showed you."

"Oh thank God!" Roxanne exhaled, patting Acacia on the shoulder lightly. "But, how does that fit in your wardrobe?"

"Oh, I uh..I threw out my old clothes..yeah, that's why."

"Hmm alright." She replied as she turned back to look at someone, "I'll be back I gotta say hi to Shyanne!" And with that Roxanne was gone along with Lavender.

Once again Acacia was left alone.

Nothing has changed... She thought to herself, grabbing onto the strap of her duffer backpack. A chorus of groans had echoed through the hallways and that's when she realised the school bell had rung for form time. Everyone was rushing and as usual, she got pushed around, bouncing from wall to locker like a ping pong table, partly because no one knows to even care about her, or she's just so tiny. Both of them would be good excuses considering her other options were unrealistic.

Just as she was getting the thought around the fact that she'll never grow, she felt her bag shoved off her shoulder, and as she looked up she saw the familiar face of annoying jerk-face Jude. She looked up to glare at him, but her face softened as she saw his big dark eyes gazing into hers, his tight curly hair forming into an Afro, his full lips curling into a slight smile, and she felt her heart beat fast.

"Sorry Acacia," he apologised, picking her bag up from the floor and slipping it over her right shoulder. His dark chocolatey skin had cleared up, and she felt herself thinking he was...cute.

"Uh, th-thank you...Jude.." she whispered, pivoting to walk away quickly, but before that she saw a quick sparkle in his emerald eyes and she felt herself fall back, a pang echoing in her chest.

There are times in life you wish to just curl up in a ball and disappear into the silence, and there are times where you will boldly want to fire your ball of energy back at the people who are not worth your time.

That was how Acacia felt.

Facing Jude after a solid month of weeping at home had left her feeling confused. She should hate him, oh so much, but the butterflies still fluttered around in her stomach. Was it the butterflies of anger, or did they hatch out of lust? She thought she had left it all behind, but why did the events that had crushed her soul have to creep back up again? Lost in thoughts she didn't hear the echoing noise of an attention seeking cough coming from right in front of her.

Acacia looked up, her eyes locking with the same eyes that had captured her soul the first time they had met. The swirls of milk chocolate danced around in warmth, but his lips didn't show the same welcoming feeling as he made her believe. They curled into a smirk as he edged closer to her, leaning an arm on the peeling wall behind her.

"What do you want?" She asked, in a quiet, almost inaudible tone. She heard her heart thumping in her chest, louder than the words struggling to escape her throat, and it was silently deafening.

"What you saying?" His breath stroked her cheek, and the familiar smell of mint trailed down her neck.

"What do you mean?" Acacia wasn't the one to use slang, nor did she understand a word of it. It was like a foreign language; she had never gotten used to it and she never will.

He chuckled, the sweet gurgling sound bringing back the memories of how his voice sent chills of pleasure down her spine. "I meant, how are you? What's new?"

She didn't know what to say, a lump formed in her throat and her body restricted her to speak, yet her mind was exploding with unanswered, dying questions.

Why was she still vulnerable to his touch...so vulnerable to his words?

She shouldn't be, but she was.

"Jude..please," she looked down, fiddling with her nails, "you shouldn't be talking to me, and I to you."

"Oh but you know you want to." His whispers made her breath hitch, and she didn't know whether to scream or to cry.

"Let me make myself more clear then," she trembled, the memories flashing back from last year triggered her, and she found confidence rising up in her voice, "don't talk to me."

Acacia looked back up, anger sending daggers to dig out his brain, and his eyes flashed with a dark shadow before neutralising into amusement.

"You know you don't want that." His bitter voice was laced with such honey it made it hard to stay mad.

"Did I stutter?" She hissed, hitting Jude's arm it loosened his grip on the wall and stumbled forward before gaining his balance again. Acacia grabbed him by the collar and brought his ear to her lips. "I didn't, so move."

She shoved at his chest lightly yet full of aggression, giving way for her to move to her next lesson, and from the corner of her eye she saw him just standing there, puzzled as to what just happened.

How dare he try to talk to her after what he did? Who does he think he is? The humiliation. The pain. The sorrow...and he didn't feel bad, not even a little. She should've listened to everyone when they said stay away, but the overwhelming happiness she was engulfed by had drugged her.

They had only encountered once, but time had stopped for them as if for eternity.