Doubt It Gets Better ● (Colby Brock)

Ch. 1 Tragedy

My name is Mersadies Royce, but most people call me Sadie. Actually scratch that, people that actually call me by my name call me Sadie, so not many. Most call me whatever they feel like saying. They don't care.

Many people hate me. My younger sister, my ex friends, my classmates, even my teachers hate me. I have some friends but it doesn't stop all the bullying I get every single day of my miserable life.

Let me start from where it all began.....

Life for me was pretty good back when I was in middle school and before that. I was always the adventurous type so was my dad, and we would always take road trips to random places. We had a special bond that was different from everybody else and it was cool.

Around early August, summer before my 8th grade year, we were just coming back from our 5 day trip to some mountains. My mom and my sister Jewls weren't interested in this trip as usual so it was just my dad and I.

My phone rings.

I answer, "Hi mom............ Yah, we'll be back in like 20 minutes.......... Mmhm, got dinner already....... Yup.... Okay love you, bye." I end the call.

"Did you get chicken or beef when you got the food?" I asked my dad.

"Got both. Not gonna make that mistake ag--"

Out of no where, a car came and hit us.

Everything went black.

.................................................

I woke up in a hospital bed and was confused on why I was here. I tried moving my right arm but it wouldn't bend. I looked at it and found that it was in a cast. Then a nurse walked in.

"Oh, you're awake, I'll go call the doctor."

Before I could ask her a question she left.

Minutes later a doctor walked in. He had a white coat on with glasses and brown hair. He looked to be around his late 30s.

"What happened? Why am I here?" I asked before he could say anything.

"Well unfortunately you were in a car accident and was rushed to the hospital." The doctor said.

At first I was confused, then everything hit me. Mom's call, the conversation, the black SUV that hit our car.

"What about my dad?"

The doctor's expression changed, he looked down with sadness.

"Tell me," I almost yell, scared of what he'll say.

The doctor looked up and took a breath before he spoke.

"When the car hit your car, it hit the drivers side and made a huge indent on your father's side of the door causing the door to not open. Someone was able to get you out of the car but they couldn't open your father's door. Because of the gasoline that spilled when the car flipped upside down, it caught on fire. The police and ambulance hadn't come on time..........I'm sorry to say but," he took a deep breath knowing that this was the hardest part of his job......... "You're father didn't survive."

.................................................

I remember the rest of that week and my dad's funeral, I was balling my eyes out. Nothing was the same after that. That summer I was diagnosed with MDD (major depressive disorder). I always had trouble sleeping and I didn't eat much. I lost 30 pounds by the end of summer.

"At least eat something for breakfast. You don't look good." Jewls said before leaving the house to her bus stop.

"I think I'm fine," I murmured.

It was the first day back to school. I wore an oversized dark gray sweatshirt, black jeans, all black vans, and wore my auburn hair up in a ponytail. My gray eyes eyed the bagel and cream cheese that was already made on the counter. I considered taking it but instead I just grabbed my backpack and headed out the door to my bus stop.

As I was walking towards my bus stop, Sam came out of his house and met me on the sidewalk.

"Hey," Sam said when he side hugged me.

"Hey Sam."

"So you ready for this year?"

"Umm, I guess."

We reached our bus stop. I saw Jewls talking with a group of boys. Here I really got to look at what she was wearing. She wore a light pink lacy crop top with a hole in the middle showing her cleavage, really short black high waist shorts, and black wedges.

The fact that she was only a grade lower than me, meaning that she was in 7th grade and she had the audacity to wear something like that to middle school, it baffled me.

I just shook my head sighing and looked away.

The bus finally came and we got in. Less then 15 minutes later we arrived at school.