"Ok class, for the next couple of weeks we will be working on a project I like to call 'Thought Enhancement,'" I hear my art teacher Ms. Z say as I study the way she shuffles a deck of white cards which she will undoubtedly come around with and hand out to each of us, which will have words which we must use for our next painting for "inspiration" as she does this with every assignment we are given.
"The assignment is to focus on the words on your card and express your feelings about these two words by focusing on each separately and then making a piece that combines both of your feelings involved with these words onto one canvas" she explains as she starts to pass out the cards. Eventually she gets to my work station in the very back of the class and stands in front of me peering over the empty easle. She has one card left and fiddles with it as she examines the deep scar I have on my right collarbone as she does everyday.
"Laila, I saw when Jordan was over here making snarky remarks. Do you want me to do anything about it?"
Ms. Z has helped me throughout my high school years so far, freshman and sophomore years, and still continues to. She doesn't treat me different from the others because of my past or because of my everyday difficulties. She treats me differently because it's like we're sisters. Or more so I fill the space that was left empty by her sister.
It was two and a half years ago, three days into my freshman year, September 6th to be precise, when her younger sister, Amelette, who was the same age as me at the time, overdosed on her anxiety medication.
Ms. Z knew that she had been getting bullied over that summer but her mother was always away on business trips and her dad/Ms. Z's stepdad Jason Littler was always too drunk to even care. So she would constantly be going down to California to spend time with her sister for weeks at a time.
When school started back up and Ms. Z had to come back to Washington, her sister was still not better and the bullies still hadn't stopped.
That's when on the third day of school we came to school and sat in first period as our teacher sat there trying to teach class but not being able to contain her sobs.
She told me once that she didn't want to miss school that day since our school has a hard time finding subs with the bad reputation we have and because it was staff rally day.
Don't ask what that is right now. Just don't.
"No," I respond and then slightly smile, "he'll stop. And if he doesn't, well then maybe this time it will make me so mad that I will actually get him suspended." Jordan has messed with me before and it got so bad that I couldn't take it anymore and had to speak to my counselor, Ms. Swanser because my mom called her and told her to call me in when I wouldn't her what was wrong.
So I went and talked to Ms. Swanser, who is a really nice lady, and after she heard about what happened I had to write him up. Then her and my vice principal called him down to the office. We had to have this talk thing with the counselor and vice principal in the room and after what seemed like hours, we promised we would not do anything to the other person, have any of our friends do anything to the other person, nor talk about anything discussed meeting as it was confidential or it could result in suspension.
Fast forward a couple weeks later when he's telling his jerk friend David about the meeting, saying things and doing things to me again, and having David do things to me. So I could basically tell my counsellor about this at any time and get him suspended but I just can't.
"Okay, but if he tries to touch you in anyway again, I'm telling Ms. Swanser. No ifs or buts about it."
"Fine." I say as she lays the card face down on my desk. I wait until she's walked a few feet and then turn the card over. The card that will tell me what I will have to convey to the whole class in the form of a painting. I turn it over, read the card, and see the two feelings that make me most miserable yet I also have much emotional connection with.
Love and hate.
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A/N: Hey guys, really hope you liked this first chapter. It's my first Wattpad story and it took me sorta long to just write the first chapter so I don't really know when I'll be updating???? But I promise I will try my hardest to work on them faster. I have a lot of great things planned for this story line and hope you guys enjoy it.
YOU ARE READING
Young and Restless
Teen FictionLaila is just a girl trying to get through high school like any other girl. But those girls don't have to deal with an abusive past, parents who won't accept her sexuality, and a love life so confusing and frustrating it can't even be explained.
