Bruise

Ch. V | lethe

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"There's a fever burning up in me
I'm tangled up inside a sinking feeling"

Intrapersonal - Turnover

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As was my usual Monday morning routine, I dragged myself into the bathroom and began to get ready, albeit somewhat groggily. I caught my reflection in the mirror and noted how I looked like death; I had bags beneath my eyes and my hair seemed to be attempting to mimic a bird's nest. My appearance wasn't helped by the bruises which covered my arms, unhidden by the vest I liked to sleep in. Despite bathing and applying ice to them yesterday, they hadn't faded. What had begun as red blemishes had developed into unmistakable purple blotches, with one on my upper arm perfectly resembling a hand. Bile began to rise in my throat as my mind wandered back to that night. I began to rub my wrists, still feeling the rough texture of the rope chafing against my skin. Those marks had faded, but the memory hadn't. Why was I like this? It had been an entire day, why was I still thinking about what happened? I shook my head vigorously, as if to physically shake the thoughts from my head. It did little more than give me a headache.

***

Once I had gotten washed and made my face and hair look somewhat presentable, I returned to my room and perched on the end of my bed. I yawned and checked my phone, idly scrolling through pictures that various friends had uploaded of their respective weekends. Quickly growing bored, I tossed my phone onto my pillow and began to get ready.

Once again noting the bruises on my arms, I grabbed a baseball jacket to throw over my outfit. I had stolen the jackett from Priya, who in turn had 'borrowed' it from a boy she had kissed. I had no intention of returning it to her; though it was slightly large on me, it was fairly thin, so I wouldn't overheat. And besides, I thought it was cute on me. I pulled my hair out of the collar of the jacket and grabbed my bag and phone. Glancing at the screen, I noted that I had ten or so minutes to spare; for once, I wouldn't have to run to the station. I closed my bedroom door and paused, waiting for my mother to shout some sort of instruction or abuse at me from her room. When I was met with silence, I did a mental cheer. First, I was ready early, then my mother was asleep. Perhaps this was a sign that I was to have a good day. Before I could give my mother chance to wake up, I rushed downstairs and grabbed a peach from the kitchen before leaving the house.

As I arrived at the train platform, headphones on and my breakfast long eaten, I perched on a wall and inhaled deeply. The scent of spring blossoms hung in the air and filled my lungs. Somehow, I felt as though the air was cleansing me; with each breath, I felt like I exhaled some of the anxiety and negativity that I had amassed over the weekend. Though I knew the calm was only to be temporary, I relished the brief moment; rarely did I have chance to completely forget about my home life.

The arrival of the train brought me back to reality. I quickly boarded, taking a window seat and tossing my bag beside me. My hands hovered over the zipper as I contemplated pulling out my usual study material. Deciding against it, I instead opted to watch the passing landscape and listen to my music. However, it didn't take long before my eyes began to flutter closed. I offered no resistance, allowing the rhythmic movement of the train to relax me. It couldn't have taken long for me to fall asleep; the next thing I knew, Priya was nudging me awake and we were just pulling into our station.

"Wake up, you freak." Despite the insult, I could hear the lighthearted tone in her voice. I mumbled something that definitely couldn't have been classed as a sentence, before I was jolted by a weight landing on me. My eyes shot open to see my bag resting in my lap, and Priya looking down at me with an amused expression on her face and her phone in her hand. I started blankly at her for a few moments, before standing up and pulling off my now-silent headphones.

"Why am I even friends with you?" She laughed and shook her head at me before replying.

"Shut up, you love me and couldn't live without me." I raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, if that's what gets you to sleep at night then sure." I slipped past her and stepped out of the train. She quickly followed, making sounds of indignation.

"Rude!" I chuckled before offering my arm for her link with. She took it before slowing for a moment and narrowing her eyes at me. "Hold on, isn't that my jacket?" I quickly feigned a look of innocence and continued walking.

"I don't think so?" I phrased it as a question, daring her to challenge me.

"That's totally my jacket! Not that I care; I feel like half of the clothes in my wardrobe are yours anyways." I rolled my eyes at her; she wasn't wrong.

"Actually, I think you'll find that it's neither of ours, but belongs to a certain brown-haired boy you decided to... Get to know." Priya laughed again.

"Oh please, you make it sound sordid." She ran her free hand through her hair. "He wasn't a good kisser, so I took his jacket as compensation for wasting my time." She shrugged slightly and we continued walking.

"You should probably give it back at some point." Priya snorted.

"I think the fuck not. You keep it; it's cute on you."

***

"Lockers?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the question. Priya asked the same thing each day, and my answer was always the same. I chuckled.

"Of course." As we walked, a comfortable silence between us, I noticed Ash sitting on a bench further ahead. Sat next to him was Caspian, the space between them negligible. They were deep in conversation, smiling and laughing. Ash looked up for a moment and we locked eyes. He seemed to be about to come over, but I shook my head and winked, giggling to myself. Instantly, his cheeks turned red, and he bit his lip, trying not to smile. "Details later," I mouthed, moving to hide my grin by running my hand though my hair. Ash nodded and turned back to Caspian, while I turned to Priya, who was giggling.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who had fun as Cas' party," she murmured, stopping at her locker.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Blake's voice seemed to materialize out of nowhere, catching me off guard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Priya slammed her locker shut and turned, her brow furrowed. Blake shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, let's be honest, you're not exactly hard to get, are you?" Priya's jaw slowly clenched and unclenched. "I mean, come on, how many guys have you been with now?" Priya opened her mouth to reply, but I cut her off.

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up?" My earlier serenity was now gone; though I had no doubts that Priya could hold her own, the few words Blake said had infuriated me. His prior cocky smirk was quickly replaced with a scowl.

"Excuse me?" I stepped forward, standing closer to him than I would normally have liked. Priya looked taken aback but made no movements to stop me.

"You heard me. Somehow, I don't think it's any of your damn business what she chooses to do with her time." Blake balled up his fists and began glaring at me. I placed my hand on my chin in faux thought. "Although, I can see why you'd have an interest, seeing as though she gets more action than you ever will." I finished with a shrug of my shoulders. His eyes widened briefly, and he began to splutter.

"Whatever." He barged past me and knocked me aside, causing me to fall against the lockers. He wasn't forceful, but the impact against my bruises caused pain to shoot down my arm. He turned momentarily at the sound of me colliding but opted to continue walking.

"Prick," I spat, straightening up and linking arms with Priya once again.

"Are you alright? You didn't have to do anything, I could've ripped into him myself." Priya looked concerned, so I laughed to put her at ease.

"I'm fine, trust me. And besides, I'm your best friend; it's my duty to stand up and fight for you." I smiled, raising my free hand to my head in a salute. Priya chuckled.

"You're a freak."

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Sorry for the delay in updating! I hope to update more frequently from now on, so you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter.

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