Separate But Not Equal

Chapter IX

Last night was surprising to say the least.

After I saw Lottie, I ran up to her stupidly thinking that it would stop her dad from doing whatever he had planned to do

Yet the minute he saw me, it's as though he became a completely different person, pretending that he never planned to hurt Lottie, acting friendly and welcoming the whole time.

He started asking me questions, while Lottie stood in the middle of the road, looking like she was about to cry.

"Are you one of Lottie's friends?"

"How long have you known Lottie?"

"Do you go to Lottie's school?"

After each question a flicker of disgust and disapproval crossed his face quickly hidden by his forced smile.

Just like the rest of them.

Well, at least he tried to hide his thoughts.

He seemed nicer than what I thought I saw him as before.

Maybe what I thought I'd seen through the window, could have just been my imagination, or something else.

Lottie's face said otherwise.

Yesterday she really looked... hurt.

Lottie, but Lottie out of all people.

How could anything bad happen to Lottie?

It never really seemed like Lottie could be having problems at home.

Lottie has everything, she has a perfect life, perfect friends, popularity, everybody loves her.

Lottie seems happy, I mean why wouldn't she be.

Maybe because she has an abusive family.

No, no, that couldn't be her father, no real father would hurt their own child.

I never really cared about Lottie, I mean she had been one of the main reasons I had been bullied at a young age. She always found it amusing to hurt people emotionally, to make them feel worse about themselves then they already did, especially me.

Apart from David, Lottie's one of the reasons that my time at school has been like hell.

When my mother died, she was the one who started telling people to make fun of me, she started sending me letters and notes saying things like, 'It would have been better, if you both died' and 'one less problem in the world.'

She was the one who encouraged David to start hitting me everyday. When they started dating David hung on to every word Lottie says like some sort of lost puppy. So when Lottie started rumors that I had tried to hurt her, that every 'negro' was violent and uncontrollable and wanted to hurt people, David promptly believed her, and made it his mission to make every day at school the worst days he possibly could.

Which he succeeded in.

Really well.

She never lets me leave my own house, without jeering or ridiculing me and calling her 'friends' to join in on the fun.

I shouldn't care about Lottie, at all, not after everything she has put me through, I have no reason to, but something still causes me to feel concerned for her. Even after all the bullying, I can't stop but feel sympathy for these people and if Lottie is in trouble I should help.

Shouldn't I?

Waking up with dropped, red eyes caused from the uncomfortable lack of sleep I got. Rays of blinding sunlight hit a large mirror reflecting onto my skin, pushing me to get up.