Broken Until You

Chapter 17 [PART 2] - Feeling of Confidence

Autumn

Heather and I stood in the bathroom for a couple minutes in silence and I avoided all eye contact with her because I could feel her glare inflicting daggers into me.

I crossed my arms and sighed in annoyance. "So...what did you want to talk about?"

Her glare dropped to my exposed arms. My eyes widened when she grabbed both of my wrist. She quickly let go of one of my wrist, grabbed her phone from her purse, and took a photo of my arms. "Hey!" I cried out.

She held my wrist in her hands and evilly laughed, "did you beat yourself up again?"

I yanked my wrist away from her hold. "I'm leaving if you don't tell me what it is you wanted to say."

"You bother me...a lot."

My eyebrow lifted in confusion, "ok? Why do I care?"

"You know," she wrapped a piece of her blonde hair around her pointer finger, "Ryder doesnt like you at all. He's only working with you because he knows that you will do all the work."

"You know," I wrapped a piece of my brown hair around my finger, mimicking her, "hes actually been doing the work. He writes his essays and comes to the shelter with me so I think that's where you're wrong."

Her light green eyes darkened to the color of trees in a forest and the snarl on her lips told me she was irritated. Good.

"The other day I overheard him speaking to his best friend, Brandon, saying he hates you and that you are nothing but a piece of trash."

I smirked, "maybe you should look in the mirror before you call other people trash, Heather."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Dont believe me."

"Ok I won't."

"You idiotic, worthless girl. You're so pathetic with all those scars on your arms. I bet your parents hate you. That is, if you even have parents. I cant believe you haven't given up already. But," she looked at the markings on my arms, "it seems that you're close."

This is when her words finally affected me. I felt water threatening to fall from my eyes but I blinked it back. A tight pain stung every inch of my heart. My lungs hurt, making it harder for me to take in deep breathes.

Pathetic

Worthless

Idiotic

"I bet your parents hate you"

"I can't believe you haven't given up already"

Why haven't I given up already? I've been through so much pain and trauma for a teenager. So why haven't I given up?

Because I'm strong, that's why. I'm no quitter.

Confidence rose in me. My lungs opened and the pain in my heart went away. I took a threatening step towards her and she backed up in suprise.

"You're scared of me, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened, "w-what?"

"You don't like the fact that you can't understand me so you trying to test me by telling me false things about Ryder to see if it will affect me."

She thinks she can play me. Not today Satan.

"You're the type of person to read the rules before you break them. That's what you do with everyone else — you figure them out then mess with them so they don't challenge you because you want to be above everyone."