I'm Sorry (Watty Nominated 2019)

9.

Chapter 9
Amelia Cunningham

It felt weird to be back at school.

I hated how everyone stared at me; like i was a freak.

But, i guess i was.

Why else would i have attempted to take my own life? I could just imagine what everyone must be saying. This morning i walked past some girls who said i was only looking for attention and sympathy. 

I don't get it.

I don't see why everyone thinks i tried to kill myself.

I finally have a friend, someone other than my parents that i can confide in, that believes me. I finally am content, and have something adjacent to happiness. Why would I try to kill myself? 

But, I guess nobody else knows that I am slowly healing, that things have been better.

Because nobody cares.

I headed for my locker, keeping my head down as to avoid making eye contact with any glaring eyes. As I reached my locker, I heard a very familiar voice that had my heart thrumming in my chest.

"Amelia, hey."

I looked up, my eyes wide with shock. He stared at me with an expectant smile, all the while keeping his distance. I blinked once, twice. Then I looked back over my shoulder to make sure that this was actually happening.

A few people were looking in our direction, and they were just as surprised as I was.

I looked back at him with an unsure smile.

"Tyler?" I asked slowly. "Uhm, hi. This is a surprise." I stuttered and he laughed quietly before closing the distance between us.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. I inhaled sharply, surprised at the gentle gesture and at the same time, earning myself a mouthful of his aftershave.

"I'm glad you're okay, Amelia." He said before pulling back, his hands resting on my upper arms. He smiled at me again, his grey eyes shining with tears. this was definitely not what i expected to happen today.

I felt my own eyes fill with tears as a familiar lump began to form in my throat. I bit my lip as hard as I could to stop myself from breaking down in the middle of the hallway once again, but he grabbed my hands and shook his head.

"Hey, hey, now don't cry. Come on, let's go somewhere private where we can talk. Too many ears around here." He said, gesturing towards a group of students that were openly staring in our direction.

I nodded to him and he wrapped his arm around me before leading me towards an empty classroom that was currently being renovated. We slipped in and he locked the door behind us. I walked in and dropped my bag on the ground before sitting in an empty chair, a bit awkward to be in the same room as him again and actually have him speaking to me. I looked up at him expectantly.

He grabbed another chair and dragged it to where I was sitting, and placed it directly opposite me so that we were sitting face to face. He had a frown on his face, his smile gone as he ran his hands through his newly dyed white hair. I studied his face again, like this was a dream. The perfect eyebrows, the cleanly shaven face, the chiseled jawline, and the piercings that peppered his eyebrow, nose and lips. He really was beautiful.

"I don't understand.." I trailed off, looking at him in confusion.

"I am sorry for not believing you." He said, his voice cracking, his eyes finding shelter on the ground. My frown deepened as tears blurred my vision and confusion clouded my mind. he was one of the people who didn't believe me, he stopped being my friend because he thought i was a liar, and yet here he was, apologizing for not believing me. I didn't understand at all.