Hard to Feel Whole ~ Sample

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

My breath caught in my throat and my eyes began to prickle with raw emotion at the horrid sensations running through my body. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I woke abruptly and scrambled to the edge of my bed in an attempt to end the nightmare.

“No! Please no, not again!” I whispered, pressing the heels of my palms to my eyes as I struggled to banish the horrific images from my head. I can’t take much more of this.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I reached for the glass of water on my nightstand. With shaking hands I brought the cool liquid to my lips, swallowing to clear the debilitating lump from my throat. My heartbeat began to slow and I eased myself back between the covers on my bed. I curled my knees up towards my chest and took a deep breath; trying with all my might to force happier times into my mind’s eye. After what seemed like an eternity my eyelids grew heavy and I was greeted with more pleasant memories…

Someone or something crashed into my side and flew over the top of me. His back pack hurled into the air before he face planted unceremoniously to the ground, howling in pain as various other parts of his anatomy followed his face.

“Watch it!” I said as my butt hit the gravel. 

He’d appeared out of nowhere. The boy finally skidded to a standstill outside the classroom. Gasps and shrieks from the kids close by filled the air as a young teacher ran quickly to his side.

“Jakey? Oh my goodness. It’s okay, come on let’s get you to the nurse,” she said, “The rest of you can go into class quietly and take out your holiday assignments ready to hand in when I get back, I’ll be five minutes tops.”

“Oh my,” I whispered under my breath, shocked at his battered appearance.

When the teacher took hold of his hand to help him up, the boy glanced in my direction. Staring back at me was the cutest boy. His dark blonde hair hinted at curls. He had a friendly face and even though blood covered his cheek from hitting the gravel, the few heavy freckles across his nose and cheeks were still visible. The boy’s chest heaved up and down; his face turning red as he fought like crazy to blink back the tears that threatened to spill from his penetrating blue eyes.

“Sorry,” he managed to mouth in my direction as the teacher helped him up. I moved towards my back pack giving him a sympathetic smile as the teacher led him away. Starting a new school and leaving Gran was bad enough without causing a stir on my first day.

“That’s Jake,” a girl said as I dusted myself off and picked up my scattered belongings. I didn’t pay her much attention; I was too busy replaying the collision in my head.

“He’s new too, he doesn’t say much, he’s a bit shy,” she said. This piece of information broke my trance.

After a busy morning of mind blowing information on the ins and outs of Raven Elementary School my head hurt and my stomach grumbled ready for lunch. The cafeteria hummed with the mass of giddy bodies all dashing about, hugging and squealing with the excitement of not having seen each other for a whole weekend. I squeezed my way to the lunch line in the hopes of grabbing a drink.

“Hey,” a voice behind me said, making me gasp in surprise. I turned quickly to come face to face with Jake, the boy from earlier.

“Err... Hello.”

“I’m Jake... I’m really sorry about this morning; knocking you over and everything...” He grinned widely and blushed a bit as he spoke.

“It’s okay... I’m okay... I’m Abbie,” I said as a warm blush spread up my own face, “Are you alright, it looked really bad. There was a lot of blood.”