Lights Of The Memory Lane ✔

#12 Soreness

   Something hard and large collides with Emily's face, causing her to lose her balance and fall down to the ground. Her sight becomes blurry and she almost lose her consciousness. If it is not for the loud familiar voice that is gradually coming closer to her, she would let the pain in her head encourage her to sleep endlessly.

   "Emily! Are you all right?" someone shakes Emily's shoulder as she is still sitting on the ground with her knees pointed skywards. She tries to stand up, but she feels light-headed, so she lets the person help her to rise to her wobbly feet.

   "Are you okay?" the person asks again, putting a hand on Emily's back to steady her as she is still dizzy. Emily focuses her eyes on the person who just helped her. Katherine... Then, all her senses become alive and she can perceive the things around her. She sees a ball at her right foot and a few girls in sportswear staring at her. Some of them look at her sympathetically whilst the others just giggle and sneer.

   "We had warned you to look out, but you just stood there, paralysed like a deer in the headlights," one girl says and giggles.

   "Did you throw the ball at her?" Katherine steps up and seethes.

   "No, I didn't. In fact, she was the one who hit the ball too hard," the girl gestures with her head at another girl with a ponytail.

   Emily and Katherine quickly move their gaze at the second girl who is a redhead.

   "What? No! I was --" she stops talking all of a sudden when the first girl stares at her murderously. She visibly gulps and mutters an apology at Emily before looking down to her shoes.

   Emily and Katherine look at each other after sensing something wrong. They think the second girl wanted to tell the truth, but the first girl just stopped her with a savage look.

   "Hannah, get the ball," the first girl points at the ball which is located at Emily's foot, and the second girl who is now known as Hannah rushes to do what she has been ordered to. She stops in front of Emily and picks up the ball. Before turning away, she glances at Emily guiltily and apologetically.

   "Eek! Her nose is bleeding!" one of the girls squeaks and points to Emily.

   "Huh?" Emily puts her hand under her nose and shivers when she feels something wet on it. She moves it away and she can finally see the red substance on her fingers.

   "Oh, my God! Emily!" Katherine widens her eyes after noticing blood flowing from Emily's nose. She frantically grabs a tissue paper from her pocket and gives it to her best friend who is still dazed.

   With a shaky hand, Emily takes the tissue paper and covers and wipes her bleeding nose with it. She firmly pinches the soft part of her nose, just above the nostrils to stop the bleeding. What's next?  Her heart beats faster as she cannot remember the next step.

   "Let's just go to the nurse!" Katherine pulls Emily's wrist and starts leading her to the Medical Room.

   Whilst following Katherine's steps, Emily glances at the surroundings. Several girls stare at her worriedly and in shocked silence whilst the first girl smirks at her and turns away with her friends.

   Apart from that, Emily also sees that some boys of the football team crane their necks and peer at the girls to get a better view after hearing one of the girl's squeak and the chaos that happens in front of the volleyball court. She notices Anthony looking at her, but it happens too fast as Katherine practically drags her away out of that place.

*******

   "Put it on your nose like that," Mrs. Claire, one of the school's nurses, tells Emily as she hands an ice pack to the poor girl. Emily nods weakly and follows Mrs. Claire's advice. She can literally taste the iron in her mouth. Ugh...