Hollywood Arts, Here I Am

Chapter 5: Nadia's Last Chance

"I don't want to talk to you." I defended, crossing my arms.

"Well too bad, you're gonna have to talk to Andre." he retorted.

"Man, I told you not to follow me." Beck said.

Andre gave him a look then turned back to me, "What's been up with you?"

"I'm not gonna tell you anything." I simply answered.

"Oh my god." Jade groaned, "She doesn't want Nadia to find out about your conversations with her. She wants to protect you from Nadia because she can't bare to see you get heartbroken."

Andre's eyes softened, my heart jerked at his voice when he spoke to me, "Why don't you want Dia to know?"

"Because she threatened me. She said that if we conversed again, she would break up with you, for good. And you just seemed really happy with her and I didn't want your happiness to be broken." I confessed, slowly backing up.

"Sky-" Andre softly started.

"No," I interrupted, "I don't need this right now."

I picked up my bag from the floor, "I'm going home early."

I threw my bag over my shoulder and left, walking to the office and signing myself out. I told them I had a small stomach virus and needed to go home. They told me to take care of myself and I nodded, walking out of the building and walking home.

I grabbed my key out of my bag and unlocked the door to my home, I quickly shut the door behind me and locked it, terrified of people showing up. Knowing what to do, I went to my room, grabbed my diary and a few pens, along with some blankets and pillows, some stuffed animals, and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. I went down to my living room and built my fort to look like I was air drying some blankets on my couch. I shoved some pillows into the fort along with my stuffies, and crawled inside. Using the light of my phone, I started writing poems to help me express my emotions.

I want to be with you
But she doesn't
I want to make you happy
But she doesn't
I want to stand next to you
But she doesn't
I want to have things be the way they were
But she doesn't

Of all things in the world, the girl you're with is too insecure to allow you to talk to your friend.
She knows that I feel for you
She knows that I want you
She knows that I love you
She knows this
But she doesn't want me to get between you.

After a couple hours, a knock echoed throughout the quiet room, I called out to it.

"What?"

"It's Beck and Jade." Beck's voice called out.

Internally groaning, I crawled out of my fort and trudged over to the door. I opened the door to see my two best friends, Beck and Jade. Jade was eyeing my arms.

"Is this why you wear long sleeves, even underneath your tee shirts?" she asked as she grabbed my wrists.

"They're old, Jade. I don't even do this to myself anymore."

She gently ran her thumbs over my arms, looking at me with a soft, concerned expression.

"What caused that?" Beck asked, sounding a little furious.

Inviting them inside, then locking the door behind them, I explained, "Nadia's harassment, my mother's abuse, I couldn't just sit around and let it brew in my head, it was physically and mentally exhausting. So I did the only thing I had to do to release the pain."

"But you didn't have to resort to this!" Jade exclaimed, "You have resources, Lane, there's therapy."

"I've tried therapy before, Jade. It didn't work."