"Okay, students, that's all for today's class. If you could all finish your reading by today you'll be ready for your quiz tomorrow." That's when everyone groaned. "Oh, now don't seem so annoyed. I told you about the test two weeks ago, and I told you it takes up a quarter of your grade. You mess this up, you might stay in the same class next year. Dismissed."

But everyone had already left.

It's lunch time, now. I hate cafeteria food so much that just the thought of it makes me want to vomit. Speaking of vomit, I run quickly to the bathroom and let it all out in the toilet. What is wrong with me today!?

I flush the toilet and go to the sink to wash myself. What if the blonde girl was right? What if I'm actually pregnant? But I didn't do anything. I'm clean. Can it happen by itself? Oh God, what if I'm pregnant?

It's okay, I'm not going to panic. Just stay calm and you will sort this out, Victoria.

Seconds later I'm running through the school halls and out of the school. I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this.

I can do this. I walk back into the school, I walk out. I walk in. I walk out. I go and sit on the floor, leaning against the wall. My knees go right under my chin and I lay my head, tears streaming down my face. I bang my head on my knees. "I. Can't. Do. This."

I don't know what I do, so I run. I run as fast as I possibly can because I'm scared someone will chase me. My bag's still at school, but my phone is with me. It's okay. Everything will be okay.

No, nothing will be okay. I'm dying, aren't I? I've done so many bad things and now they are catching up to me, which is why I run even faster. So fast so they won't catch me. They can't catch me, I'm too fast for them. 

After almost getting run over multiple times, I finally managed to make it all the way home. I didn't even realise, because by bus, the school is fifteen minutes away.

I can't do it. I can't do it. I have to go back. 

But there's nothing waiting for me back there! Why the hell am I like this? What am I doing? What am I thinking? Pregnancy? Seriously? That's really what I'm thinking about right now? 

I can't go inside my house, though. I don't want to, so I won't.

So instead, I walk over next door. To the new lady's house. Knocking on her front door, I wait for her reply. 

But then I run. What the actual hell am I thinking? Knocking on her door? Really? That's not going to help anything. She's just going to make things worse. But then, "Young lady!" I stop in my tracks. "Stop where you are right now and don't move! I'll call the cops!"

"Alright, alright! Calm down, Jesus. I'm coming towards you." I raise my hands in the air and start walking towards her. I see a phone in her hand and an open bag of cat food in the other. "Please, you don't have to call the-"

"Shut it. You stay right there and explain to me what on Earth it is that you are doing!" She points her cat food finger at me. Some treats fall out onto the floor near my feet.

"I'm sorry, okay? I just had a rough day and I can't go home so I thought I might go up to your house. But then when I knocked on the door, I remembered that you don't really like me so I tried to leave. I didn't mean to start a problem." I rambled. People don't like rambling, which is why it's so believable. Because I'm not really sorry at all. This woman hasn't done anything to deserve an apology from me, and I haven't done anything that makes me have to apologise to her.

She just looked at me furiously, before saying, "Why aren't you in school?"

Think of a lie, come on. Quickly. "It's a half day."

"And why is that?"

Come on, this is just some old woman, why are you stalling? "Oh- well- because, um. My school, you see, is very particular, yeah? They like giving us half days randomly."

She stared at me like I was an idiot. Hopefully she turns out to be the idiot and believes me. "Do you think I'm an idiot to believe such lies?" Yes, actually. You read my mind. "I will call your mother right now if you don't tell me the truth."

"I skipped class, okay! You happy? 'Cause I definitely am not. Why can't you just get off my back and leave me alone? I'm just a girl who's trying to grow up and you're going to call the cops on me for skipping class? Don't act like you didn't do things that are worse when you were my age."

Again, ramblers are believable. And I know that because her expression has softened. 

"You leave me and my house alone. Next time I will call the police, no excuses."

I nodded and ran home. 

I just want to sleep, I'm so tired. I'm too weak. It feels like I've been running my whole life. Like, my legs hurt me physically. I know it's normal after running such a long distance, but I actually can't move. I run upstairs into my room and jump onto the bed, though. 

My stomach hurts. I go to the bathroom only to find my shorts bloody. Couldn't anyone tell me?  I change my clothes and wear a pad. I feel uncomfortable. I go back and lay in my bed. The feeling gets worse. I change into pyjamas. That's better. I lay down. It's 12:17 now. The sun is blinding me. I get up to close the curtains. That's better.

My stomach still hurts so bad. I start to drift off. Everything slowly fades away, before nothing.

~~
I'm on a road. I don't know which road, just a road. I can't move. I'm stuck in place. I can hear a faint whirring noise, I'm not sure what it is though. It's getting closer. I take in my surroundings.
Okay so, I'm on a road. In a...field? I think this is a field. In the middle of nowhere. Seems lonely. 
It looks like I'm on a hill. The road continues in front of me, never ending. There's nothing else except for- oh. There's a bus stop. With an old woman sitting at it. She's reading a magazine. She looks old. Not old age-wise, though she does look in her sixties. I mean old as in we're living in a different century. She's wearing old money clothes. They're gorgeous.
The sound is getting louder and louder, until I see a car. There's a car in front of me. It's driving and not stopping. What do I do? I open my mouth to scream, nothing comes out. The car gets closer. I can see the driver now. It's my dad. Funny, my dad only comes to kill me.
Because the next thing I know I'm hit. Everything turns black.

~~

I wake up with a scream. What just happened?

I quickly regain consciousness of where I am. I'm in my room, on my bed. Okay. I'm in, pyjamas? Why am I in pyjamas? My memory feels foggy. What's going on?

I quickly get up but immediately fall back down. I'm too dizzy and tired, I can't think. I look down at my clothes. They're bloody. It might be period blood, but why is it on the collar of my shirt? And chest? I walk up to the mirror only to see my face completely bloody. Well, my nose and mouth. Was my nose bleeding? I feel dizzy and fall back to the floor again. I'm too weak. Why am I too weak?

Suddenly there's a ringing noise. It's my phone alarm, someone is calling me. I can't find my phone. Where is the sound coming from? I hear it from- the floor. I get on my knees and start searching, only to find it under a shirt. It's a face-time call. From Charlie. I can't answer him, not like this. I quickly go back to the bathroom and wash my face. The cold water feels like Hell. If Hell froze over, that is.

The call ended but then started again, I pick it up this time. "Hey, Charles. Why'd you call?" I look around my room frantically. Why is it so messy?

He stares at me through the camera for an uncomfortable amount of time before finally speaking up. "Vick, why is there blood on your lips?"

Immediately my hands go up to my lips. I pull them back to see droplets of red. Think of something, Vick. "It's um, Kool-Aid. Yep, Kool-Aid. I just had some." I could hear Charlie sigh, as if he were holding his breath.

"You scared me there, Vick. I thought something happened to you. Anyways, I'm driving up to your house now to return your car. Just thought I'd let you know." 

"Oh, okay. Are you gonna stay?" I ask.

"Do you want me to?"

"I mean, if you're not busy?"

He just smiles, showing his dimple. He only has one, in his left cheek. "I'm not, love. I'll stay."

"Okay, bye."

He smiles and hangs up. I start cleaning up my room. He can't come in here with the place looking like this. It's like a dog was in here.

I pick up my clothes and go to wash myself up. I brush my hair which is still a little wet from this morning. I change out of my pyjamas but leave them on the side for tonight. Minutes later, I hear him at the front door. "Victoria? The door isn't locked. Do I lock it or did you do it on purpose?" He yells.

"Lock it!" I try to yell back, but my voice is barely audible. I can't yell, my throat hurts too much. I slowly make my way downstairs, bumping into the walls. I see him waiting in the living room, a bag in his hand. Two bags, actually. "Lock it." I say.

He looks me up and down before nodding and doing so. He then sets the bags down and comes walking towards me, embracing me in a hug. This is too much, it hurts so bad. I push him away. "Why are hugging me?"

He looked lost, out of place. "Sorry, I thought you were just-"

"Yeah, well don't. I don't want to be hugged." I go and lay down on the couch. What if my nose starts bleeding while he's here?  "What's with the bags?" I ask.

He takes one to reveal that it's mine. My school bag. "Found this. I went to look for you around half an hour ago, it was in your locker." 

"What about the other bag?" He hands the other one to me. I open it to see snacks in it. "What is this for?"

I see his leg bopping up and down. It annoys me that he's nervous. "Because I know you're sick." I looked at him confused. He just looks at me with sympathy. "Vick.. You never drink Kool-Aid. It has so much sugar which you hate. Never once in your life have you ever even considered drinking it. I know it was blood. Which is why I bought you that."

He gestures towards the bag in my hands. You see the thing is, Charlie doesn't have much money. His dad's an asshole and he's never met his mother, so he spends his time on the streets. That's why mom doesn't like him. She doesn't trust him, but I do. She says girls like me shouldn't be hanging out with guys like him.

But the fact that he bought me things with his own money despite everything and all the lies I've told him, the fact that he knows I'm lying to him, it makes me feel bad. I don't deserve him. He should have someone better, but no matter how many times I tell him he deserves better, he changes the subject.

"Thank you." I mutter. I can't speak. I won't tell him about the pain I've been feeling, because he doesn't need to know. He's not my boyfriend just to solve my problems for me. That's not what he was made for. He was made to create his own future. His own life. Not to waste it on me.

"Thank you, Charlie." I don't deserve you.

He smiles, but then gets up and walks towards the door. "I can't see you like this if you don't want me to, Vick. I'm only staying if you're going to tell me what's going on." When I don't speak, he nods his head and leaves.

I'm alone again.

______________

Word count: 2134

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