Left To Survive

XXIV

A month later
17 May

"How are you still alive?" I asked the little moon plant while squatting down. It has been blooming all day and all night since I read Yara's letter. The plant didn't answer. The other flowers, bushes and cacti died, as I hadn't cared for them since she died.

Yara had been on my mind every single hour of every single day. I wished I could ban the devastating pain out of my head, together with the regrets, the missing. But I couldn't.

School had been hell, worse than ever before. Getting beaten up at least twice a week made me come home full of bruises. My parents had been trying to put some sense into my teachers minds, trying to show them how fucked up this all is. Teachers said that we're all just teasing each other. They said I shouldn't ask for it like that. Or it's because she's fat and has no friends, what do you expect?

But if I was being honest, I couldn't care less. And the bullies, especially Jenna, enjoyed seeing me not caring. I was like a doll for them now. I didn't say a word when they let me trip, when they intercepted me on my way home to insult and beat me. I was silent. I didn't resist.

Because in the end, who cares? I stopped caring. I cared for Yara. I cared too much, and look now where that brought me. It brought me pain. Immense flames of pain, that made me cry out in the middle of the night during panic attacks.

I didn't see Jaden much, and when I did, I hid somewhere, or I went to seat on another place. He asked me if he did anything wrong, if something happened. I didn't answer him. I think he found out one day, because people talk, and since a week or two he has been looking at me with pity in his big brown eyes. And I just couldn't deal with it. I ignored all his attempts to talk to me, his texts and calls. And he hasn't stop trying yet, that idiot.

I also stopped eating, and lost so much weight that my mom took the responsibility on her to feed me at least two meals a day. I tried, for her. Not for myself.

Because again, I couldn't care less.

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The next day
18 May
8 AM

"Ah, there she is!" On my way to school I heard Max's voice. Sighing, I continued walking. I heard him yelling behind me, then his running footsteps became louder as he approached me. My airway got closed off when he grabbed the cap of my hoodie and pulled me towards him. He proceeded to drag me inside a small alley, me struggling to obtain my balance, and pushed me against the wall. I was not resisting, Max was too strong and it had no point.

"What?" I hissed at him. The rest of their friend group came in the alley too, all laughing. They probably all discussed what to do to me in a bar over their expensive tequila's. I looked at them: I saw Jenna, of course, then Dave and Sarah, who were hugging each other. Apparently they were a thing now.

"So," Max held me in his grip with his arm on my chest. I could move my arms, but it was useless because I had no strength whatsoever. "How's our little puppet doing?"

Max's smile disappeared when I bluntly looked into his eyes instead of answering. I wasn't even scared anymore. I knew he'd beat me up anyways, so what's the point of being scared, or even showing fear? I just hoped it'll be over soon, and that it wouldn't be too bad.

"Being silent now, hm?" Max seemed annoyed for some reason. Hello? No one asked him to bully me. "That'll teach you!" he said, before letting his heavy right arm go off my chest to exchange it with his left. He raised his right hand up into a fist, ready to punch me, probably in the face. I squinted my eyes, preparing for the shock. It didn't come.

Carefully and slowly I opened my eyes to see why Max didn't hit me. My mouth almost fell open when I saw the scene before me. Max didn't change position: still one hand on me and the other in a fist in the air. But he seemed to struggle, his hand was shaking in the air, as if something stopped him from moving. It stayed like that for a few seconds, and all of us, including Dave, Jenna and Sarah, were looking at his fist in unbelief.

"What the-" Max started, but then the moment stopped and Max planted his fist against the wall. I saw it started bleeding, and Max cursed loudly holding his precious hand.

I saw my chance and slipped out of the alley, still in shock and not understanding of what I just witnessed.

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A/N:
Sorry for not posting every day, I'm on holiday and don't have a lot of time for this :)
Hope y'all are still enjoying the story!
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