I'm (Not) Okay!

~ 12 ~

What the fuck!" She yells as I tug my arm from her.

"It's nothing" I say Running my arm under the tap. You couldn't see the writing until the water washed the blood away.

"This isn't noting dick!" She says. She grabs some tissue and helps me clean up my arm. She gasps when she sees the word. "Why?"

"Because I am" I say quietly. "Everyone says I am"

"No," She says looking me in the eye but I look at the floor. "Only Mason and his gang."

"And-" I almost slip.

"And who?"

"No one" I say quickly lying.

"Who?" She asked again but this sound more like a demand.

"No one!" I shout looking her in the eye. She nods and sighs.

"You need to tell someone abut thi-" she starts but I cut her off.

"No!" I shout and she flinches. "Sorry Artemis but I'm fine"

"At least tell Barbra" She says.

"No," I say as tears well in my eyes. "She'll hate me."

"She won't" Artemis says putting a hand on my bad shoulder and I wince. She pulls her hand away and looks at me. "Have you cut there too?" She sounds disappointed but I nod as I let my tears slip.

"You need to tell someone if it's been going on this long" Artemis says again.

"No," I say "It's only been this once I've done it this bad. On my shoulder it isn't that deep."

"Let me see?" This is less of a question and more like and order. I hesitate before shaking my head. She doesn't need to see.

"Dick," She said sternly. "Let me see" I nod slowly and slip out of my blazer, hang it over the radiator. I look up at her and she gives me a stern look. I slowly roll my sleeve up. Luckily I was wearing a shirt that the sleeve only went to my elbows. I hear her sigh; I don't know whether it is in relief or shock. I look from her and down to my shoulder. The three long cuts aren't that bad, like I said, but she goes to touch them. She looks at me and I nod.

Her fingers run gently over the cuts feeling the bumps they made on my skin.

"They're going to scar" She says to me.

"I know" is all I can say before rolling my sleeve back down quickly, catching her fingers under it as she pulls them away.

"Why won't you tell someone?" She says softly.

"Because I can handle myself," I say Snapping at her slightly. "And if Bruce sees them he won't let me do half of things he lets me do."

"Like what?" She says crossing her arms.

"Letting me have privacy," I say "Letting me have my own space. If he knew he'd get over protective all over again."

"Again?" She asks raising an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter now" I say turning back to the shattered mirror.

"Fine," She says raising her hands "But do it again and I will tell someone" I nod, looking down into the water, as we clean up my arm.

After my arm is clean Artemis says to wait in the toilet. I don't know why but I don't question her. It's been about 5 minutes after she returned with a couple of bandages in her hand.

"They leave the medical office unlocked all the time." She says and I nod at her.

She gripped my arm gently and started to bandage it up. I winced a few times as the bandage rubbed the cuts a little. Every time I do Artemis just sighs. Once she finished my arm was bandaged from wrist to elbow.

"Thanks," I say as she rips the baggage and tucks it into itself. "I don't really know why I did it."

"It's okay," She says "I don't either but as long as you don't do it again"

I put my blazer on and go to walk out but Artemis stops me.

"There's a lot of blood on your blazer." She points out the blood stain on the bottom of my sleeve.

"I'll just say it was from my nose." I say as we walk out of the toilets.

Barbra is walking down the hallway towards us and I give Artemis a quick glance. She nodded to say she understood. Barbra walked up to me and hugged me, rubbing against my arm and I wince. She pulls away fast and looks at me.

"My ribs," I say looking from her to Barbra. "Mason kept kicking them" she nods and hugs me again but not as tight. Artemis is shaking her head at me when I look at he and she mimes.

"You need to tell her" I shake my head and give her a serious look. When Barbra pulled away I grabbed her hand and interlocked our fingers.

"I'd better be getting back to my friends," Artemis said "If Mason gives you any trouble send him my way" she says walking down the corridor.

"Will do!" I shout after her.

"Look at you!" Barbra says looking at my eye. She hesitates to touch it but I nod so she can. "That's going to bruise, Bruce will ask questions"

"And I'll tell him I walked into an open locker or something," I say leading her to our next class as the bell rings. "I'm a good liar"

"Yes you are babes"

I am