The One and Only

Chapter 7: The Paparazzi pt.2

Her notifications were on going. More friends texting the same things. If it was her. If they were dating. To answer. Some acquaintances even went to the extent of trying to call her but she didn't bother picking up the phone. She couldn't. She just couldn't answer anyone, not with her balling her eyes out. Tears streamed down her face like a roaring river, dripping down onto the floor from her jaw. She whimpered lightly, tossing her phone onto the bed from being so overwhelmed. She quickly buried her face in her hands as she cried. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Being bullied once again.

Amelia was a small, borderline obese kid throughout middle and high school. She loved to learn but dreaded school. She had multiple bullies, no less than 5. They were all so good at their job of bullying her, that it was rare when they didn't end the day with her crying. Some of her bullies went to the length of physically harming her. Some jabbed her body with their fingers, usually causing bruises on her sensitive skin. Others pushed, shoved, kicked and even punched her, giving her many new scrapes and bruises nearly daily. One even yanked her hair, making her fall into the puddles on the blacktop.

She hated the fact that even with her graduating and them not being around her for years now, they still, somehow, had control over her. She felt like it was her school years all over again. It may not have been physical high school, but it was still equally painful to have her bullies continue their work for those 4 years. It was because of them, that she decided to avoid colleges and universities, despite receiving full scholarships to multiple across the nation. It was because of them that she felt like she could no longer pursue her dreams and further her education to become a doctor of veterinary medicine. She just couldn't bring herself to accept any offers. It was because of them that she cried herself to sleep every night up until she was 25 years old. And now, it was like it was happening all over again.

Amelia whipped her tears and stood from her bed, wanting to get away from her loud phone. The amount of notifications coming in were eating away at her phone's battery. Within 30 minutes, her phone would be dead.

She dropped herself onto the couch in her living room, bringing her knees up to her chest as she hugged herself. Letting herself cry, keeping herself from screaming out her emotions. She stayed there for nearly 3 hours, crying as memories of her younger self being bullied and harassed rushed through her mind endlessly. Her hands trembled terribly, wiping away her tears like wipers on a car during a heavy rainstorm. She buried her face into her knees. Her whimpers were loud, no longer able to stop herself from keeping quiet like she usually did.

Her body jolted in fear at the loud knock on her door, echoing throughout her house. She covered her mouth, muffling her cries as she didn't want to interact with anyone, but the knocks persisted.

"Amelia! Open the door. I know you're in there. Please" Chris called out, slamming his now red knuckles against the door. Amelia hesitated a bit before standing, walking over to the door, slowly opening it. Her vision blurry from the tears, trying to make out his face. "Are you ok? Why aren't you answering your phone?! I thought something had happened to you." He spoke, quickly stepping in, making Amelia take a few steps back. He closed the door behind him, grateful that he had seen which apartment she had gone into the night before. Amelia stood quietly, not having the energy to stop him from entering. "I'm sorry." he big buff arms pulled her into a hug, feeling guilty for everything that was happening to her, considering it was his idea to hang out.

She quickly let out a loud whimper, letting her waterworks continue as she felt the warm, loving embrace Chris offered. He closed his eyes, keeping a strong but gentle grip on her, doing his best to comfort her. He parted to look at her, his eyes had a tiny amount of water pooling in them. "Amelia, I'm so sorry. If i would've known i-" he started, only to get cut off by her. "Stop. This isn't your fault." She sniffled out. "It is, I'm the one that invited you out yesterday." He explained. Amelia shook her head, sitting on the couch by an armrest. "I accepted your invitation. It's not your fault Chris." She assured, balling herself up, wiping away her tears to the best of her ability. Her tears slowed down, him being there was somehow comforting. It was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders when he arrived. Part of her crying coming to a halt was also because she was embarrassed to cry in front of others.

He sighed, going over to her and taking a seat next to her. He pulled her into him once again, wrapping his arms snuggly around her. "I'm still sorry this is happening to you." He spoke softly, resting his head on top of hers as she nuzzled into his chest, hugging her knees. They both kept quiet for a while before she broke the silence. "I'm sorry I worried you by not answering my phone, I left it in the room. I didn't want to be anywhere near it." She explained, blinking slowly as she stared in front of her at the blank wall with a single picture of a sunset at the beach hung. "It's fine." He brushed off, loosening his hold on her. Amelia remained still, finding it comforting to be in a fetus position while being embraced by him. The side of his face rested against his chest, hearing the soft, soothing heart beats. Her breath hitched as she ended her cry. Her body felt drained, her eyes blinking slower and slower, getting heavier with each blink. Chris kept still, feeling her body relaxing as time went by.

Soon enough, she had dozed off, falling asleep in his arms. Chris leaned forward lightly, seeing her eyes closed, feeling her breath steady. A soft, heartwarming smile formed on his lips. He leaned back into the couch, slowly bringing her with him so that she wasn't balled up, knowing it'd become uncomfortable after a while. She shifted her head lightly, sighing softly as she continued to nap. He gulped lightly, doing his best not to wake her as he kept an arm around her body. Her body fully relaxed after a good few minutes, letting her of her legs, bringing her arms up to her chest. She shifted lightly, turning onto her side as she cuddled up to him, Chris keeping still to let her get comfortable.

After a while, Amy awoke to find herself hugging him. Her head resting on his chest. She looked up, noticing his head back and eyes were closed, assuming he was asleep as well. She sat up, rubbing her eyes lightly. Chris looked over at her once she had sat up, the movement catching his attention. "Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked her, still concerned for her. She put her hands down, looking at him, "I thought you were asleep, sorry if i woke you. I am feeling a bit better though, thank you." She responded. Chris shook his head as he wasn't asleep. He just had his head back as he let her sleep. "Good, I'm glad you're feeling better." He spoke, getting interrupted by Amelia's hungry stomach. They both laughed. Chris shook his head, ordering Chinese food while she ventured to the kitchen to get a snack to keep her stomach occupied.