-𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 - 𝑚𝑖𝑑90𝑠 -

ONE

ꨄ

i barely got out of bed this morning, not wanting to have to deal with the same shitty school and the cruel ass, shitty ass kids that attend it. everyone there is so fucking mean, you have to live up to they're almost impossible standards to be liked, and i hate it. i obviously don't live up to those standards, and they seem to hate me for it. and i don't know why, why can't they just leave me alone?

i walked up to my locker, opening it and at least trying to get my things in there without having anyone bother me. i shoved my skateboard into the back, i knew those kids would try and steal it if only they could. and not because they want it. just so they can hurt me. i heard a loud bang on the locker next to me, making me jump. i turned to see jimi and his stupid fucking friends.

"hey, little salem, how've you been," he said teasingly, i just turned back toward my locker, praying to god he'd just leave me alone for once.
"i think she's gone deaf," i heard jayme say, they all chuckled.
"hey, dumbass! turn the fuck around," jimi yelled in my ear, i squeezed my eyes shut in order to try and stay calm. i shut my locker as they all laughed, walking away and to my class as quickly as possible.

after school, i usually just go to the courthouse and skate, even if i do sometimes get dirty looks from guys there. at least there aren't people from my school that skate there. well, other than ruben who usually hangs there with his skater friends. but he usually minds his own business, even if he is friends with jimi and jimi's friends. he's nice to me whenever they weren't around, he could be a douche sometimes, though. but its not anything new, anyway, so i didn't really care.

i was walking home one night after being out all day, just avoiding going home like usual. i lost track of time, it was really late, and i wasn't safe being out. i speed walked home, my board clutched under my arm as i kept my head low. i walked by a skatepark that still had a few kids in it, i was looking at them as i walked, when i spotted jimi and his friends. they weren't very far, they could've easily seen me. i got even more scared, turning my head back to be facing the ground under my feet.

that's when one of them called me out.
"oh shit, look! it's salem chavez," one of them yelled, i started walking faster, wishing i could just vanish into thin air.

i was in the parking lot of the skatepark, only one street light illuminating it, whilst the actual park had many.
"no shit!! yo, wait up," i heard jimi say. i was about to start sprinting when one of them caught the hood of my hoodie. i was pulled back and against someone.

"what's a little ass girl like you doing out here so late," i heard jayme say from behind me, i took a step away from him as i turned around to face him. he was smiling, all his friends seemed to gather around me.
"is she gonna answer the question?" one of them said.
"im- im just-"
"speak up, sweetheart," jimi said, i looked at him, then back down.

"im just going home," i said in a clearer tone, they laughed.
"aw, she's just going home. that's cute," jayme said, i didn't move an inch.
"look at what we got here," said another one of them, oscar, as he snatched my board out of my arms.
"hey, give it back," i yelled as i tried going up to him, only to have some guys grab me by the arms and pull me away. they all laughed as i tried getting out of their grip. it was no use, they're way stronger than me.

jayme took the board out of oscar's hands, examining it as he smirked.

"oh, what? you want it?" he teased as he held the board toward me. i furrowed my eyebrows, hoping he wasn't gonna do anything to it, even if i knew he was.
"please, just give it back," i said, they all thought i was so ridiculous.
"oh, salem. you should know by now, bitches don't skate. especially bitches like you," he said. my eyes started welling up.
"it just isn't normal, it never will be, salem. so... i'll do you the favor of getting rid of this for you," he continued, i shook my head.

"please, i can't afford another one, please, just give it back! please!!!"
i was about to start bawling my eyes out, they never seemed to stop laughing at me.
"why do you think i'm breaking it, dumbass," he said, our faces only inches away. i was hopeless at this point, these guys' grips on my arms only brought more pain to me. jayme backed away, turning around again once he got a few feet away.
"say goodbye to your precious board, little salem," he said, before smashing it against a concrete ledge.

"stop," i screamed as they all cheered, he obviously didn't stop. he kept going at it until it finally split, the other half falling to the ground. i sobbed quietly as he triumphantly held the two pieces up, walking towards me again. he looked at my face with a horrible smirk, clearly amused at the fact that i was uncontrollably crying as i looked at the pieces of my board in his hands.

"don't plan on getting another one, bitch," he said. i looked up, looking around at everyone else as they laughed, dapping each other up and pointing at me. ruben was the only one not laughing, instead giving me a sorry look. i was let go as they walked away, jayme threw my broken board onto the ground as they did. i got down on my knees next to it, collapsing as i sobbed harder. ruben was still left standing there, he seemed to want to say something. but instead he just left with the others after a moment of watching me sob over a broken skateboard.

i was heartbroken, and i knew i was gonna get in trouble for having broken it. it cost my mom a lot of money. i didn't feel like getting up. i stayed there, crying for a while until i realized i still had a long way home. and now, i don't even have my skateboard with me.

i'm alone. completely... alone.

ruben's pov

oscar took salem's board out of her arms, she whipped around, about to run up to him until drew and jackson caught her arms. jayme started taunting her as he had her board in his hands now. you could see her eyes get glassy as she came to the realization she wasn't getting out of anyone's grip, and that she was gonna lose her board.

salem and i live at the same apartment complex, i know her mom doesn't do too well, economically. and it was hard not to feel bad when i could relate to her in so many ways.

jayme didn't even hesitate to start smashing her board against a concrete ledge. i flinched as i watched it unravel, i wish i could've just stopped him. but i didn't want them to start treating me the way they treated her.

i was such a fucking pussy.

i felt so guilty as she started to sob, i could almost feel her hopelessness. the rest of the guys started walking away as she collapsed next to her board, taking both pieces into her hands. i wanted to tell her i'm sorry, but i couldn't bring myself to it, so i just walked away.

i got home late like i always do, and i came across her. she was still standing outside her door when i was about to go into my home. she seemed to be contemplating going in, she still had her board with her. her shaky hand brought her key up to her door, before she finally went in and shut the door behind her. my curiosity brought me to her door, i listened as she seemed to be explaining why she was home so late.

"what the fuck is this," her mom yelled.
"i-i, uh... it snapped. i'm sorry, it just broke," salem tried explaining, her mom only got angrier.
"do you realize how much this shit cost me," her mom yelled, i heard both pieces of the board hit against the ground.
"yeah, i'm sorry! i didn't mean for it to happen," salem yelled, her voice was shaky with fear. i backed away from the door, i didn't wanna hear anymore of it. i just went home quickly, sneaking into my room as quietly as possible, so as to not wake my mom up.

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