The girl beneath the bruises

The spill (Edited)

Lily Collins as Ashley
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I sat at the back of the room, tapping my pencil and looking at the make-up on my arm.

You could still see the faded outline of a black mark, a bruise. I looked up at my teacher as she stood there looking at me expectantly.

"Well where's the homework?" She asked.

"I couldn't do it." I whispered.

"What was that?" She demanded.

"I couldn't do it!" I said but louder, my jaw clenched.

"And why not?" She asked.

I gave her a pleading look, which she so bluntly ignored.

"I just couldn't." I said.

"Well, I'll just have too-" The bell rang in the middle of her sentence and I shot up from my desk.

"Ashley Phillips! Get back here!" She demanded. I walked a little faster and caught a crowd of students on the way out the door.

I stepped into the crowded hallway and fought myself through the crowd, to my locker.

"Phillips." a voice said.

I looked up to see the popular girl of our school. She wasn't mean, she wasn't a slut, she was beautiful. She was nice to every one even me.

I kept my eyes trained on the ground as I turned toward her.

"Hi Lindsey." I mumbled, still staring at the ground.

"We want you to try out for the cheerleading squad." she said.

My eyes slowly lifted from the ground and I'm sure they were the widest they have ever been.

"You what?" I asked.

"Try outs. Tomorrow. 2:30." She demanded.

"But we have class." I said in a 'duh' voice.

"Give them this and you'll get out." She handed me a purple piece off paper.

"I-I-I really can't." I stuttered, trying the force the piece of paper back to her.

"You can't say no to me, I'm not one you can say no to easily, Ashely." How did she still sound nice when she said that?

I nodded my head slowly and turned away. I walked down the hall, keeping my head down.

I walked to the cafeteria for lunch and immediately sat down by myself at a table. I sat there for 30 of the 45 minutes of lunch.

I got up to throw away my food when a guy wasted water on my arm.

"I'm so sorry-" He began, but I was already panicking. My makeup was slipping off. Was he too cheap to buy water proof?

I looked up to see Jason, the schools popular boy and school player. Even though he was nice. How was everyone in this school so nice?

I immediately ran to the bathroom to try to stop the dripping makeup.

I went into the girls restroom and started dabbing it.

"Here let me help." It was Jason. He was in the girls bathroom, the girls bathroom.

"That's ok." I mumbled turning away. The bruise was starting to show.

"No I insist." He grabbed my arm and turned me around. I winced and looked up at him.

He started to dab like I was doing, then he started to rub. He stared at my arm intently.

"Is that a bruise?" He asked looking at me then the bruise and back and forth.

"Yeah, I, um fell off my um...bike! Yeah my bike!" I said.

He rolled his eyes and let go of my arm.

"Well whatever just get that checked out." He said smiling.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"Because I'm trying to be nice," Then he mumbled, "It's not like you have friends anyway."

"Hey! That's not nice." I said furrowing my eyebrows.

He held up his hands in a no offense motion.

"I'm just saying you could use some friends." He said.

"Well it's not easy." I spat quietly.

"Well we could be friends." He suggested.

"Um, no thanks." I whispered.

"Are you sure I can be very friendly." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

I backed away, "I'm good."

I started to walk out when he grabbed my arm and laughed.

"No seriously, if you need a friend I'm here." He said and stalked out the restroom.

The bell rang and I ran to the cafeteria to get my bag and lunchbox. I quickly jogged to my classroom and knocked on the door.

"Hello Ms.Phillips. Why are you late?" Asked my teacher.

I looked down and she sighed.

"Come in Ms.Phillips and take your seat."

I walked to my seat and kept my head down.

The teacher gave us a whole lecture on her cats, since one of the boys brought it up, and she forgot to lecture about The Boston Tea Party.

The bell rang and our teacher looked at the clock in surprise.

"Class dismissed." She said dejectedly.

I stood up and gathered my books. I picked up my bag and was about to walk out the door when my teacher called me.

"I think you have something you need to tell a adult." She said looking concerned.

How could she possibly know about my dad. I shook my head and came more worried when she said, "Stuff like this shouldn't happen to children."

I gulped and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Honey it's okay, a lot of people get bullied." She said shaking her head.

I let out a breath of I didn't know I was holding and relief flooded through me.

I nodded my head and looked at her.

"If it gets worse just tell me, okay?" She asked.

"Ok, I'll make sure to." I answered.

She gave me a cheeky smile and a note and said, "Now go to your next class."

I quickly nodded and hurriedly got out of the classroom.

I was worried she knew about my dad, about his he treats me. I'm lucky she didn't. I remember what happened in 6th grade when I tried to tell my teacher.

She didn't believe me and said me doing something bad and getting a spanking was not abuse.

She called my dad and told him what I had said and he beat me harder than he ever had.

I will never tell again.

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1,004 words for the first chapter!

Lily Collins as Ashley---