Pretty Imagination

Chapter 2

Welcome back to the second chapter of Pretty Imagination! Hope you enjoy.

——

Dal wasn't walking to the bathroom anymore. His thoughts were now consuming him. Why did anyone he ever got close to, anyone he let his guard down around, leave him only a few hours later?

He was getting tired of it.
Stupid stupid Dal, you made a promise. Keep it, you can do it.

"...Last try, just one more. Just, one, more."
Dal sighed and decided to walk down the halls to the principal's office. Knocking on the door, he awaited an answer.

"Come in" Dal opened the door and stepped inside.

"Oh, it's just you, Dal. Take a seat."
Dal nodded and sat down on the chair in front of the principal. "Mr. May I take the rest of the day off?"
"Your head again?" Dal nodded, "Why didn't you ask your teacher to tell me instead?" "I felt more comfortable asking you" Half lie, half truth. He was more comfortable with the principal than the teachers. The lie was that the teacher ignored his request.

"That's okay then, don't stress about it. Your health comes first." Dal smiled.
"Thank you Mr."
"It's fine, just go home"

Dal stood up and turn around. His smiled disappeared soon after, his head pounding. Now the only thing he had to do was get his bag, tell the teacher he was leaving, then go home. Locker, locker, where's my locker?

He looked to his side and looked at the lockers before he found his, opening it, taking his bag then closing it. Now to tell the teacher.

He made his way to his classroom, opening the door and walking to the front. He could feel Aiden's eyes looking at him. It was a bit loud, they were all working in groups. Dal kept walking to the teachers desk.

"Mrs. I'm just here to tell you that I'm going home. I've asked the principal for permission." The teacher waved her hand.
"Oh, what a shame. If you must go, than go." He could hear a sense of relief in her voice Not even the teacher?
Nodding yet again, he left and closed the door behind him. His head was hurting so badly now, he felt sort of faint.

"I just need to go home, I can take a rest soon."
Home. Home sounded nice right about now, luckily, his house was not that far from this school. Just 3-4 house from across the road.

I wonder what would have happened if Aiden had believed me...

——

His head was spinning as he walked through the door, after all that walking his headache still hadn't gone away.

"I-I'm home..." It was starting to get a bit hard to breathe.

"Dal? Is that you?" Dal sighed deeply and leaned on the wall. He gripped his hair in pain. "Mhm... It's me..."

A girl not that much older than Dal came fast walking to the door. The concern in her eyes when she looked at him widened. "Oh Dal," She walked over to him to let him rest on her shoulder and walk him to his room. She put his arm over her shoulder and her hand on his waist.

Opening the door with her free hand, she walked in and sat him on the bed, sitting next to him right after. Dal put his head on her shoulder and sighed deeply, his head pain was going away. But it still hurt. Really hurt.

"Dal, I love you but why are you still doing this? You promised me you'd stop."

The girl didn't look at him while asking questions, only caressing his hair with her hand.

"I'm sorry Dalia..."
"You don't need to be sorry. Just, please, you're my little brother, I don't want to see you like this anymore. He would understand why"
"I know..."

A minute of silence filled the air.

"Does it still hurt?"
Dal groaned in response. "It still hurts"
"You want the painkillers?"
"Mhm... Yes please."

Dalia smiled at Dal and let him lie down before she left the room.

Way to go me, you failed at making a friend once again.

Dal felt a small tear stream down his face, he just wanted a friend. Someone other than the principal (was he even his "Friend"?) and his sister to be there for him. He collapsed on the bed sideways, wondering what he was doing wrong, why it was so hard.

'Hey Dal, when I'm gone, promise me you'll make another friend, okay? I'd hate it if I was up there and you didn't have a friend. I want you to stay happy no matter what'

'I'm trying to, I really am...'

He curled in a ball and clutched his hair, his sister should be back soon. He stay in that position till she did.
He saw a light coming from the door, a silhouette of his sister who was now kneeling in front of him. "Dal, I have them. Can you sit up please...? It's not good to drink them like that." He slowly took his hands off his hair and stretched his legs out before sitting upright.

She handed him the painkillers and a glass of water. He put them in his mouth and swallowed them with help of the water. "Mhm... Take a rest, Dal. If you need me, I'm always here, all you need to do is call me" He lied back down on the bed, his sister putting a blanket over him. "Curtains?" He spoke quietly but enough for her to hear. "Closed please..." She smiled warmly, "okay".

"Dalia..."
"Yes?"
"You're the best sister I could ever wish for..."

She sat on his bed next to him before she left. "You're the best little brother I could ever wish for, now hurry up and gets some sleep". He stuffed his head underneath the blanket and closed his eyes. Only until she knew he was asleep fully, is when she left.

——

She slid down the wall and lean her head against it.

"When are you coming home, mom?" Her voice cracked. "We really need you..."

She cried so many tears, but the sadness in her heart wouldn't leave. She was still so young, he was still so fragile. Why couldn't she be there for them? Be the figure that she was meant to be, a mother.

"Please mom?"

——