𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗬

005. 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗬 𝗟𝗢𝗪

"Why did you come back?"

Disputed her apprehensive mother blinking in confusion, widely observing her daughter's features contorted in a sort of inexplicable emotion. She slowly removed her school shoes evading her mother's concerned eyes, eyebrows furrowed at her small rebellion. Swiftly considering her words, the young girl reasoned.

"My stomach started hurting very badly midway, so I returned. I'm sorry I didn't think I would be able to handle the pain all day at school." She said, all while glancing away from the woman when she could, frowning lips pressing inwards as nervousness bubbles up.

Her mother's expression altered a bit, before revamping into irritation, "I told you to take those medicine! Why didn't you?" She whispered yelled at the meek girl, head slightly bent down in contrition.

"I didn't think it would start to hurt again."

She tried her hardest to fake it, just accepting one day's worth of absence was going to reduce her raging anxiety. It would only grow, but she was a good person, she doubtingly believed that this would steer past her and she would retain normalcy.

Her mom sighs, closing her eyes disappointingly, saying, "You better take those medicines now." Demanded the mother.

She mindlessly obliged.

Trying to damage control what her fit of distress landed her on.

She watches the clock tick, dressed in black and white hairs let loose, suddenly sighing and glancing at her tapping feet stopping herself upon noting. It was four o'clock.

In honesty, she was simply dawdling for the time when her bully would call, mandating proper information, threatening, even after she blocked his number, who's to say, he wouldn't attempt to contact her again, with different numbers, so if she could somehow assume his time pattern, preventing it would be easier, leave her phone turned off.

In her earlier state of misplaced courage, she went online on insto, took his account out of the blacklist, and graze through his texts. Most of them were his normal, ridiculing comments meant to poke fun at her confidence and self-esteem, near obsessing over his book, that was petty, she'd thought to herself.

The most recent ones were from yesterday, in big bold letters, ruling she unblocked him and talked, unlike a coward.

Reaching the bottom, she is surprised to find new ones, she browses the fresh text, only ten minutes late in viewing it this particular text from him stood out more than the others, more so in her eyes.

'You did not come today either, what? Are you scared, loser...'

She waited, observing the text buddle buff, and she quickly discerned it.

'I saw you today.'

For such easy words, it had a significant impact on the strategy she thought of, her eyes mildly widened and her will to continue just seemed to be sapped away the longer she decided to remain.

'At least, you unblocked me. Loopy, I'm asking, where is your house.'

She made the mistake of reading it, and now she felt like turning back meant more consequence than ease of satisfaction.

'You didn't change your house after you met me right? It's still the same, isn't it?'

She didn't comprehend what she was experiencing at that moment, irrational fear? Dread? Knowing she was bound to lose the happiness in her home once he tried to step in. It's game over for her.

Quickly she typed.

'No, it's not. We shifted.'

She lied.