We've been through everything, and we all have our scars.
We may be broken but you can't kill all of us.
"Fucking hell, Katrina. Are you kidding?" I practically yelled into the phone. I got out of my car and pulled my golf clubs out of the back seat, carefully balancing my phone on my shoulder.
"I'm really sorry, Sarah. We had to leave the room basically right away. A basketball game was about to start and we didn't want to get stuck. You have a key to get in. Why couldn't you have come with us then to put your clubs away?" She asked impatiently.
"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I know I'm being a bitch right now but my mom forced me to go to the hospital on the way back from our match. I had to visit my grandmother." I slammed my door shut as Katrina stayed quiet on the other side. It was Halloween, a Friday night, and it was beginning to rain. I started toward the side door of the school.
"I didn't know that, Sarah," Katrina said quietly. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"
"Because I hate being open with people, that's why. Anyway, it's getting late and I don't really want to be at school for any longer than I have to. I'll meet up with you guys after?" I said. We had made plans long before to spend the night at Katrina's house and maybe drink a little bit or smoke while watching a scary movie with the rest of the girls' and boys' golf team.
"Yeah, that's fine. Text me once you get in," she said. I didn't have the patience to continue the conversation, so I hung up. Watching my grandmother lay helpless in her bed while cancer slowly took over was not on my agenda for the day, and it was exhausting. I just wanted to get drunk.
I walked through the halls, and it was eerily quiet. Because the girls' golf team was the biggest joke at my high school, we weren't allowed to use the varsity locker room. Instead, we were condemned to a small, mildewy closet at the opposite end of the school from where I'd parked.
I hated being at school, and more than that, I hated being at school alone. My anxiety worked in funny ways like that - for the most part, I was okay around groups of people, but when I was alone, my mind always seemed to get the best of me.
But it wasn't a big deal. All I had to do was get to the gym, unlock the closet, and put my golf bag away. Behind me, I heard a loud crashing noise. I found that rather odd, seeing as how there was basically no one there at 9 P.M. on a Friday. I looked around for a security guard, but there was no one.
I picked up my pace a little bit. I needed to move, I needed to text Katrina, I needed to be safe in her basement.
"Sarah," a soft, sweet voice came from behind me. I felt my mouth go dry and my heart start to race, beating erratically in my chest. Hands shaking, I slowly turned to see who was calling me. Mr. Geu, my geometry teacher from the previous stood just a few feet from me, dripping with sweat, holding a towel in one hand and a water bottle in the other. There was something about him that always made me nervous, but I could never place it. I hated that he typically referred to me as "dear" or "honey" or even the occasional "love." We'd had a rather odd relationship; I was terrible at geometry and I often asked help for it, but I stopped after I felt like we were getting too close. He seemed like he always had an ulterior motive for helping me.
"Hi, Mr. Geu," I said, my voice just above a whisper.
"Why do you sound so scared? It's only me," he chuckled.
"Why are you here? And why are you so sweaty?" I returned without answering his question.
"I know we didn't along very well last year, my love. But let's put that in the past, yeah?" He took a few steps closer to me and draped a sticky arm over my shoulder. I shuddered in disgust. "I figured if there's no one else here, why not take advantage of that great gym we have, right?"
