Hide and Seek

It started when I was ten.

I was an easy target. A loner. Quiet. No friends. That's when they noticed me. Claire and Abby were angels to those they liked; I was not one of the lucky ones. They used to play hide and seek with me every day at school. However I was never fast enough to escape their torment. They would chase me round and round the school every chance they had. In those places where I would hide, their words would haunt me the most. . Each word pierced me like a rose thorn. Sweet at first glance but cruel and twisted when inspected further. The same could be said about the girls. They made sure never to leave a mark visible but made up for it by inflicting me with the cruelest of insults. I tried not to listen at first but inevitably you start to believe it after a while.

I didn't have any friends. They made sure of that. Lunch consisted of me finding refuge in the library or an empty stairwell; I wouldn't eat lunch around others. I was too scared. Moving schools was never an option for my family because our entire being was built around our little town. I loved my family, it was Dad, Mum, Josh and I. Josh couldn't save me from Claire and Abby, as he could barely walk yet. Besides, I didn't tell them about the bullies. I thought I could handle them on my own; how wrong I was.

It was at Hollow High School that I was hid inside the broom closet above the art block. Unfortunately my tormentors went on to attend the same school as me and hadn't remotely eased up. The door opens and slams closed. I cover my mouth with my hand in an attempt to repress the sound of my breathing. I could just make out through a gap that it was a boy around my age. He usually sat down at the front during our art class. He hadn't noticed me yet and his heavy breathing echoed through the small room. He slumped slowly to the ground with his head in his hands. As if he could feel my gaze, his blue eyes met mine. I had only spoken to him once before in an art class when I couldn't reach some paint on the top shelf. He politely retrieved it for me. He was a polar opposite to me with his blond hair that kept getting in the way of his glasses and my long brunette hair that I would twirl around my fingers whenever I felt scared or anxious. The sound of feet thudding along the corridor outside made us tense and glance at the door that was keeping us safe. Slowly the boy turned to look at me and asked.

"Are they after you too?"

I nodded unable to speak. A shared understanding passed between us.

"You're in my art class, aren't you? Your work is amazing. It's beautiful."

A small smile crept onto my face. Nobody had ever taken the time to notice me or my work before. Art was a huge part of my life; it was the one thing I truly excelled at. I loved that I was able to express myself through the stroke of a brush on canvas. I wasn't used to such complements and blushed as a consequence. I met his gaze with a smile.

"Thanks. I'm Katie by the way."

"Jake. I wish we had of met someplace else!"

His comment brought me back to the situation and anxiety rushed through me again. I had been so wrapped up in talking to Jake that I forgot the reason for being there in the first place...I had been on my way to my art class when Claire pushed into me and made me drop my books. I finally had enough of them pushing me around for all of those years. I finally snapped and told them to leave me alone. I had felt so proud of myself for standing up to them; but that was until I saw their raging faces. The lockers and class rooms flew past me as I weaved in and out of the corridors and slipped into this small broom closet.

"What if they found me? What would they do to Jake? They won't let me leave without bruises this time." I thought to myself. As these thoughts started to settle into my mind, I began to hyperventilate over all the possibilities that could happen to me if they find me again. I once had a nightmare that they took the insulting and bullying too far and left me beaten and bloodied on the ground alone and no one would help me.

"What if that happened now?" the thought alone set me over the edge as I began to shake with fear and tears welled up in my eyes. Noticing my sudden mood change, Jake boldly took my hand in his and pulled me up from the ground and into his chest. The touch of his hand against mine was comforting. For a moment I forgot about the bullies. My greatest concern soon returned to the forefront of my mind.

"What if they find us?"

Jake's hold on my hand tightened and he confidently smiled down at me.

"Then it will be their turn to hide. I'm going to make sure you never have to hide again!"

He leaned against the door to listen for any nearby footsteps. When none were heard he opened the door and we slipped out into the empty hallway.

"I forgot to ask you. Why were you hiding from them?" I asked Jake.

His deep husky laugh was music to my ears. It echoed along the corridor unintentionally.

"Oh, that. I told them that their fake tan made them look like Oompa Loompas!"

I smiled and laughed along with him. It was then in that empty corridor, with Jake clutching my hand tightly, that I knew I finally had a friend that I could trust and rely upon. A best friend to have my back. Someone to help me face my fears. Finally I wasn't completely alone anymore. The feeling was pure elation.

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Hi guys...I know it's been a while since I've written anything but here's a short story I wrote for school this year. And please let me know what you think in the comments. Also should I continue with my other story Day by Day??? Love you xx