Leone Frasier is struggling to survive the aftermath of a tragic car crash that took his mother's life and left him with a permanent injury that affects the way he walks. Haunted by grief, trapped with an abusive father, and relentlessly bullied for...
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My drowsiness persisted throughout the remainder of the school day as all I wanted was to return to my bed and fall right back to sleep.
The word tired couldnot even begin to describe how I felt about the previous weekend. My father worked me flesh and bone until four in the morning, holding me captive to his endless tasks. Once I had finished, all there was left for me to eat was a tiny cube of pineapple he had discarded. I had no choice but to do what I usually had to do when my portions were brutal; I tricked my body into feeling a lot more fuller by compensating for my calorie deficiency with a few glasses of water. The effects don't usually last for awhile, but it was always just enough to suppress any further cravings for the night.
Honestly, the only good thing I remember from this god-forsaken weekend were all the instances I got to spend being around Dydan. There was something so memorable about witnessing the intoxicating dynamic between the gentle brute stuffing his face with my brownies like a maniac and seeing him sleep soundly by his window like a baby.
Even though there was a risk of getting caught while rummaging through the kitchen and using up all the ingredients to make Dydan brownies—plus making sure all the baking sheets and measuring cups were dried and put back exactly where they were, so my father wouldn't notice and hurt me—it was still worth it. The last time I tried baking something without my father's permission was a couple months ago when I was starving. Sure, baking for Dydan put me at risk of getting hurt again, but I had to factor in my father's schedule so I'd have enough time to clean, pack everything, and get rid of the smell before he came home. If he did notice, I figured the one in a thousand chance of kindness Dydan showed me was worth a thousand beatings for me.
I've never met anybody as kind and caring as Dydan, and although that would surely change, all that mattered to me was that I returned his gesture and showed my gratitude for him even paying attention to someone as worthless as me.
It was probably mostly due to my delusions, of course. He could have truly hated the brownies and may have just put up a front to make me feel better. And the thing about the window—he had never done that before, so I simply assumed it was because he had been waiting for me to return to my room. In all honesty, the thought could have just been a stretch, and he may have been there out of pure coincidence.
Regardless of the truth, I couldn't help but selfishly choose to settle on the more appealing reasons in order to try to feel at least a small glimmer of joy for once.
I'm pathetic, I know.
"Alright everyone may I please have all your attention for just a moment? I'm passing out the flyers for the upcoming field trip to Cloud Lake next week. Now several classes we'll be heading out there but for our class specifically we're going to be doing lots of drawing, sightseeing, as well as discussing certain techniques regarding on how to draw various plants and animals, so you won't wanna miss it!" My art's teacher began handing out the flyers to every row in class, continuing once everyone had their own copy. "Below is where you'll be needing your parents signature and on the right hand side is where they'll need to check off some boxes to notify the school district for any requirements or any allergies you may have."