playing cards | ryohei arisu

13

Sleep could be peaceful to some. It was the time when your body could rest after a long day, and your worries would melt away.

For others, it could be a nightmare.

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It was only after hours when Hana exited her classroom. She decided to study a bit after school for her test that was set to be the next day. Now, she was on her way to the bathroom before going off to find her friends.

When she entered the room - it was hell.

"Hey." Akari, the bully, had smacked Hana in the back of the head. "You shouldn't be here."

"Stop hitting me all the time." Hana mumbled, Akari grabbed her roughly by the arm.

"Are you talking back to me?" She laughed. "You don't get to do that."

Hana rolled her eyes, letting out a quiet 'whatever', but it was loud enough for Akari and her friends to hear. Akari grabbed Hana again and pushed her towards the wall.

Akari and one of her friends, Emiko, hit her in the chest and various other places.

"Too bad your big brother and your friends aren't here to save you." Akari pouted teasingly as she slapped Hana across the face.

Hana tried to stay tough but it was too difficult with all the pain. She knew she had to fight back, though." "You're a fucking bitch!" She managed to kick Akari in the knees and run out of the washroom - the other girls didn't bother chasing after Hana.

When Hana got to a safe spot behind the school, she quickly took her phone out and messaged the chat.

hana: where are you guys??

karube: we've been wondering where you are. we're by our regular spot

Hana shoved her phone back in her pocket and started to run again. Her legs and chest hurt, but she needed to get away from this hell.

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She eventually got to the skatepark. Her chest hurt even more due to the running and from the precious pain. Luckily, she spotted the three guys sitting in their regular spot near the tree.

Hana hesitated whether or not she should go over. They were laughing and having fun, but once she went over, it would be over.

"Hana! Come on!" Karube had waved over to her when she was zoned out.
A silent 'fuck' left her mouth before she started to walk over. Her legs ached which caused her to limp a bit, but the others hadn't noticed yet.

It was only until after Hana sat down that they noticed.

Chota was the first one to see the damage on Hana's face, then Arisu, then Karube. "What the fuck?"

Hana quickly shared a look with her brother before deciding to stare at the ground. "It's nothing."

"Hana.. what the hell happened?" Arisu asked, his voice sounded as if he was concerned.

Hana swallowed back a sob, she took a deep breath. "It's- nothing. I promise it's nothing."

Karube inched closer to Hana and tilted her chin up to get a good look at the damage. "Hana. Who the fuck did this? Was it those girls?"

Her lip quivered as Karube looked at her - all she could do was nod.

"Why are those girls so mean to you? How did they even do this to you?" Chota asked.