The Words I Never Said [editing]

1.2

[danielle]

Throughout lunch, William keeps giving me menacing looks from across the room. His eyes would glare at me, making shivers running down my spine. William clenches and unclenches his "bruised" fist, a look of pure hatred etched on his face. I flinch back at his action, Jonas quickly noticing.

"Dani?" He uses my nickname. "What's wrong? What do you keep looking at?"

Before he tries to turn around and face William, I grip his arm tightly, my fingernails digging into his forearm. I shake my head. He turns around anyway, disregarding my pleas.

William eyes Jonas like a hawk, his eyes glared and sharp as a knife. With his fake bruises and black eye he could pull of a "ruffian" look, but I'd never say that to him. I'd probably be beaten to a pulp.

He begins striding over to us, a feeling of anxiousness rolling over me. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a fight.

"What's up, Mute? Jonas?" he says, hatred lacing his voice.

"Just leave us alone, William," Jonas scoffs.

"Well sorry, I can't," William says enthusiastically, "not after what you're little friend over here did to me."

Jonas looks over to me. "Danielle, did you really do that?"

I shake my head, eyes wide.

"Are you lying, Mute?" William asks like he has interest in me, but I just ignore him, looking down at my lap. "Well, let me fill your friend here in on your abuse," he pauses, "This morning, before school even started Mute over here decided she wanted to stand up for herself. So she walked up to me, then gave me this glorious black eye."

"What about the bruises?" Jonas laughs. I think he was catching on that William was lying.

"Oh these?" He points at his arms nervously. "Happened when I fell off my roof after a party."

"Oh, okay," Jonas says, stifling a laughing, "now will you go away?"

"Fine, but only because my friends are looking for me," William says.

Looking over Jonas's shoulder, I see that in fact his friends are laughing together and waiting for William to join them. When he finally leaves us, I can't help but wonder what Jonas is thinking.

I quickly grab a pack of sticky notes and write him a message.

What are you thinking about?, it says.

"What got lodged up that guy's asshole to make him so mean to you," Jonas replies.

And in that moment I laughed--a cheerful, genuine, smiley kind of laugh. A laugh that I haven't even heard myself in years.

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edited.