razors hurt

chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

*term three*

-Clifton-

8:26 a.m.

"hey Ella? Can I ask you something?" I asked her, she looked super nervous and I was worried on her reaction to my question. She had become one of my best-friends recently, and I wanted to keep her safe.

"sure, what's up?" she asked, she'd become way more social, but she was still quite introverted. She was laughing with the girls and this was a private conversation.

"can you please come with me? for five minutes?" I asked, knowing how everyone was going to react. 'WOOO' I could practically hear them already.

"okay?" she said, questioning me.

***

We walked away, and as I predicted. "WOOO" came from all our friends, great! As we walked, I grabbed her arm.

"what are you doing?" she yelled, pulling it back, holding it like a wounded baby.

"are you okay?" I asked her, seriously worried about her.

"of course, I am, why wouldn't I be." Her big bright smile starting to reform, hiding her pain.

"Ella?" I asked, remaining eye contact.

"I am fine." She told me. Still, I continued to kept eye contact.

"Ella Parkton?" I asked, trying to get through. "are you alright? I've seen your cut's I have them too bu-" I started, until she interrupted me.

"Clifton! What? Are you okay? I cannot believe I never noticed. Oh my god." She yelled, she was more worried about me, then she was herself.

"this is about you." I told her, calming her down.

"now it's not, are you okay, Clifton, why didn't you tell me? oh my god, I'm such a bad friend, are you okay. Oh my god!" she kept going.

"Ella, calm down, please." I begged her, maybe this was a mistake.

-Ella-

8:57 a.m.

I sat in maths, worrying about cliff. He wasn't okay. Neither was I, but that doesn't matter. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed.

"Ella? Ella?" the teacher asked me multiple times.

"yes?" I answered, confused.

"what's the answer to number seven?" he asked me.

"I don't know." I told him, I was too busy thinking.

"and why don't you know?" he asked me.

"maybe if you dropped down your ego a little bit, taught us properly, grew some hair on your head instead of that obvious wig. Then maybe I would know the answer. So, you get better at your job, and I'll get better at the work that you allegedly taught us how to do." I yelled at him, maybe going off a little bit.

"miss Parkton!" he protested, but I wasn't done.

"and brush your teeth, like dude, this isn't the middle ages. Learn how to use a tooth brush. And deodorant, ever heard of it? By the smell, I don't think your ha-" I wasn't finished before the teacher went off on me.

"MISS Parkton, HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, NOW!" he screeched at me.

"someone's a bit over dramatic" I mumbled as I walked out of the room.

"what was that?" he asked me, his face bright purple.

"just that the only good thing about you is your boob's" I said as I ran out of the class room before he cooked me alive. As I ran down the corridor I heard his voice explode with anger, and the laughter of everyone in my class, especially Evelyn and Zoie.

***

As I was walking to the headmaster's office, the beloved office lady, jane, ran up to me.

"hey, Ella? Mr Bisset would like to see you in his office right now." She told me. I thanked her and kept walking, think about what dumb thing I did now.

***

"sit down miss Parkton." The headmaster, Mr Bisset said to me, in an oddly calm voice for what my dumbass just did.

"hey, Mr Bisset." I responded, trying to not guilty... wasn't working.

"please bring him in." Mr Bisset said into a phone. "Mr holler's, please, have a seat."

Holler's, wait whose last name was that?

"thank you, Mr Bisset." Clifton's voice came.

SHIT!!!!

"Clifton, what are you doing?" I mumbled as Clifton sat down next to me, his shadow towering over me, blocking the light from a lamp.

"doing what's best for you." He whispered back.

Double shit!!!

-Clifton-

9:57 a.m.

After we left Mr Bisset's office, Ella went off on me. turn's out telling the school about her cut's wasn't a good idea for our friendship. The school light, reflecting of her gorgeous skin, blinded me.

"I cannot believe you, why would you do that. I was perfectly fine without help. I don't need help. I told you not to worry, so why would you go behind my back and tell him!" she yelled at me. I admit, I shouldn't have told him, but I was trying to help her.

"Ella? You can't stay mad at me, you're going to get better." I told her, calmly.

"I didn't ask for your help, your pity, and may I add, your friendship. So just leave me alone. I don't want to be around you right now." She yelled at me. great, now I've lost her as a friend as well. I may've lost her forever.

***

5:49 p.m.

The razor blade felt heavenly across my skin. The other cuts had mended themselves, and I missed the pain. It's not like I wanted to do it, it did hurt. But still, I deserved it. I'm so lucky I have Alexa, dad had started to get physical, so she helped me stay out of his path. We stayed out of his way like he was the plague. I doubt he was ever sober these days.

"hey cliff?" Alexa asked me.

"yeah?" I responded.

"uhm, there's blood on your sheet's again" she told me, holding up my faverout green sheets.

"what can I say, my menstrual cycle happens every week." I respond.

"cliff? I know what you're doing, I'm not going to say anything or judge, but if you ever need more late-night mac and cheese talks, you know I'm always here for you, right?"

"right. And, one question"

"none of my vodka!" she yelled, she knows me so well.