Secrets are meant to be kept

Preperations

            I pull my straitened black hair into a hair tie, making it collectively a side ponytail, just slung over my shoulder. My maroon cardigan pulled over a black floral top, with tan dress pant underneath. I frown, this isn’t exactly how I like to dress but I’m not exactly set to ruin the school’s ‘dress for success’ motto either.

“Should I wear these…or these?” Rene asks holding up two sets of earrings, one was diamond with gold around and the other was diamond with silver around.

“The silver ones definitely, they will make your eyes shine.” I say clipping in my own pearl jewelry.

“That is exactly what I was thinking!” she squeals, while I roll my eyes. “So why did you move here anyways? Nobody ever heard.” So that is what this is really about, her being nice to me, that is.

“Umm, to get the best education possible, I guess” I shrug nonchalantly.

“Oh.....so that is all? Your parents didn’t want to send you away or anything? Just schooling?” She mumbles, her voice losing some of her bubbliness; obviously displeased with my answer, probably hoping for something more...... I don’t know, gossipy.

“Yeah, I like challenges and coming here, seemed like a pretty big one. I heard there are a bunch of nosy people getting into things. You know, spreading rumors and stuff....causing problems. You don’t know anybody like that do you?” I say, mostly because I know that Rene isn’t exactly what the other kids’ call... innocent with this category.

“Um, no, I don’t.” she says monotonously.

“Parents are arriving!!” the shrilly voiced secretary’s voice rings

“Oh joy.” I mutter under my breath.

“Lighten up would you? Some people actually want to see parents who don’t want to see them, not the other way around.” Rene says groaning, finally setting aside her ‘nice-girl’ act and opens the door motioning to go out first.

I slip out and head to the dinner hall listening to the noises. Plates are rattling together and people’s chatter spreading around. My ears start ringing and I freeze, Rene bumping into me from behind, hitting my still sore hip. But I barely recognize anything but the ringing; the ringing was getting louder buzzing around my head.

His fist hits the side of my head. Pounding.

Pound.

Pound.

Pound.

“Think!” he screams at me. “Can’t you use your brain?!” He smacks again on the left side of my temple.

“I am!” I scream back, not smartly.

“No you’re not! You never do.” He yells trying to pick up my thrashing body as I fight back for the first time.

I push away fighting to keep myself erect. But as he gets my arms in his tight grips, I have no power.

“You never think! Just think for once! Can’t you think? Why must you be so stupid?” he spits in my face shaking my torso. “If you even have a brain, use it!”

My body shakes so much that I don’t even notice that he has stopped and thrown me until I’m crashing into the table in full force. My head hits the detailed corner of the wooden table. I lie here as my head pulses with the number of blows.

“Get up” He hisses “I said get up!” I stand, limbs shaking, to face him head on.

“I’m up.” I growl. “I’m not stupid.”

“I’d beg to differ.” He scoffs. “you aren’t anything special are you?”

“I might not be, but I’m better than this.”

And that was the last thing I hear before the ringing drowns my head. His face, red and clouded with anger, the last thing I remember before everything turns black.

And I’m left with the pounding.....the pounding that forever continues.