Epiphany || DamiAnya

04 | flicker of hurt

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The morning sun barely made its way through the curtains as I woke up, the events of yesterday still fresh in my mind.

I sat up, glancing at the mirror across the room. The bandage on my face was a stark reminder of the humiliation I had faced.

I grimaced, touching the bandage lightly. The pain had faded, luckily, but the mark was still there. I walked to the living room. Ewen and Emile were already up, their expressions a mix of concern and unspoken questions.

"Still looks bad, huh?" Ewen eyed my bandage.

"It's nothing," I replied, unable to admit.

We made our way to the cafeteria for breakfast. The chatter and clinking of cutlery filled the room, but all I could think about was how everyone must be talking about the incident.

As I picked at my food, I couldn't help but overhear bits of conversations, whispers of the punch that had now become the school gossip.

"Did you see Damian's face?" I heard someone say. My grip on the fork tightened.

"That pink haired girl is not someone to mess with," another added. "Everyone better stay away from someone like her."

"Eat up, Lord Damian." Emile encouraged. "We have super fluffy omelette and mashed potatoes today. Cheer up!"

I forced a smile, but my appetite had vanished. I couldn't shake off the feeling of eyes on me, the hushed tones that seemed to follow me around.

My attempts of making myself known in the school had turned for the worst. Even though my parents didn't even look at me at home, this was worse.

As we walked to class, I braced myself for the inevitable encounter with that shortie. She and Becky, that girl with the silly pigtails, had become inseparable. Plus, Becky's disdain for me and my friends was obvious, just as our dislike for them was.

"A-anya is—" She opened mouth, like she was about to say something important. But that was when Becky pulled her away and into the classroom.

Once we were inside, I sunk into my seat, glancing over at Anya, who was talking to Becky, they were laughing about something. It made my blood boil.

She looked back at me, her eyes of jade, they caught the light in a way that almost makes them sparkle. For a moment, I found myself staring, lost in the depth of their color. They were like emeralds, bright and captivating. I had almost forgotten why I was angry at her.

Wait what? I thought. Snap out of it! What is wrong with me?

The pink-haired girl looked like she was shot by lightning, and turned back to the teacher.

"Hey, Damian, you okay?" Emile asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, fine," I lied, as I scratched my cheek, reopening the wound. Drat!

"Does it still hurt?" Ewen tilted his head.

"Nah uh." I shook my head. It hurts...so bad!

Our Language teacher, Mr. Evans, entered the classroom while pushing a heavy box of books into the room. Specifically the textbooks for class.

"For this unit, we are studying an excerpt of Alice in Wonderland. Be sure to finish reading it by next Monday, which is when we will take a comprehension quiz. Also remember to highlight any words that you don't understand." He said, handing everyone each a copy.

I sighed.

"What's wrong, Damian?" Emile questioned.

"Nothing." I rested my head on my hand.