{𝟑} 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲.

28.

Ψ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 Ψ

𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥. She was so excited to start a new path soon enough. But it didn't mean it would be easy...or nice to try out.

Over the last 2 years of Middle school Hayley had been bullied horribly, mainly because she started middle school drawing also sorts of mythological creatures and while some found it entertaining, others found it an easy way to pick on her.

First the issues were minor and just a few jokes thrown her way, but she was confident of herself. But soon enough her confidence went down when she met her first crush in the 7th grade.

His name was Marcus. Marcus was a cute kid that shared similar interests of art, movies, and music. Her little heart fluttered anytime she was near him or able to even hold his arm or hand out of nowhere.

She thought he liked her back, but she was sadly heartbroken in the end.

By the end of seventh grade when Marcus invited her to the park to teach her how to play soccer she would go and usually hang out with him, until the last day of school. When she went over to hang out with him, she saw the girls who picked on her.

There were 3. Valeria, Lacey, and Emma. She shivered seeing those girls and stopped in her tracks. They were the 3 girls who had made her life a living hell this past year.

But she saw Marcus...and she didn't think he could ever hurt her.

But as she made it up to them and Marcus smiled at her he told her "Uhm, so I they told me you have a crush on me?"

Hayley instantly widened her eyes, the girls grinned at her reaction, but she decided lying was better.

"What?! N-no! You're my friend!" She replied with a layer of sweat beginning to form on her from fear.

Marcus sighed and told her "Look...I enjoy hanging out with Hayley. But I don't like you in that way. And...I think we should stop being friends."

Those words horrified Hayley; she asked him "what? Why? I thought you liked being friends?"

The boy stared at her and stated, "it's easier to lose you than to be bullied for the rest of the year."

With that, Marcus walked away from the park and Hayley felt her heart shatter, she looked over her shoulder seeing the boy she thought she could be herself with...leave her and not support her, not even defend her.

She began tearing up as she heard Lacey at her side.

"You know...it was so easy getting that boy to do that. All we had to do was tell him you're crazy, that you like him, that you draw him just as you do your other crazy things, and then threaten to pick on him if he continued to hang out with you. You know? Cause you're the class freak." She smirked and laughed in Hayley's ear.

Hayley began trying to leave the park till Emma stopped her, she was the tallest in the group. About a foot taller than her so Hayley couldn't fight back.

"Aww, you're running away to go cry to your mommy?" Hayley stared at her asking "can I go please?"

Her little voice sounded like a chipmunk compared to the other girls as the smallest of the group, even shorter than her Valeria said "oh...don't worry. We just wanted to warn you about trying to make friends in school."

With that Hayley felt a stinging sensation on her face, she gasped and touched her lip and saw blood on her hand as she heard from the three girls going one by one.

"You even think of telling anyone, we will make your life a living hell. Everyone thinks you're crazy. Let's see how crazy they will think you are." They told her as she began crying.

She cried wanting her mom but didn't say it. She was shoved to the ground as the girls grabbed her sketchbook and saw her drawings of various mythological creatures and such.

They began spilling orange juice, soda, whatever they had onto the pages as they ripped apart and bled off ink.

They laugh throwing the bottles towards her and ran away.

Hayley held herself up crying as she sat there not knowing what to do.

She stayed in the park; she hid from everyone. She didn't want to go home, but neither did she want to say anything. It was getting darker and Hayley's mom grew worried.

Melina knew she never was late and always came in exactly 10 minutes no later or earlier.

Melina knew something was off and went to the school to search for her.

Thankfully as she drove past the school Melina spotted her daughter in the park right beside the school.

Melina parked her car and instantly walked to the park and over to her daughter who was hiding. Hayley moved her head away to hide her injuries as her mom said "mija. Mija (my daughter) it's time to go home...why are you still here?"

But Hayley didn't say anything, because if she did speak her choked sobs would be enough for her mom to know something horrible happened. Melina grew worried and sat there telling Hayley.

"When I was younger...when you were a baby, I took you to this park...I looked at the school right there and told myself...you're going to get in, be a great student. A great kid...you're gonna make it farther than I ever did." Melina started off trying to get her daughter's attention.

She continued, "We would sleep on the benches around here. I would hold you so you wouldn't get cold...or fan you so you wouldn't get heatstroke...I will protect you from anything Hayley...you are my the only person will ever love..."

Hayley frowned and began shivering as she picked at her wrists with her nails.

This was the first sign of Hayley hurting herself, her mom didn't know. She didn't even realize what she was doing. But it became a habit...

Melina begged "please Hayley...let's go home. I won't ask anything."

Her daughter frowned and asked in a shaky voice "p-promise?"

Melina was a mother, of course she wasn't going to but knew her daughter well enough and so she said," I promise..."

Watching Hayley slowly come out of her hiding spot in the park she saw her mother and Melina saw the cut and bruised up lip. She sighed and took her daughter's face in her hands.

"You are so beautiful." She complimented her with a smile. "And nothing will change that...even if in a few years something happens...you will always be my beautiful little girl..."

Hayley frowned looking down to her feet as her mother lifted her chin.

"Eres mi hija, eres fuerte y hermosa." Hayley's mother told her that she was her daughter, she was strong and beautiful.

It somewhat uplifted Hayley's spirits, but it still didn't help...

That summer Hayley tried her best to build up her confidence again. But she didn't realize what she was getting into going back the following year.

That was when her life would turn upside down...and everything she thought she knew...would be changed forever, her memories would be tainted with those voices, those whispers...she hated it.

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Next chapter is a little heavy, trigger warnings with mentions of SH and mentions of suicide involved.

Take care of yourself rather than reading the chapter or coming at the depiction of the scenes.

Remember take care of yourself more than reading a chapter.