Broken Heart/Broken Mind

-Chapter Eight-

Fourth grade:

"I'll race you!" Keefe shouted and raced off to the swingset.

"No fair!" Sophie told him.

They had gone to the park for the afternoon together. It was packed with people. Keefe's parents had just dropped him off at Sophie's house and left to who knew where. They did that a lot. Not that either of the kids cared. They liked spending time with one another.

Although, Grady and Edaline always had a concerned look on their face every time Keefe would get dropped off. They'd give each other a look, then try to find something fun for them to do.

As Sophie was running, she realized she was heading straight for a little girl. Her eyes widened, but it was too late to turn around. She attempted to slow her speed, but she knew it was useless.

She slammed into the girl, and they went tumbling. Sophie sat up and dusted herself off.

She helped the girl up. She had brunette hair and near teal eyes. Sophie didn't even know it was possible for them to be that color.

"Sorry," Sophie scratched the back of her neck. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"You're ok." The girl smiled at her.

It wasn't until then that Sophie realized something different about the girl. She could notice peaking out of her jacket, that there were faint, but definitely noticeable, white lines on her arms. The lines also seemed to go up her neck. One of them even curled up to her face and in front of her ear. They were scars.

She was about to ask about how she got them, but was unsure whether or not she would be uncomfortable.

She decided to keep her mouth shut, instead introducing herself. "Hi, I'm Sophie."

"I'm Biana!" She glanced back at a group of boys on one of the jungle gyms. She rolled her eyes. "I keep trying to get my brother's attention, but he keeps ignoring me. Do you want to play?"

"Sure! We can go over to the swings with my friend." They started to walk over.

"Who's your friend?"

"Keefe."

"What about me?" Keefe asked as Sophie and Biana walked up to the swings.

"I ran into her--"

"Litterly," Biana giggled.

Sophie laughed at that. "And I was saying that the three of us could play together."

"Ok, great!" He hopped onto one of the swings, and the girls followed.

They talked for a little while before Biana asked, "What grade are you guys in?"

"Fourth," Keefe told her.

"Me too. What school?"

"Foxfire elementary."

Biana seemed to be confused by that. "But... I've never seen either of you around."

"Ohhh, we're in a different class!" Sophie explained."

"I get that. But I still would expect to see you in music or art or something."

"No, I mean we're in a different type of class. We both have health issues, and we're in a special class with other people with medical problems in case something goes wrong. It's so the teacher has a better eye on us if something ever happens. There's only, like, ten people in our class. We're on a different schedule than everyone else."

"Oh, ok. That makes more sense."

They continued back with their other conversations until Keefe asked Biana, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are those lines on your arms and neck."

"Oh, these?" She took her jacket off to reveal that the lines went further up her arms and shoulders. "I was in a car crash last year. The windshield busted and I got caught in the glass shower."

Sophie and Keefe's eyes widened. "That's awful!" Keefe said.

She just shrugged with a smile. "I fine now. I like them. Shows I survived it." She looked down at her arm and traced one of the lines.

"Oh..." Keefe murmured. His eyebrows scrunched together.

"What?" Biana asked. She looked uneasy.

"Nothing, just," he reached up to his chest, "I've got a scar, too."

She grinned, "That's cool!"

He shrugged. "Not really."

Sophie frowned at him. "For the last time, yes, it is!"

"What's it from?" Biana tilted her head.

He didn't make eye contact as he pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal the top of the scar. "Surgery."

"That's cool!" Her face lit up. "I should introduce you two to my friends! I don't know when your recess is, but if it's the same, I'll have you guys meet. You could start hanging out with us."

"That'd be great!" Sophie exclaimed.

The rest of the time at the playground, they spent the time discussing different things about their hobbies and lives. An hour later, Biana had to go. She said her goodbyes and left to the gate with who had to be her brother. They had the same striking teal eyes and dark hair. Sophie could hear her brother asking a bunch of questions about who she was talking to as they walked to the parking lot.