The house was quiet. The soft hum of the air conditioner was the only sound as Elena lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The glow of the moon filtered through her curtains, casting faint shadows on the walls. It was late, but sleep eluded her. She tossed and turned, pulling her blanket tighter around her body, but her mind wouldn't settle.
Kyle.
He had been on her mind a lot lately, more than she cared to admit. The way he'd sat beside her in class, complimented her art, and invited her for coffee. He'd even apologized-genuinely. The Kyle she had known was slowly peeling away, revealing someone softer, someone more human than the cruel boy who had once tormented her.
She wanted to believe in this new version of him, to accept the changes she saw. But every time she let herself think about him, memories from the past resurfaced, uninvited and harsh.
Her hand instinctively reached for her phone, not to message him, but just to hold it, as if that could somehow help her navigate the storm in her mind. She squeezed it tightly, her eyes closing as the flood of memories began to take shape.
***
The first time it had happened, she was 15. A new school, a new environment, and she was terrified. Her disability made her feel isolated enough, and her parents had not helped. They sent her off each day as if she were a burden they couldn't wait to get rid of. She remembered how nervous she'd been, her hands shaking as she clutched her notebook. She could still feel the weight of it in her hands-the sense of panic rising in her chest as she made her way through the crowded halls.
And then, there was Kyle.
He was popular even back then, surrounded by his friends-Drake and Prince, always at his side. She'd made the mistake of bumping into him that day, her books slipping from her grasp and scattering across the floor. She remembered how her heart had leaped into her throat as she crouched to gather them, hoping, praying, that no one would notice.
But Kyle had noticed.
She could still hear the laughter, feel the heat of humiliation as he stood over her, smirking. "Can't you even pick up your own books, freak?" he'd sneered, kicking one of them farther down the hall. His voice was loud, cruel, cutting through the noise of the bustling hallway.
Elena had frozen, her body betraying her, unable to defend herself or speak up. She wanted to scream, to shout back, to say anything, but the words wouldn't come. They never did. All she could do was swallow her tears and crawl after the book he'd kicked, her face burning with shame as the crowd around her whispered and giggled.
***
Elena blinked back the tears that had started to form at the memory. She turned over in bed, hugging her pillow close to her chest. Why was she letting herself think about this now? Why now, when things were starting to get better between them?
But the memories kept coming, relentless.
***
There was the day in the cafeteria. She had been sitting alone, as usual, picking at her lunch, trying to make herself as invisible as possible. But Kyle had seen her. He always saw her.
"What's wrong, mute girl? Can't find anyone to sit with you?" he'd jeered, his voice loud enough for the whole room to hear.
She had glanced up, meeting his eyes for only a second before looking back down at her tray. She had hoped he would walk away, but he didn't. Instead, he had knocked her lunch off the table, the contents spilling onto her lap. The room erupted in laughter, and Elena had sat there, frozen, as the food stained her clothes, the humiliation staining her soul.
She remembered the way Kyle had smirked, that arrogant, cruel smirk that had haunted her for so long. "Oops," he had said mockingly, before turning and walking away as if nothing had happened.
***
Her chest tightened as the memory replayed in her mind. She had never told anyone about that day, not even her parents. Not that they would have cared. But the hurt had stayed with her, long after the food had been cleaned from her clothes.
Elena rolled onto her back again, staring up at the ceiling. Her heart was pounding, and she felt a tightness in her throat. How could someone who had caused her so much pain suddenly be the person she was thinking about every night?
Why was she even letting him get this close?
***
Another memory pushed its way to the surface. This one was the worst. The day everything had come to a head.
She had been walking home from school, her head down, minding her own business. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was to get home and hide away in her room. But Kyle and his friends had found her.
They had surrounded her, blocking her path, taunting her. Drake had said something cruel, something she couldn't remember now, but what she would never forget was what Kyle had done.
He had grabbed her notebook-the one she used to write down what she couldn't say aloud-and ripped it from her hands. "What do you even need this for? You don't talk anyway," he had sneered. And then, in front of everyone, he had torn it in half, the pages fluttering to the ground like broken wings.
Elena had stood there, frozen, watching the remnants of her notebook scatter across the sidewalk, her voice trapped inside her as always. She hadn't been able to move, couldn't even cry. She had just stared at the pages, her heart breaking along with them.
Kyle had laughed then-laughed and walked away, leaving her standing there in the wreckage of her thoughts.
***
The memory made her stomach twist with nausea. How had she survived that? How had she gone back to school the next day, knowing she would have to face him again?
But she had. She always did. And now, all these years later, she was still facing him.
But he was different now. Wasn't he?
She didn't know what to believe anymore. The boy who had ripped her notebook in half, who had humiliated her at every turn, seemed like a distant memory. And yet, those memories were as fresh as if they had happened yesterday.
Elena turned onto her side, clutching her pillow tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the memories to fade. She didn't want to think about Kyle like that anymore. She didn't want to hate him. But part of her still did.
How could she not?
And yet... there was something else. Something softer, warmer. The way he had been lately-the way he had apologized, the way he had looked at her, like he was trying to make things right. It wasn't enough to erase the past, but it was a start. And maybe, just maybe, that was what scared her the most.
Because if Kyle Thompson, her bully, could change... what did that mean for her? Could she really forgive him? Could she ever truly let go of the hurt he had caused?
Elena didn't have the answers. Not yet. But as she lay there in the quiet darkness of her room, she knew one thing for certain:
Kyle was no longer just a bully in her past. He was a complicated part of her present, and that scared her more than anything.
---
YOU ARE READING
Silence Screams
Ficção Adolescente| ongoing | |First book of mine| ;) Elena has lived a life of silence-born mute, she has faced countless challenges, from being neglected by her parents to enduring years of bullying at school. Her world is shaped by tragedy and loneliness, but when...
