Broken

Chapter 5

This morning, I jolted awake to the shrill sound of my alarm clock. It only blares when my mom has to leave for work early and forgets to wake me up, which means I'm running late. Fantastic. I quickly threw on some clothes, fixed my hair, grabbed a piece of toast, and dashed out the door.

As I sprinted toward the bus stop, I spotted Emily walking down the road. Without a second thought, I abandoned the bus and ran after her. I caught up and stopped to catch my breath.

Emily had also paused, waiting for me to recover. She wore almost the same outfit as yesterday, except today her white shoes were black. Her long hair, usually so neatly styled, was hanging over her face, almost as if she was trying to hide something.

"G... Good morning," she said shyly.

"Good morning," I replied with a smile.

She didn't return the smile, her head hanging low, her hair partially obscuring her face.

"I thought you took the bus," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"N... no, I... I live too far," she replied quietly.

"Oh, that's rough. Whereabouts do you live, if you don't mind me asking?" I inquired.

"I... I live on E... Empire Avenue," she answered.

"Wow, that's the rich kids' street," I said, chuckling.

Her head dropped even lower, and I realized my comment might have come off as insensitive. "Sorry, that was kind of a dumb thing to say."

"It's okay," she said, lifting her head just enough to meet my eyes.

As she turned towards me, a sliver of her face was exposed when her hair shifted slightly. That's when I noticed the bruising and swelling on the side of her face. Her eye was red and puffy.

"Holly shit, Emily, what happened to your face?!?" I exclaimed, my heart racing with shock.

Her eyes widened in fear, and she quickly pulled her hair back over her face to hide the injuries. She tried to continue walking.

"Emily..." I said softly, but she kept moving.

I stepped in front of her and gently grabbed her arm, turning her to face me. Her reaction was one of surprise and fear, as if my touch was something she wasn't used to.

"Emily, who did this to you?" I asked, my voice laced with concern and anger.

Her fear was palpable, and she didn't respond right away. I could feel my protective instincts surging. It hurt to see her like this, and I wanted to make it right.

"N... nobody," she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Emily, please tell me who did this," I urged, tightening my grip slightly.

She whimpered and trembled. "I... I fell," she said, her voice shaking.

"Emily, I need to know. When I find out who did this, they're going to regret it!" I said, my frustration boiling over.

She flinched, shaking uncontrollably. "N... nobody... I... I f... fell," she repeated, her stutter worsening with her anxiety.

Seeing her distress, I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and let go of her arm. Emily took off towards the school, not glancing back.

As I watched her run away, my heart sank.

What have I done?