"i mean it's okay to be different. better than being normal" he said in comfort
"Trust me, I know " she told him.
Malia always had problems finding her inner self. when she tries to do so, her haunted past finds a way to get to her. until she comes...
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Glimpses of me walking in the hallways of my old school. Everyone was looking at me, laughing and pointing. I tried many ways to get out of there, but nothing would budge. My heartbeat was moving faster than usual, my vision was blurry, and I couldn't see. That's when it hit me—I was trapped in a never-ending loop. "Malia," a voice said repeatedly. It was their voices—the ones who did this to me. I felt myself being pulled back into a dark closet. I screamed, wanting to get out of here. I kept yelling until I felt myself being pulled again.
I woke up in bed sweating and looking around in my room. 'It was a dream, nothing else,' I thought to myself. I looked over at my alarm clock. It was close to being my time of waking up. The way I reacted, I don't think I'm going back to sleep anytime soon.
Lia's World🙈
As I walked into the school doors, I caught a flashback of myself being the dream. Stopping from my tracks, I look around, seeing nobody in the hallways. Everything looks real to me; I'm good for right now.
I made my way towards my locker, taking my English books out. I have that class with Lisa, but I also have it with Leon. Maybe I can sit with him. Hopefully she doesn't realize I'm avoiding her. "What are you thinking about?" Theo came up to me. "Ways to avoid Lisa," I truthfully said. He laughed at the small comment and shook his head. "Well, if you're doing that, she's making her way right." Not letting him finish, I walked to my first period class.
Open seats were in the back in English class. I was hoping Leon would get to class on time just this once. Being next to Lisa right now feels strange and makes me wonder why she didn't end this friendship already. The thought came to mind, but I'm starting to realize a lot this time.
"Lia, what are you doing back here?" Leon said, taking a seat next to me. "Oh, you know, I decided a seat change wouldn't hurt," I replied. He gave me the 'Are you lying' look, and of course I was, but Leon left it alone afterwards. I saw Lisa coming in after the bell rang. I felt her staring at me, but I was ignoring her by all means possible. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but she hurt my feelings on Saturday.
"Okay guys, before class starts, I need Malia to go to the principal office," my teacher said. Everyone turned their heads towards me. Crap!
Lia's World🙈
You can see the anxiety brushed on my face. The only times I've been in the principal's office was for my transcript and at my old school. The assistant for the principal led me to his office and told me to go straight in. I knocked two times instead; I'm not the type to open doors randomly first. I heard him come in and saw the middle-aged man smiling at my presence.
"Now, Malia, you're not in trouble, but since you are back, I need a personal statement of the fight," he explained to me. I nodded my head and started to explain the situation to him. After I was done, I could tell he was processing everything I said. "So Janice and Jackson started the whole thing," he stated. I nodded my head once again, making sure he gets everything right. The boys don't deserve detention for something they didn't start. "Well okay, Ms. Cartwright. Bring Jackson Stewart and Janice Benson to the office, please," he yelled out to her.
Once I was done with everything, I walked out of the office, and I saw Janice making her way towards me. From a mile, I can see she was mad at the fact she was called to the office. Yeah, she's not going to get over this at all.
Lia's World🙈
Being on the rooftop for my free period is really calming. Nobody knows I'm up here, not even Lisa. A good place to avoid her too. I pulled out my headphones and played my normal day playlist. The song In My Mind by Lyn Lapid first played, and the lyrics "These thoughts in my brain, they come out to play." remind me of my past trauma, and I guess the things that's happening with Lisa take me back to what happened in my old school. ___________________________________________________________
*Sophomore Year*
Everything was turning into a nightmare; Kayla wasn't here by my side anymore. After summer break, she decided to ignore me and become friends with people who hated me for no reason. My only best friend in this school turned on me.
As I walked in the empty classroom, I saw Kayla sitting by herself. I happily walked up to her and waved at her. She looked up at me and gave me a blank face. It only left me confused. "What happened? Are you okay?" I asked her. She only rolled her eyes at me and huffed. "Lia, I expected you to get the hint by now," she said to me. "What hint?" I asked again. "She doesn't want to be friends anymore, that's what," a voice interrupted. I turned to look who it was, and I wanted to leave the classroom quickly. "Did you really expect to keep a friendship with me around?" Alicia asked. My heartbeat was beating really fast as she came towards me. I looked over at Kayla for help, but she only stared at me.
Alicia hated me since freshman year only because I accidentally spilled my frappe on her when she bumped into me. I apologized many times, but she decided to torment me ever since that day.
"You're worthless, Malia; not even your friend wants to hang out with you," she complied as I had tears in my eyes. The rest of her friends laughed at me, including Kayla. why me?
I never caught a break from them until my parents found out and they quickly changed my school.
The fear of that came upon me again. I thought I recovered from that, but the problem with Janice and Lisa reminded me of that.
"Malia, you come up to the roof as well," Theo voiced interrupted. We always run into each other when we have problems. "Yeah, it's my free period, so i guess," I replied. He sat down next to me and stared for a few seconds. "Have you been crying?" He asked worriedly. I looked down ashamed; I didn't expect the tears to still be there.
"I see today isn't your best day, so let's stay up here for the rest of the day. I'll tell the rest to come up as well," he confirmed. I finally looked at him and smiled. We started off on the wrong foot, but he sure cares enough for me.
"Okay," I said to him.
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Author Note:
this chapter took me some time to do.
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