This chapter is dedicated to my friends ptvgracee and stfukatelyn_ who helped me with this chapter.
Chapter Two
"EDEN?" I gasp.
Tears leave my eyes as I look at my friend in front of me. Her face is filled with worry and she looks like she could burst into tears at any given second. No words leave her mouth as she closes the distance between us and pulls me into an embrace.
That's when I let everything go and cry it all out. Everything I've been holding in, and keeping to myself just out. I feel Eden cry as she shakes in my arms; we are both holding each other up for a long time before she pulls back and looks directly into my eyes.
I try to control myself as I await Eden's next words. It's a few minutes before she says anything though, probably figuring out what to actually say to me.
What do you even say to your friend when you find her hunched over a toilet seat making herself throw up?
"Why?" She mutters, barely audible but I heard her loud and clear.
Because I want to be perfect.
"I don't know, Eden." I lie, "I don't know."
"Tell me the truth, Thalia, why are you doing this to yourself? I thought you were better!" She yells.
I can tell by her face that she is trying not to cry again. Eden has always been the emotional one out of the three of us but she is clearly trying to hold in the tears. For my benefit or hers? I don't know.
"I-I," I stutter incoherently, not knowing what to say to my friend. She stands in front of me waiting for an answer that I can't give her. The bells rings and I mumble, "I-I've got to go," Before I race out of the toilets, ignoring Eden's calls.
I know she won't tell anybody, she'll keep it to herself and try to get me to open up to her and tell her what's wrong, I think we both know that I won't do that and that, mentally, I can't get better and I won't ever be the same friend she once knew.
Instead of going to my last lesson of the day, English, I run through the crowds of students and make my way out of the school.
Eden's calls have now stopped and she's clearly decided that coming after me will do no good for me or for her, which I'm glad
about. I can't give her the answers she wants.
I get the bus to school and that isn't due for another half hour or so, so I decide to walk home and, hopefully, get home before mum. She doesn't need a phone call from school telling her I've gone missing and haven't turned up to lesson.
When my phone won't stop vibrating in my pocket I decide to put it on airplane mode, to stop the texts and calls coming through, and to play some music instead, to block out all the unneeded thoughts.
The journey from school to home by foot will take me roughly around 30 minutes and it's 2.30pm now. Mum gets home at 4pm so that means I don't need to rush home either. I can take my time and calm myself down from today's 'events'.
The first song that comes on is 'counting stars' by One Republic and I try to concentrate on the lyrics, hoping it will settle my nerves.
Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars, we'll be
counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
I listen to a lot more songs before I end up a corner away from my home. Nobody is around which is confusing because people should be leaving to collect their children from school by now.
Weird, I think.
I suddenly realise why when I notice a few young lads running after a boy. He's roughly my age, give or take a few years but he looks at least a foot taller than my 5,4ft height. He has long arms and legs, full of muscle.
Clearly an athlete
Yep definitely an athlete. I can tell because the boys behind him aren't catching up to him at all. He's running towards me wh-
Wait.
He's running towards me.
He doesn't see me as he looks behind him and runs right into me. We both fall to the ground and it takes him a few seconds to realise the cause of his fall and notice me.
"You're squishing me." I choke out.
He jumps off of me but he isn't fast enough because, before I know it, the four boys have us surrounded. I'm stood gaping at them whilst my jaw hangs low. They each have individual scars and now that I'm closer, they are at least in their mid-twenties.
"Well, well, well," The largest one says, with a large grin on his face. He looks like a child that's won his teddy in the vending machine.
Before he can finish what he wants to say, the boy who was, five seconds ago, lead on top of me says, "Look Mike, I'll have your money-"
"No! You look here, Cody! I want my money and I want it now. If you don't have it by next month then that's it."
By this point, I've nearly made me leave from the group unnoticed but before I can turn and run, my back bumps into a wall. A really soft wall. I slowly turn around, and when I look up the wall is smiling at me. But it's not a wall it's a blonde haired man with a little scar right through his left eyebrow.
His jawline is pretty fine if you ask me but that's not the main priority right now because Mr.Wall has to make everything difficult.
"Where are you off to, short stuff?" He asks.
"Ummm...home?"
By this point everyone has finally taken notice on me and the big one- Mike was it?- has a big smirk on his face that sends shivers up my spine.
"And if you don't get us the money, then we get your little girlfriend."
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Call Me Pretty (2016)
Teen Fiction"I just want someone to call me pretty for once," I say. "and not out of pity." "Then let me," He says. "Let me call you pretty because, Thalia, in my eyes, you're gorgeous." • • • • Surrounded by a society filled...
