One Direction are my Babysitters

Detentionaire

After a moment or so of sitting behind the door, I opened it, pulling myself up by the handle. Niall wasn’t there. Sigh of relief. He couldn’t hit me. He wouldn’t hit me. I dropped the towel away from my body and threw on some lingerie quickly. I stared at myself in the mirror, letting a tear roll down my cheek. Why does my body look like this? What had I done to deserve it? I hadn’t hurt anyone… had I?

I frantically grabbed something out of my top drawer. Glass. I flopped myself onto the bed and injected it into my forearm, piercing through the first couple of layers of skin and drawing blood. I promised myself I wouldn’t do it anymore. But I couldn’t help it. I found relief…

Caroline dropped the glass piece onto the floor as there was a knock on her. She shuffled her feet against the floor, kicking the glass under her bed in a rush.

“Come in…” she called out, as the door opened.

“Sweetie, did Niall come and talk to you?” Her mother asked, making her way over to her.

Caroline hid her arm underneath her blanket, letting the blood drip onto her mattress. “No, he didn’t come in. I wasn’t dressed.” She muttered, scrunching up her nose in pain as the blanket rubbed against her newly formed cuts.

Tina nodded. “Are you okay, darling?”

Caroline frowned, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I am.”

“Honestly?”

“Wonderful.”

Her mum frowned. When her mother frowned, you could see the wrinkles that sat on her face. “Honey, you aren’t. Tell me what’s wrong. I can see that something is bothering you.”

“Mum, I’m fine! Really!” she stood up and her arm went flying over her head in anger. Her arm was dripping in blood and the, of course, was the first thing that her mother saw.

Her mother stood up, trying to avoid her gaze on her daughters arm. It hurt her to know that she was cutting, again.

Tina nodded slightly, and shuffled out of Caroline’s room and back into the kitchen where she was greeted with Keith.

“Keith…” she muttered, sitting next to her husband. “Caroline’s not okay, babe.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think she was good - .”

“No. Really. She’s cutting again… We can’t go on the holiday without her now… I mean, she won’t be able to take care of herself if she’s alone.”

“No… not my Caroline…” he frowned.

* * * *

The next day came around and it was Monday – start of the week; school day.

As every weekday, Caroline got up at 8am for school. She went for a shower, straightened her hair. Lastly, she put on foundation to cover up the major swelling that covered her face. Yes, Caroline understood the fact that she bagged the shit out of Maggie for caking her face in makeup, but Caroline had a reason. She wanted to cover up the bruises; and what a better way to do that than to… cake it.

When the clock reached 9, she was out the door ready to catch the bus. Caroline’s parents both worked during school hours, so there really wasn’t anyone there to say goodbye to or hello to when she arrived home.

Caroline waited at bus stop, for about 10 minutes before her bus actually came. 10 minutes to get to school. When the bus arrived, she paid for her bus ticket and sat at the front of the bus. The old man that was always on the bus smiled at her, and Caroline briefly smiled in return.