Rainbow in the Darkness

Chapter 2( EDITED)

I headed off to school with my head held high, but it didn't take long for me to regret coming to school. Within seconds, I wanted to return to the safety of my home. People were making fun of me, not only because of the poster, but also because of how I reacted. From past experiences, I knew not to react. Reacting only fueled their want to hurt you. No matter how hard I tried, I always showed some kind of reaction to the names. Most of the time I flinched, but this one was a big enough reaction that no one could miss it. Not only are they still calling me Easy A, but also Weakling and Cry Baby Abi. I tried to forget about all of them and focus on my schoolwork, but it was difficult to forget about it when they are whispering your name during class and throwing pieces of paper you to get your attention.

When the bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch, I almost jumped with joy. My body could finally relax. I did not need to sit still and make sure to not do anything that would cause rumors to go around. It was as if you told me I never had to go to school ever again. That's how happy I was to finally go to my spot.

It's weird that sometimes all you need to get through the day is something so small. Finally being able to go to lunch and be myself is such a small thing, yet to me it was as if I had won the lottery. Most people get excited when they are going to hang out with their friends, but for me it's the exact opposite. I enjoyed being by myself. No one could hurt me when I was alone.

I was happy and content to be alone. I could finally forget about everyone in this school and focus on me. The first thing I did to focus on myself was taking out my writing notebook. Writing helps me deal with things in my personal life. I never expect anyone to read any of my writings, but I still used fake names just in case my writing notebook got into the wrong hands. I started writing about how I was feeling that day when my phone rang. It was my mom. She never calls me during school hours because her work keeps her occupied most of the day.

"Hello?" I answered, worried. Something was wrong.

"Hey, hunnie," my mom said, strained. I could tell that she had been crying. "Um, your grandmother today woke up not being able to move. Her cancer has spread." I froze, scared of what she was going to tell me next. "She is in the hospital. I would get here are soon as possible dear."

I didn't bother answering. I hung up and grabbed everything. My grandma was very important to me. She had taken care of me while my parents' careers skyrocketed. All of my family lived at least five hours away, so I was her only grandchild that she got to see more than once a year. This caused my grandma to develop a close relationship with me. She was like a second mother to me.

In order to get to my car in a few minutes I needed to pass through the courtyard. The courtyard was where everyone hung out during lunch. If it was nice out, like today, then the entire student body would be outside in the courtyard. I figured that if I kept my head down and didn't look at anyone that I would be able to get through the busy courtyard. I would try to go undetected that way no one would try to stop me from getting to the hospital. I was halfway through the courtyard when my old friends spotted me.

"Abigail!" my ex-friend yelled across the courtyard. Leave it to Michelle to notice me quietly speed walking through the packed courtyard. She stood up and walked over to me. This caught everyone's attention, causing 300 heads to turn in my direction. The rest of my ex-friends followed behind her. "You really couldn't stop from ruining our lives even after we told you to stay out of it could you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. I really needed to keep this conversation short and sweet if I wanted to get to the hospital before the school traffic.

"Don't play dumb with us," another ex-friend said, "Everyone thinks we are stupid for even being friends with you. We don't like being picked on."

I don't like it either, I thought.

"Don't just stand there and say nothing. Say sorry," another ex-friend said, shoving me causing me to fall to the ground. Luckily nothing fell out of my arms. I couldn't waste anymore time. I needed to get to my grandma before it was too late.

I muttered a quick sorry and ran off towards my car. Everyone laughed at me as I ran through the courtyard. So much for passing through quietly, I thought. I tried to hide my tears by allowing my hair to fall in front of my face. I didn't make it far before I hit something, causing my books and I to fall to the ground. The other person went skidding across the ground. Normally I would stick around to see if they were okay, but I was loosing time with my grandma.

"I'm sorry," I said, scrambling to pick up my books. Blood was dripping down their forearm. I saw the cut they got along their forearm. It wasn't worthy of going to the hospital, but it would definitely take some time to heal. The hospital. I needed to get to the hospital. I had already wasted too much time. My grandma was dying and I needed to be by her side. She needed me. I was about to leave when they handed me my tattered, sticker-covered notebook. I mumbled thanks and continued to run towards my car.

I threw my books into the back seat and climbed into the driver's seat, wasting no time to start the car. I raced to the hospital in silence, not bothering to turn on the radio. My thoughts were loud enough. At a red light, I texted my mom saying I was on my way. When I got to the hospital my mom was waiting for me in the lobby. She opened her arms for me, which I gladly I ran to. I cried in her arms while we walked to my grandma's room. By the time I made it to the hospital my grandma was already in a coma. All hopes of talking to her one last time were gone. I would never get to tell my grandma how much I loved her one last time. If my old friends hadn't stopped me I might have been able to tell my grandma I loved her one last time.

Later that evening, my grandma passed away. They said she wasn't in any pain and that she went peacefully, but I didn't believe that. She wasn't surrounded by all her family. It was just my family. She wasn't surrounded by the amount of people that she deserved. I cried so much that day that when I was finally in my room alone, nothing came out. I stared up at my ceiling thinking about my life and how horrible it became. I had no friends and the one person I could talk to is dead.

My life was perfect, until it wasn't anymore: my friends told me to never talk to them again, I was constantly being bullied at school, my grandma had passed away before I could tell her I loved her. I couldn't catch a break. Life didn't want me to be happy anymore, but the only thing that kept me alive was hope. Hope was my life preserver. I could only hope my life would get better, after all what goes down must come up. Hope helped me get through the days that even my spot couldn't help. I wouldn't be able to make it through the day without hope. Without hope, I was nothing.