H.I.C.C.

Chapter 3: H2O + NaCl

The alarm clock rang and cut the silence. Jen jerked up. She had slept! She had actually slept! She didn't care whether it was the calm she had felt last evening or the physical exercise yesterday. She got up and actually felt happy. It didn't take her long to take a shower and get dressed today. Not even ten minutes. She almost fell down the stairs because she rushed them so fast. She bumped into her dad. "CUP'O'BLAST! Not so fast Jennifer, what's bitten you in your sleep?" Jen happily hugged her father. "Morning Dad!" Then she rushed into the kitchen. Her father shook his head and slowly followed. Jen's mother was already up and had prepared the breakfast for all three. It was such a nice morning! Jen quickly sat down and instantly spotted the steaming cup of cacao next to her plate. In a sudden burst of energy she got back up and jumped to her mother. "Good morning mum!" The mother smiled. "Good morning, Jenny, I see you're in hight spirits today." In her usual manner she gave her daughter a tender kiss on the forehead. The family then ate their breakfast. The father suddenly got up and walked to the window. He sighed. "Just as the paper said, it's raining." Jennifer jumps up and walks up to him. "Hm, yeah. I'll have to use my umbrella. Doesn't seem to be too windy." Her father nodded. "Just be careful." "Sure, dad." Jen smiled. After a few more minutes she got ready to leave. The rain was heavy. She opened her umbrella. She waited a while. It was a small thunderstorm, even. She couldn't see L anywhere though. She waited a little longer. And another five minutes. She looked at her watch. If she didn't go soon, she'd run late. She frowned. Was L really ditching her? Disappointed, she started trotting towards school. It was the second day. Had she already forgotten? The words she said yesterday had sounded so beautiful. So just. Where was that justice now? She sighed and increased her speed. Then she stopped dead in her tracks. There they were. The entire group.

"Alone, I see. Did that bitch cower out?" Mark takes a few steps towards me. Panic rises within me. They are so many. And they all look extremely pissed off. The boys quickly form a circle around me. I can't suppress my panic. I turn around and start running in the direction of my house, it's not far away, and my father should be going to work now. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" I scream.
One of the boys sprints after me and tackles me down. I struggle, but his tight grip makes me freeze. I'm drenched already. Why did I think that? He pulls me up. Mark is directly in front of me. "We'll get revenge for what that bitch did." I gulp. My shivering is out of control. "Look how scared she is!" The guy holding me mocks. "Y-You m-mean YOU will g-get revenge. N-No one else....." I pause in fear. "...did anything." I press out. Mark chuckles. "Who cares. I am this group. What she did to me, she did to all of us." I can't believe he said that. How self centred can you be? He grabs my throat. I can't breathe! "I...I" The words won't come out. "WHAT WAS THAT? HUH?" He shakes me. I can't even cough! The feeling is so gross! I am close to retching when he loosens his grip. I gasp for air. "Look at you. Alone you're so pathetic. You can't even move." He slaps me. "HOW'S THAT FEEL?" He punches my stomach. I cough terribly. "W-Why?" I manage to force out. "I told you. Revenge. No one's here to save you." He kicks the spot where he once stabbed me by accident. I scream at the sudden memory. My eyes flash open, my mouth as well. I can't think straight.

Jen looked up to the sky, mouth still opened. She didn't care about the rain right now. She didn't care about anything. Her whole mind was on standby. Mark pulled her hair and smashed her to the ground. The impact was so strong that she got a laceration from it. Another guy stepped on her legs. "Hold her there." Mark ordered. He took a few steps back as four guys now held a limb each. They had rolled her to her back, so she was staring at the sky. She couldn't imagine what Mark was going to do. He went further away, turned around and suddenly started sprinting. The boys around her started cheering him on. "MARK! MARK! MARK!" It echoed across the street. It was clear now. He was going to body slam her. With his size it would definitely break a few ribs. It was cruel. But what did he care? He hated her. Everyone did. For suddenly not being defenceless anymore. They needed a victim. They needed her. Mark sprinted close. And jumped.
A scream cut the cheering. L bumped into Mark mid-air and pushed him to the ground. She punched him once, twice, thrice, four times, five times before any of the other boys finally got over their initial shock and ran to his aid. They pulled her off him. One of the boys punched her, but she used her legs to kick him off, then kicked the left boy in the crotch and threw the other over her shoulder. Another tried to charge at her, but she evaded him and made him trip. She stood rock still now, striking a pose, glaring daggers at Mark, who just got back up. "DON'T YOU DARE TO TOUCH HER AGAIN!" She yells. She's breathing heavily. Jen slowly looked up. Was that a tear on her face? She was shivering too! Mark chuckled. "We'll see about that." He got out his knife again. L focused on him. Not taking her eyes off once. Then he sprinted towards her, she evaded the first swing and kneed his stomach. He coughed and flinched, but got back up and swung again. She put up her lower arm to block, he cut it deeply. She didn't even flinch at the the pain and kicked him again. Suddenly another boy came from behind and kicked her in the back. She tumbled forward, jerked around and punched his throat. He gasped and stumbled backwards. Mark used this to attack again, and he cut her across the cheek. She turned around, eyes sparkling and kicked him so hard in the stomach that he had to vomit. The fight continued for another fifteen minutes, and L struggled and fought bravely. In the end she was standing in the middle of a battlefield. Some puddles were slightly red from blood. There even were two or three teeth lying around. Jen had sat up sometime during the fight when the four guys holding her had joined in. She was just sitting there, on the ground, in the water and in the rain. Staring at L.

Suddenly L turned around, fell to her knees and slid across the asphalt, tearing her tights and ripping her skin, and directly into Jen's arms. She hugged her tightly. She was crying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated it over and over and over again. Not letting go. Slowly Jen returned the hug and started crying too. Jen didn't know how long they were sitting there. It felt like an eternity. They had calmed down a little. "School probably started." Jen suddenly said in a shaky voice. "Hmhmm." L hummed as a reply. They still held each other tightly. A few of the boys had already left the scene or were still unconscious. Jen closed her eyes. "Where were you?" She asked. L shook her head. "A-At h-home." Jen now realised L was still shivering. Then a thought struck her. And she suddenly felt terribly guilty for doubting her. "You're afraid of the thunder." Jen exclaimed. L didn't say anything but instead tightened her grip. Jen did the same. "I'm sorry too." She whispered. Jen managed to look at her wristwatch. First period was about to end. "Want to go home?" L shook her head. "L-Let's g-go to s-school." Slowly Jen helped L up and picked up her umbrella. She suddenly laughed. It was of no use to them now anyway. She felt so silly for thinking it would help. She just laughed wholeheartedly, and L couldn't help but join in. Like that they walked to school, completely drenched, L covered in cuts and bruises, Jen feeling like a sack of lead.

When I got home this afternoon, after finding out L had got a detention and Mark had been suspended for a week, my mother immediately ran to me and hugged me tightly. "I just got a call from school! Why didn't you come home straight after?!" She asks me hysterically. I was so tired. "Mum, can we talk about this later?" I ask. She presses her lips on my forehead. "I was so worried." I return her hug slowly. "I know mum, just please.. can't we....talk..." I suddenly feel very weak and sink into my mothers arms. "Sweetie?? Jen don't do this!" I slowly look into my mothers eyes. "Sorry....mum...I'm just so tired." Suddenly she picks me up and carries me upstairs. She puts me down on my bed and starts undressing me. "I'll dry your uniform so you can use it tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want anything? Tea? A banana?" I shake my head. "Some water...would be nice." I reluctantly say. She kisses my forehead again. "Sure, my love." She says as she leaves my room. I let myself fall onto my pillow and look at the ceiling. Dad's going to be mad when he finds out about this. I hope I see mum before she tells him. But...it's so hard....to stay awake...... Was my....lamp...always this...dim? It's sooo dark.... Can't....stay awake....

Please...don't...tell.....dad.....