Hopeless and Broken

Chapter 2

Oliver Smith was born on October 28 in the year 1998. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father resorted to drugs and alcohol. Oliver had to endure abuse and pain every single day. His dad never changed. He would always put him down. Words of negativity would ring through the halls of his broken home. Oliver became suicidal. His world shattered. It was like the walls that forged his life all came tumbling down. He cut and burned himself. He did anything and everything to both physically and mentally abuse himself because he believed the pain his dad was already putting him through wasn't enough to give him what he deserved. He let himself believe it was his fault for his mother's death. He believed if he hadn't been born, then his mother would still be happily breathing.

Hopeless.

Broken.

He knew he should have never been born.

___________________

Oliver's P.O.V.

Oliver woke up the next morning, confused and laid clumsily across his bed. 'When did I fall asleep?' Then it all came back to him.

Dad. The beer bottle. Glass. Blood. Tears.

He slowly heaved himself upward, planting his hands behind him on the bed for support. The black-haired boy gazed at the wall, memories of the night before running free in his mind. He sighed and let his gaze fall away so he could look at his alarm clock. The bright, blue digits read 6:30 AM exactly. The day was Friday. One more day of school, and he was out for the weekend. He pushed himself from the bed and made his way into the bathroom. When he closed the door behind him, he stripped down and gazed in the mirror at himself.

'Disgusting. How can people bare to look at you everyday?'

The voice inside his mind snarled in a tone dripping with malice. He frowned, gazing at his dark circles, messy hair, and bony structure. Scars covered his body, and memories flooded his mind again. He remembered when each and every mark on his body was inflicted. He shook his head and turned to the shower. Climbing in, he turned it on and made sure it was as scorchingly hot as it could possibly be. The water sprayed down on him in burning, sharp, pellet-like drops. The male grabbed the shampoo, squirted some in his hand, and slowly began to lather it into his raven-hued locks. Once he was done rinsing out the soapy substance, he washed his body and hopped out of the shower. He clothed himself in a long-sleeve, black shirt; black skinny jeans; and his dirty, black Converse. After brushing his teeth, putting deodorant on, and battling with the tangles in his hair, he opened the door to his bedroom, descended down the narrow stairway, and out the front door into the crisp, morning air. 'School's going to be just great.' He thought to himself sarcastically and turned in the direction of the hellhole that was school.

___________________

Amber's P.O.V.

New town.

New house.

New everything.

Amber sucked in a breath, standing in front of the building that was her new school. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt for a while before letting out the breath she had gathered and pushing open the door. Warm air, much different from the fall air outside, hugged her frame. She began to skip down the hall, all the while glancing down at the paper that was laying atop the pile of books she carried in her arms. She read the class number and the subject. First period, science, room 204. Without the tour she'd been given a few weeks before, she would have been devastated. She arrived at room 204 in a matter of five minutes, and she knocked softly on the door. The door made multiple clicking sounds as it swung open, revealing the teacher who's name was Mrs. Red. Her hair was pulled into a neat bun, her face caked with makeup, and she was wearing a pencil skirt with a button-up shirt. She moved back to allow Amber to enter the room.
"Everyone, we have a new student. Meet Amber Jones." Said female scanned the room, taking in her surroundings and examining the students individually. Her gaze fell upon a boy dressed in black, and he had hair the color of a raven's feather. He had dark circles beneath his blue-green eyes, and he was staring blankly down at his pencil. The teacher seemed to have noticed Amber staring, for she spoke.
"Ah, I see you've found who you're sitting beside." She gestured to the raven-haired boy. "That's Oliver. You'll be sitting to the right of him in that empty desk." Amber only nodded, and she began her trek towards the empty desk. When she reached it, she pulled out the chair with her foot and plopped down. She stuffed her books in her desk and turned towards Oliver.
"Hello! I'm Amber. It's nice to meet you," she spoke in a cheery tone, smiling a toothy grin. Oliver looked startled. He turned to her.
"Hello. I'm Oliver," he murmured. Amber frowned when he turned back around, curious as to why he seemed... sad, was it? She wasn't sure. She shrugged it off and turned towards the front of the room. When she heard the instructions to begin to take notes, she hurriedly pulled out her binder, clicked open the rings, pulled out a few pieces of paper, and began to scribble down key words and thoughts the teacher said.

___________________

First and second period flew by, and before Amber knew it, it was lunch time. She quickly stood from her desk and followed everyone outside the classroom and to the lunch room. Upon arrival, she stepped through the propped-open, double doors and scanned the room. When she spotted the person she had desperately been searching for, she went and picked out her lunch before making her way over to the raven-haired boy. She frowned when she saw he was sitting alone and staring at his lunch.
"Oliver! Mind if I sit with you?" He looked up and nodded before going back to staring blankly at his food.
"So, how are you?" She piped up, turning to the male.
"Fine. You?" Oliver said, still staring at his food.
"I'm great! I was a little nervous about coming to a new school and whatnot, but I'm alright now." She furrowed her eyebrows, seeing as he was still obsessing over his food. "Hey. Are you going to eat that?" She gestured towards the untouched meal.
"No." Oliver pushed the lunch tray towards her. "You can have it."
"No, no, no. That's not what I meant. Here." She pushed the tray back to him and handed him the apple she had chosen. "Take this. It has the necessary vitamins and protein you need to maintain a healthy body and mind. Eat it," she coaxed. Oliver only gave it back.
"No, thanks," he said. Amber decided not to push it.
"Alright. Well, we should get to know each other! My name's Amber Jones. My birthday is May 19, 1999. I'm seventeen. I like to play the piano and I like to write. I have a dog and a cat named Bud and Whiskers. Tell me about yourself, Oliver." She turned to him, grinning.
"I'm-" A moment's hesitation. "-Oliver Smith..." He furrowed his brows. "My birthday's October 28, 1998. I'm seventeen, as well." Amber tilted her head.
"That's all?" She laughed. "That's alright! So, you're older than me. That's cool." She smiled. At that exact moment, a dull, ringing sound reached their ears, signaling that it was time for their next class.
"Bye," Oliver said. She watched as he grabbed his still-full tray and trudged to the trash bin to rid it of its contents before walking to the man washing the trays and handing it to him. Amber did the same, and she headed in the direction of her next class.

___________________

The end of the school day had finally come, and Amber was walking towards the exit of the school when she spotted Oliver.
"Hey, Oliver!" She hurried towards him, slowing down when they were walking side-by-side. She matched her pace to his.
"H-hello," he stuttered. "I really do have t-to get home. I'll see you next week, alright?" Oliver rushed past her, pushed open the door, and began walking in a direction that would take him to a place unknown to Amber. She watched him grow smaller in the distance before pushing open the door herself.
"Oliver," she tried his name on her lips, and she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Oliver!" She said a little louder and began to skip in the direction that lead her to her new house.

___________________

A/N: I finally finished. Alright, anyway. This week, I probably will be busy with school, so I'm not going to be able to publish anything. If I do get the chance, I'll try, but I highly doubt it. I'll be sure to work on it this coming weekend. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more. c: