What's So Good About Picking Up The Pieces?

                                                                            TEN YEARS AGO: FLASHBACK

"Gooooooood Morning Mission Bay Senior High!  Now for the announcements," my school principal blared through the intercoms of our classroom. I sighed loudly and tuned him out, doodling on my notebook and leaning my head against my hand. Second period Economics, otherwise known as my homeroom class, had to be the most boring class of the day. Of course, there was something, or someone, in the class that held my interest...

"Time for roll call!" my teacher, Ms. Machado, called out loudly, snapping me out of my day dream. I just leaned my face back into hands, ignoring her and everyone else around me until I knew it was my turn to call 'here'.

"Victor Fuentes!" she called. I heard that name loud and clear.

Why?

Because I was had an extreme crush on him, and the mention of his name made my ears perk and my heart race.

 "Here," he mumbled before turning back to his two best friends. "And I prefer Vic," he mumbled even quieter, even though the teacher didn't even hear him.

I gazed at him, lost in a trance. His olive colored skin framed his thin face and firm jawline, and those baby brown eyes sparkled as did his white smile as he laughed quietly with his two friends. He reached his hand up to his short, dark brown hair, running his fingers gently through it. He is just so-

"I said Autumn Ray! Is Autumn Ray here?"

Shit. "Oh, here! I'm here, Ms. Machado."

"Very well then," she continued, finishing the roll call list. Vic glanced in my direction and smiled slightly, eyes twinkling, before turning back to the friend that hit him with a broken pencil. Vic just laughed again, shoving his friend in the arm. 

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I sat at lunch that day by myself because my only friend, Emily, was sick with some stomach virus. How could she just leave me here with these horrible people? I questioned. Although, Emily didn't have it quite as bad as I did. Many people loved Emily, actually. She definitely had more that just one friend, unlike me. 

"Where's your little girlfriend, Autumn?" I heard a voice tease from behind me.

Without turning around, I knew who it was. "Go away, Lexi," I demanded while picking at the sandwich I hadn't even bothered to eat. 

"Aww, why aren't you eating? Too upset that your girlfriend isn't here? Or just anorexic?" She trailed her fingers along the back of my neck lightly, her nails leaving a trail of goosebumps.

"She's my best friend, I'm not gay, and mind your own damn business Lexi," I muttered lowly, trying to stay calm. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself; I hated being the center of attention.

"Aww, look guys," she issued towards her little pack behind her. "Looks like Autumn is getting defensive. Hurt much?" They all laughed evilly. "Why don't you do us all a favor and kill yourself. Or, at least disappear. That works too." Finally, when I decided to turn around and meet her eyes, she was grinning maliciously down at me.

I was able to hold myself together while she was standing behind me, but as soon as she had walked to the other side of the cafeteria, I lost all control. Tears began streaming down my cheek, and I bursted out of my seat, running to the girls bathroom. 

When I ran in, two girls were applying lip gloss in the mirror. They just looked at me, smirked, and scurried their way out of the bathroom. Then, I turned and glanced in the mirror.