The Wallflower And The Jock {on hold}

9. Beyond The Grave

9. Beyond The Grave 

"I hear that she's cutting her wrists."

" No way, she's totally doing drugs! Just look at how high she looks!"

"Well either way, she's headed nowhere."

I slammed my locker door shut, and glared at the two gossip girls in the corner.  That seemed to shut them up.  Consciously, I put my hands inside my hoodie, put my head down and made my way to the bathroom.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror of the white tiled bathroom, which unfortunately reminded me of the hospitaI.  I closed my eyes and put my hands on the marble counter by the sink. It wasn't a complete lie, I looked like complete crap. After a week of sleep deprived nights and not being able to go to school because I still broke down everytime I thought about my grandfather, my parents and Brent had finally gotten me to agree to come to school today.

What a huge mistake.

Apparently, if you haven't showed up in two weeks and you have huge eyebags,  you're automatically suicidal.  Oh the magic of teen gossip.

"Zoe?"

I looked up.  I saw Selena standing by the door, her eyes filled with sadness. Although not as much as mine, I found out later.

"You okay?" She asked softly, taking a step closer to me, as if she thought that I was a timebomb that would explode if she said the wrong thing.  I could see the effort that she was making, so I faked a smile, although she could probably see right through it. 

I sniffed and ran my hand through my tangled mane. "I'm fine."

***

The week was soon over, and then two weeks.  Everyday, I woke up, I went to school, I went home, I did my homework and then I went to sleep.  I was like some psycho zombie that was stuck on replay.  I didn't cry anymore, but I haven't smiled either.

Go figure.

I refused to talk to anyone.  I ate lunch in the library, I was silent in class, and my phone had been on lock down for about three weeks.  I could see that my friends were worried about me, but I ignored them. This was how I always dealt with grief.

Push it down, don't show a frown.

This cycle basically carried out until mid-December. So much for having the holiday spirit. I thought. l made my daily trip to the bathroom and looked at the person staring at me.  Eyebags, check. Pale face, check.  Looks like a serial killer who just got sent to prison for a lifetime? Check.

I then proceeded to my next class. Or I tried.  Because when I stepped out of the hallway, I noticed two things: one, the hallway was completely deserted, and two, the only people who remained in the said hallway were Layla, Alicia, Brent and Selena.

"What's going on?" I asked cautiously.  It was rare to see Brent with them, so I didn't know what to expect.

They all looked at one another hesitantly, but it was Layla who spoke up first. "We're worried about you."

I started to protest, "Guys, I'm fi-"

"No, don't try to tell us that you're fine, because you're not." It was Brent who had spoken up this time, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. I felt Selena and Layla on either sides of me, locking my arms with theirs so that I couldn't escape. Not that I could, anyway. I was to weak and sleep deprived.

"Will somebody just please tell me what's going on?" I said as I struggled, but to no avail. So, I just went along with them. Layla and Selena continued to drag me all the way to the school parking lot, where they followed Brent's lead.