Disabled.

Eleven

Eleven

Nadia watched Mason as he took a sip of his coffee, looking ahead. She contemplated on whether or not she should break the silence, holding tightly onto her cup of tea.

"Say it," she heard him say suddenly.

"Say what?" she asked, looking at her hands as they were wrapped around the warm paper cup.

"Whatever you're trying not to say." 

She took a few seconds, before she allowed herself to speak.

"What happened to her?... Your cousin, I mean."

She heard him sigh audibly, causing her to instantly regret asking the question. But instead of staying silent, he turned to her.

"Bullying. 

"I don't know what it is about her that someone would try to use against her─but you never know what people are thinking. It's like some people just go around, looking for something─anything─that they can use against someone. And then they forget that the person they are bullying is human. They forget that that person is someone who has feelings and emotions just like them."

When he finished speaking, she noticed that he was clenching his cup tightly. She looked at his face and at that moment, she couldn't ignore the anger which radiated off him. At that moment, she felt the urge to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. But when she felt her hand reaching out, she immediately retreated her hand.

"I'm sorry," she chose to say instead, quietly. He turned to her and almost immediately, his face changed. His face no longer reflected the anger which she had seen just seconds before. Instead, his face displayed no emotion. And as he looked at her, she felt as if he was actually looking through her instead.

"What for?" he asked her, his face softening slightly.

"It's not like you were the one that made her attempt suicide."

"I'm sorry for making you talk about it," she clarified. But he shook his head and offered a small smile.

"You don't need to be. It's better to talk about it instead of letting it build up inside."

There was silence between them for a few moments, as each of them allowed each other to be engulfed in their thoughts. But that silence was quickly broken when Mason looked at his watch and turned to her.

"I should go," he told her. She nodded her head solemnly, feeling slightly disappointed that he already had to leave.

"I'll help you back to your room first," he said. But Nadia shook her head.

"It's okay, I can go back," she told him. He looked at her with a skeptical expression, causing her to laugh slightly. And since it had been a long time since she had been able to laugh, she allowed herself to enjoy the warm feeling which surrounded her.

"I can make it back to my room. I'm not a kid, you know." 

She didn't miss the small smile which appeared on his lips when she said that.

"Okay, then I'll see you again." 

She nodded her head before they said their goodbyes and he walked away. And as she watched him walking away, she began to wonder why he hadn't said that he would be seeing her the next day. 

Was it because he wasn't going to visit her the next day?

---

Nadia decided to return to her room after she had finished her cup of tea. But as she turned a corner into the hallway that Mason had pushed her through to see his cousin, she wondered whether it would be alright for her to visit his cousin.

Without asking anyone, she decided to go to his cousin's room. She slowly pushed herself until she was in front of her door. She reached for the handle of the door and slowly opened it, wheeling herself inside once the door was opened enough. 

She left the door slightly open as she wheeled herself closer to his cousin, once again taking in the image of all the machines which she was connected to. 

Once she was close enough, all she could do was look at her, laying on her bed so still. She remembered what Mason had said when she had asked what had happened to her.

"I don't know what it is about her that someone would try to use against her─but you never know what people are thinking. It's like some people just go around, looking for something─anything─that they can use against someone. And then they forget that the person they are bullying is human. They forget that that person is someone who has feelings and emotions just like them."  

Those words of his had hit close to home as she thought of her own situation. Having to deal with bullying every day at school had driven her to attempt suicide. And if her mother hadn't found her when she did, she could have been in the same situation as Mason's cousin.

As that thought filled her mind, she saw a small damp spot on her thigh, causing her to notice that she had started crying. She quickly wiped away her tears. But as she did so, she felt more tears falling.

Why did people have to be so cruel to others? 

She felt her hand balling into a fist as memories of the different ways which she had been bullied filled her mind. 

What was it about hurting others which caused people to do it? 

Did it give them a sense of satisfaction, knowing that they were hurting someone? 

She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice as someone asked her a question. But when she noticed movement in the corner of her eye, she looked up to find Mason's cousin looking at her. She froze when she noticed that his cousin had woken up from her coma.

"W-who are you?" she faintly heard her ask. But she was too stunned to say anything. Instead, all she could do was look back at his cousin, eyes connected with hers, unsure of what to do.

***

A/N

Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out this chapter. I know that it's a little short but I thought the ending was the best place to end it. But even though it was short, I hope you enjoyed reading it!

So what did you think about hearing a bit about Mason's cousin's story? And what about her being awake now? 

I'd love to hear all your thoughts! And I hope I'll be able to update soon too.

Thanks again for reading! 

~candysweet101

[edited - 2019/07/01]