Only Slightly Depressed

Two

Jamie POV:

White, all I could see was a blinding, white light shining down at me.

I heard muffled voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I smelled something familiar. It took me a moment to place what the smell was, but after a while I realized it was blood.

I licked my lips and tasted blood on my tongue.

Finally I moved my hands around–at least I tried to–but I soon found that I couldn't move them.

Once all of these things registered in my mind, I realized exactly where I was.

"No." I whisper, my voice hoarse and I start to thrash around as much as I can with an arm in a black cast and a brace on my neck.

Jackie POV:

I have this thing, no matter how easily I could be popular, I still befriend "outcasts" and "misfits", it's just something I tend to do. So once I saw the kid in the back of the bus sitting by them self, I naturally sat down next to them.

After their freak out on the bus, most people would probably want to stay away from them. Not me, though, I was determined to get this person to be my friend.

Speaking of Jamie, I looked all around for them, but I couldn't find them anywhere. It was like they'd disappeared off the face of the earth.

When I went to get on the bus, I looked around one more time, before climbing on the vehicle, hoping Jamie would be their seat at the very back of the bus. My heart sunk a little when I realized they weren't, but I sat down anyway.

The whole ride home I was thinking about that Jamie kid and what might've happened to them.

When the bus was at my stop I got off and took my precious time walking home. I dreaded walking through the door cause I knew as soon as I did the smile would be wiped off my face by whatever awaited me on the inside.

I got to the doorstep and took a deep, calming breath, mentally telling myself I'd be fine. I opened the door, as quietly as I could and made to slip off to my room, when I was stopped by a voice that made me freeze on the spot. "Where do you think you're going, little girl?" I slowly turned around to face my step mom and answer her question, "Uhh to my room?"

"No, you're not." She said, her eyes full of pure hatred and disgust.

"And why not?" I asked, though I knew it probably wasn't a good idea to backtalk her.

"Don't talk back to me, young lady! Now you know I hate to do this, but I have to punish you for that, you have to learn that it's not okay to backtalk."

I just registered the glass bottle in her hand, before it hit me on the top of the head and I toppled backwards, colors dancing across my line of vision. I heard her reaching for another empty bottle and I saw more glass pieces and more blood cover the floor by my feet.

At some point I must've finally lost my balance or something cause I ended up sitting on the floor, though that did nothing to stop the blows I took to my head.

I felt the pain piercing through me, but I didn't cry cause I had no tears left. No, I didn't cry or make any sounds of pain, aside from the few grunts and moans I couldn't contain.

She didn't stop until I could barely stay conscious and at this point she looked at me, almost concerned? Or maybe that was confusion? Maybe it was both? Or neither? But whatever facial expression she wore, it wasn't anger or hatred. She bent over me and brushed the bloody bangs from my eyes. As I got a clearer look at her face I recognized her expression as a look of shock, and maybe some pity and apology?

"Omigosh, I can't believe I just did that. I'm so so so so sorry, sweetie. Do you need help up?"

I was genuinely confused now. My step mom had surprised me quite a bit in the years I'd spent with her, but those three sentences were the ones that both confused and surprised me the most. In all the ten or so years I'd been under this woman's "care" not once had she ever acted nice to me–at least not while we've been completely isolated from people. She'd never been anywhere close to concerned for me, or even acknowledge my existence, aside from beatings, or acknowledge she'd layed so much as a finger on me.

As she reached her hand down to help me stand up, I took it cautiously, eyeing her suspiciously. She helped me stand and let me lean on her as I climbed the stairs to my bed.

She laid me down and pulled the covers up to my chin, "Get some sleep." Then she kissed my forehead and–as hard as I tried to stay awake and figure out what was going on–entered the world of unconsciousness.

A/N Okay so this chapter was a little bit shorter than the rest will be, but I felt that this was a good place to end this one.

And yes I know serious mood swing there with Jackie's step mom, but I have reasons for that.

That's it for now, love for everyone.

~Nikki 😘😘