For a moment, it was if time itself was frozen. Abigail just sat there, her stomach churning. What just happened? Had she really just slapped someone? And not just anyone, but Cindy, the person who was entirely capable of ruining her life. It was completely incomprehensible to her, she never acted this way, but something had just taken over her and made her do it.
"What's the matter with you?" Jake's harsh voice brought reality crashing back. Abigail cringed, shrinking down in her seat.
"I-I don't know..." She was still so shocked, her response was barely audible.
"You know, I may not have known you long, Abigail, but I never would've imagined you would act this way" He said, pulling Cindy close, and cradling her in his arms. Abigail watched him gently sweep a loose strand of hair out of her face. Cindy smiled weakly, wincing.
"Are you okay?" Jake asked, lightly running his fingers across her cheekbone, where Abigail's hand had made contact.
Even though it was still red, and Abigail knew that she had, in fact hit her rather hard, she could tell that it was yet another one of Cindy's acts. It made her sick. Jake, and probably everyone else was living a lie, and she couldn't do anything about it.
"I think so." Cindy replied. It was clear that she was trying to sound as pitiful as possible. And doing a darn good job of it too.
Jake shot a reproachful glance at Abigail, which made her feel even worse. He guided Cindy away, back towards the "popular table", where they were quickly lost amid the crowd of concerned people who had witnessed the scene and who immediately began to pelt Cindy with questions.
Abigail watched them from her end of the lunch table. She knew that she should feel ashamed, and most of her did, but there was a part of her, a small part that was nodding its approval for her recent action. As much as she thought that Cindy didn't deserve it, Abigail knew that she should apologize. Trying to collect her shocked and confused self, she got up and began to make her way towards the group of people. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to word her apology. She considered a long, drawn out plead for forgiveness, but she thought better of it, Cindy would never be worthy of that, not in a million years. She settled on something along the lines of 'Hey, sorry'. Short and sweet.
It was not a long walk to the end of the table, but as Abigail drew ever closer, she couldn't seem to shake the nagging feeling of impending doom that was hanging over her head, like a dark storm cloud, ready to release its icy drops onto only her.
When she reached the table, she caught a glimpse of Cindy stretched out on the bench, her head resting in Jake's lap, him gently stroking her hair. She couldn't take it; it just made her so angry. The same feeling from before that had made her slap Cindy in the first place exploded inside of her. Her insides burned, an angry, red flame, just waiting to spread.
In that short time, people had noticed Abigail standing there and they parted slightly, allowing her a clear view of Cindy and Jake. She pushed her way through and stopped by Cindy's feet. As she did Cindy glanced up.
"Oh hello." Cindy said. Although her face was composed in such a way that highlighted the redness of her cheek, Abigail could hear the unmistakable smile in her voice. And it was those two words; in any other circumstance, so innocent, that made Abigail crack. The fire roared inside of her, its flames dancing excitedly, sensing its time. Abigail took a deep breath,
YOU ARE READING
(You are Never) ALONE
Teen Fiction"Sometimes, when you're trying to find yourself, it takes more than just yourself to do it." It's a story about love, about hardships, about hope, but most of all about finding yourself especially when you never thought it was possible. Because ever...
