I promised her

Before you start to read this you should know, this isn't a story about people with problems that work them out in the end, no this is the story about my friend Amelia, her real struggles, and her real emotions. So basically if you think this is a happy go lucky story think again.

Wednesday June 2nd, 2017, Grade 9. 8:30 am. 

Amelia and I walked into school together, just as we always did. Both of us discarded our bags on the hooks and grabbed our homework books. Just like any other morning we went to work in the library until the morning bell went. Occasionally, I would run of to grab tape to put her books back together. I helped her as best I could with the homework, she couldn't do last night because she was too busy helping her family.

8:55 am. 

Before school started 5 minutes before class started, the two of us sat outside the locked classroom waiting for our teacher to arrive. I could see on Amelia's face wasn't feeling well. It was the same face she'd pull when she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and possibly dinner the night before. I pulled a bright red apple out of my satchel bag for her, I had intended on having it during class break, but she needed it more. I handed it to her.

"Come on, you should have something to eat before class starts" I said softly so that it wouldn't echo throughout the hallway.

She agreed taking a few big bites into it, being careful not to break her braces. She didn't say it, but I knew why she hadn't eaten that morning. It was because someone called her fat the other day, even though she was turning to skin and bone. She sat there slowly consuming the apple with her hair up in tight braids because someone said that it looked like a mop when it is out.

9:00 am – 10:35 am. Morning class period 1 and 2. 

The sound of the school bell deafens us as I spot the 'popular boys' walking along the concrete hallway towards us. With our ears still recovering from the attack of the bell, we quickly packed up our stuff and stood up ready for Ms Branigan to arrive so class could begin. Those boys had class in the room next to ours, which unfortunately meant that they would have to walk past us in that hallway, and so they did. They were in a group of four, all of them had their shirts untucked, socks down and hair messy. As per usual they strolled past acting all 'cool' briefly glancing over at both of us with their cold cruel eyes. Amelia was staring at her shoes in expectation of the interaction which was about to occur.

"Morning gorgeous", Noah said condescendingly to me.

I hated that he did this, and he knew it, which is why every opportunity he had he called me it. Ever since the eighth grade when he found out that I had a tiny crush on him. That was of course back when my brain was like "you are a girl, he is a boy, you now like him". Nowadays I know him for the massive idiot he really is.

"Oh, grow up!" I turned and yelled at him in disgust.

The boys came to an abrupt stop outside their classroom and turned around to look at the two of us, the conversation which insured was short, sharp and to the point.

"Shut up you fags!" Liam the 'most popular boy' yelled back at us unapologetically, before entering their classroom and slamming the hefty metal door behind them.

I let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Ms Branigan coming down the hallway towards us, her ankle heels clopping on the floor as she came towards us and opened the door for us. We went in and took our seats in complete silence. That entire lesson was a nightmare. I couldn't concentrate properly. I was too annoyed by what those boys said. They've always acted as if Amelia and I were a gay couple, just because we were good friends. It was that kind of moronic behaviour which always got under my skin.