Shards and Shatter

Prologue

"Get a life, stupid crybaby!" they shouted at me.

Everyday.

They've pushed me onto the wet grass of the school playground. My elbow were scratched and bleeding. My red hair was a mess. My face was covered in scars and bruises. And so we're my legs and knees.

"You only know how to CRY!" a kid yells at me. That was partly true. But that was because they bully me 24/7. At first I was only bullied for my clumsiness.

I have no friends here at Sunrise Elementary.

No support.

No allies.

Just enemies.

My eyes stringed. I wanted to cry. Tears were crowded at the back of my eyes and I struggled to hold them back. I failed and I was crying a waterfall. The bullies who had pushed me onto the ground tossed their heads back and laughed as if this is just a joke. 

It is a joke, I thought, and I was the punchline.

The bell rang and we all went back inside for class. I sat there on the grass and examined a scar on my knee.

Stood up and walked back into class. My whole body aches. I was so bashed up I can hardly move.

When I sat back down at my desk I put on my cardigan on to cover up all the scars and bruises the bullies had made. I didn't want the pain to distract me in class, or get the teacher's attention. I am a human, not a punching bag. But I am always treated like one.

I've just started school for three days and now it looks as if I had suffered plane crash.

I heard someone whisper "loser" at me but I didn't care. I've gotten used to it and while a broken bone would be life-threatening to most people, it would just be a little scratch to me. But even though I've gotten used to being despised and bullied, I still have human instinct and I know that this is wrong.

***

I walk home by myself.

I have no one to walk with.

I stared at a bruise on my right arm and started tearing up again. Why is life so unfair? I am bullied while everyone else is standing around with buckets of popcorn and watching me cry as if I was a film.

A tragedy film that to everyone is a comedy.

No one helps me. No one ever cared about me except for my parents. Even my sisters ignored me to the fullest. And that's why they were thrilled when my parents had my aunt to take care of them when they were six.

I've had three other siblings: Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond. All of them lives with Aunt Opal.

I opened the front door of my house and stepped inside. Instantly my mother screamed and raced towards me with the first-aid kit. Even though I've always been helpless and clumsy, my parents are still kind to me. I mean, what kind of parent would abuse their own child? The bad kind, of course. What kind of parent would give up the rest of their own children just to help one child who isn't worth helping? Only mine, I guess.

"Oh my god, Ruby! What have those heartless bullies done to you!?" Mom shrieked.

I sat at the kitchen table while my mom dabbed my bleeding scars with some kind of medical liquid and patched them up with water-resistance band-aids.

Mom sighed as she finished helping me. She stood up from her kneeling position and put the first-aid kit back on the shelf. Then she sat in front of me and looked me into the eye.

"Ruby, I think it's about time you—"She began.

Live with Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond and Aunt Opal?

Get revenge on the bullies?

Stand up for myself?

Try and make a friend?

Call the police?

Stop being so clumsy and soft?

Bring a miniature first-aid kit with me wherever I go? Like at school?

Die?

Give up on all hopes and accept the fact I'm a human stress-ball?

"—Transfer to another school." my mom finished.