Only Option [On Hold]

**Chapter Two**

I was face down in the mud, dampness seeping in through my white polo shirt as a pain shot up my ankle, making me scream as I slid a few metres down the hill. Once I’d come to the bottom I turned myself, best I could, onto my back, my palms slick with grime and the blades of grass that stuck to my skin. I spat dirty water from my mouth and it joined the puddle on the ground at my feet. PE was never my favourite subject but I couldn’t remember the last time it sucked as much as this.

                “Aw, hell. Are you ok Cat?” Came a voice from behind me. There were footsteps that squelched beside me, more mud spraying up, flecks splattering my cheeks. But I was beyond caring, I really was.

                “Fine,” I said, grinding my teeth. But I wasn’t fine. I discovered that as soon as I tried to hoist myself up from the ground, a bolt of lightning searing up my leg. I might have lived with it if I hadn’t seen the blood. The blood that mingled with the dirt, stained my white sock and dripped at a steady rate from the gash beneath it. I didn’t cry, I’d done enough crying for the day and I didn’t need anyone else to see me like that. I just stared, shocked and then freaked out completely. “Oh my-“ I started, hysteria bubbling inside of me.

                “Woah, calm down,” said the voice. Ruby, one of my closest friends, crouched in front of me “hey, it’s ok.” She tucked a few strands of dark hair that escaped from her ponytail behind her ear and sighed, “I’ll go and get help, ok? But we need to get you somewhere to sit.” With some difficulty, I leant on Ruby’s shoulder and hobbled over to a tree and patch of clean grass. I slumped on the ground, overcome by the wave of nausea that hit me. Putting my head between my legs I grumbled about how unfair life was. “Try not to kill yourself while I’m gone,” said Ruby before running off.

                There was darkness for a while and a near silence that gave me much too much time to think things through. There was the rustle of leaves, the chirp of birds. But other than that? Nothing at all. Just me and the voice in the back of my head. You’re so pathetic. That’s all I could feel. That’s all I felt. Pathetic. Ever had those moments where you mentally berate yourself for being a wimp? Yeah, well, I do. I was hopelessly in love with someone who’d never feel the same. All the people I tried to make it work with, seemed to use and abuse me. The evidence was there, I was dropped. Dumped. Like a piece of rubbish on the side of the street. And now where was I? Oh, yes. Covered in mud and as good as disabled by my own stupid actions.

                There were footsteps and voices, and not the one in my head. Laughing. It’d be great if I could laugh, just forget everything. The voices stopped and then “are you alright, Kitten?” My head snapped back, slamming into the tree trunk, sending stars in front of my eyes. And there he was. Alex looked at me, an expression that was a mixture of concern and amusement on his face. Hurriedly, I rubbed at the dry dirt on my face, but it had smeared and dried, probably looking like a failed attempt at foundation.

                “Can you get up?” He said. In my dazed state I just sat and stared at him, then slowly shook my head.

                “My ankle,” I made out, my throat raw. I tried to clear it but the next words came out even more strained “it hurts.”

                Alex cursed under his breath “how did you manage to do this?” He chuckled lightly, “come on, let’s get you up.” Before I had a chance to protest he lifted me up, leaning my weight onto him. At such close proximity, I prayed he couldn’t feel the heat that was surely radiating off my face. “Josh,” said Alex and I looked over to find his friend, Josh, talking to Ruby.

                “They’re having a good time,” I muttered so that only Alex heard, who grinned.

                “Help me out, will you? I didn’t get you out of throwing javelin just so you can stand around flirting.” Ruby’s face flushed and I snickered as Josh walked over to us.