Heather And I

Meltdown

As the next morning arose, Brady woke up the next morning and got ready for school. As he put on a pair of jeans and a grey T-shirt, he hears his mother yell from downstairs.

"Breakfast is ready!" When he finished getting ready, he grabbed his book bag and walked downstairs. As he took the first few steps, he felt a sting on his shoulder that would not stop.

'Why is this happening now?!' He thinks. His thoughts were more focused on his pain that he lost his footing from the steps and glided face first to the main floor. His mother dropped the spatula and ran to his direction as she heard the thud subside.

"Honey, are you okay?!" His mother asked. "I'll be fine." He said as he tried to get up. He quickly held onto his shoulder as the pain increased from there and parts of his neck.

"Are you sure? Do you wanna stay home?" She questioned. "No hunny, let him go to school. He isn't sick." Brady's father said as he read the daily newspaper. She walked over to him as he sat in his reclined chair and snatched the papers out of his hand.

"Now you listen to me Joshua, I'm not gonna deal with your crap today, you hear me? My sons been dealing with some rough patches lately and I don't gotta listen to your commands when he's MY CHILD!"

Then she threw the newspaper on the floor and walked back to Brady. "Hun go ahead upstairs if you want to, you don't gotta-" She got cut off as Brady started walking to the door.

"It's fine mom, I'd rather be at school anyways... I love you." He said sincerely. She had a worried look on her face as the door slammed shut.

"I wouldn't give him pity." Joshua muttered as he slowly picked up the newspaper. "I'm not gonna listen to you!" Then she walked back into the kitchen and continued to cook.

Brady sat on the bus and silently put his earbuds in. The bus kept moving as he played a song to drown out the noise in the back. He looked over and saw a sophomore and an upperclassmen kissing.

He rolled his eyes as he payed attention to the scenery. As the next few stops added more kids to the bus, Heather's stop was next. When she got on the bus, she saw Brady listening to music with his earbuds.

She noticed marks on his face and neck, so she sat down and waited till the bus was in motion again. "Hey." Heather said, trying to get Brady's attention. "What's up?" He asked. Heather looked at his shoulder and looked at the bruises.

"Did something happen?" She asked as she inched her hand closer to Brady's neck. He moved his head away and said, "I fell down the steps, I'm okay."

She lowered her hand and kept her eyes to the floor as the roaring of the bus kept the silence away. "Hey, Heather?" "Yeah?"

"If I'm making you feel upset say something... I know I'm not the best person but-" He stopped talking as he felt Heather's warm hand grab his.

"Your always the best, even if you don't see it yourself... Your always a perfect you." She smiled as Brady looked up at her. His eyes began to get glossy as tears were about to leave his eyes.

"I'm sorry..." He said quietly. Heather hugged him and didn't let go. He sobbed in her arms as the bus took the kids to school.

It was sixth period, and Brady was reading his English novel. The other classmates were too, except for the slackers that were talking too loud and bothering the other students.

Miss Brooks walked up to the group and reminded then to read the novel. "Don't worry Miss. Brooks, I read this book hundreds of times!"

"Then what happens to Jefferson in the end of the story?" Miss Brooks asked. "He... He gets out of jail of course!" She smirks, "Wrong answer, read it and find out since you read it hundreds of times and forgot." She said.