The spot where I previously laid on the ground has now been discarded as I pick myself up from the floor. I try to avoid the stares burning into my skin but the heat of each person's gaze feels like fire searing deeper into me. My attempts to keep out of the spotlight has resulted in failure because metaphorically I am an actor with stage fright and those people who watch me are the audience who crave the essence of a show.
"Im so sorry," I whisper to those who are watching me crumble. "Sorry." I mumble one more time. I feel the tears prick the surface of my eyes which is when I take off down the hall in a run, or at least what I label as a run. I try to escape the stares and the laughs, along with the thoughts of that blind boy who probably doesn't even know where he is. The tears spill out one after the other and I try to shield my face in embarrassment.
"Run fatty run!" Someone yells as I exit, paired with laughter from my audience.
I rush into the girls washroom before I can hear anymore taunting names being shot my way. I ache from the inside out and it feels as though no matter how fast I wish to fade away from this world, something wants me to stay and continue living this fat ass life that I despise.
I look in the mirror and the way I feel inside is easily shown upon my skin. I don't glow like those models in magazines do with their perfect skin and beautiful hair, not to mention their amazing bodies. I have acne and fat all over my body and ugly hair and stupid glasses. I have nothing about me that is even remotely beautiful.
"Sorry," I whisper to the ugly girl looking back. "I'm sorry I made you this way." The tears slide down her chubby cheeks.
"You don't deserve this," I repeat my apology over and over again until my voice is nothing but a broken lullaby drowned with tears and disgust.
Those people in the halls never leave my head. They are something I have to face every single day. They taunt and tease, not caring less about the wounds they are scarring on my soul and existence.
But who can blame them?
About 15 minutes later, a voice appears on the intercom calling my name to the office. This makes me scurry out of the washroom with my books in hand but the terror still seeping deep into my heart. My hands shake as if I'm cold but the only thing that is really cold are these peoples hearts; it sounds funny but it's disgustingly true.
I manage to travel to the office being relatively unnoticed, which is a relief. Although, that doesn't take away the worry of why I was called down here in the first place. I can predict it has something to do with earlier, which doesn't ease my stress nor embarrassment.
I knock on the door and after a few seconds, Principal Lee greets me. "Come in, Grace." He says, his expression unreadable.
I walk passed him and my breath catches in my throat at the two people I see in his office. In the chair closest to me sits the blind boy with the bleached hair and sunglasses, in the other chair sits the brown haired boy with a smug ass grin on his face.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Lee?" I ask, the fear easily detectable in my voice.
"Take a seat Grace, I'll explain soon enough." The principal says and I sit down in the red padded chair next to the blind boy. Mr.Lee also takes a seat behind his desk, clasping his hands together on top of the mahogany.
"So I have come to understand we had a small incident in the hallway earlier," he begins while only looking my way. I nod.
"Now, I have heard a couple different stories here so I am going to go with the one I have heard the most," I gulp. "Grace did you trip Niall as he was walking passed?"
"What? No!" I am appalled.
"I am not accusing you, but just know that Mr. Horan here is fully blind and can not at all see where he is going. In these circumstances, we must take special care of our schoolmates." He talks to me like I'm stupid.
"I know that he's blind, but I didn't trip him!" I raise my voice slightly.
"Yes you did, I saw it with my own two eyes, sir." Speaks the brown haired boy to the principal.
"Thank you for sharing Zayn," he replies.
Zayn. Which rhymes with vain, which fits his personality perfectly, or so I can predict.
"No I didn't! You pushed me Zayn!" I yelled, anger pumping through my veins.
"Zayn, is this true?" Mr. Lee asks.
"No! I weigh like 150 pounds, how the hell could I push her down?" Ouch.
"-trip! I meant you tripped me, not pushed me!" I look to Zayn with fire in my eyes.
"Grace, you don't seem to have your story straight," the principal says. "Niall, what's your side of the story?"
"Uh, well I don't know. I was walking along and something caught my foot and I just kind of fell. Sorry I don't have much information." The guilt lines his voice and I almost feel bad for the poor guy.
"It's alright Niall, it's not your fault. Now Zayn, you say you saw Grace push Niall?" He asks and Zayn nods, sending a smirk my way.
"Okay Grace, I have no choice but to give you punishment." He says and my jaw drops.
"What! I didn't do anything wrong, what the hell!" I scream.
"You will be proceeding in custodial duties every other day as of Monday after school."
"Mr. Lee, I didn't do anything!" I try to explain but he doesn't want to hear it.
"You guys are dismissed," Mr. Lee says, exiting his office and leaving the three of us alone.
"I cannot believe you! Why did you all of a sudden decide to pick on me?" I ask Zayn, trying desperately hard not to cry.
"What do you mean, you're the one who tripped poor Niall," he plays dumb so Niall still picks his side.
"No I didn't! You're so ridiculous!"
"I'm ridiculous? I'm not the one who trips blind people." He laughs and that's when my eyes become too exhausted to hold the tears back. I try to be as discreet as possible with my crying but Zayn notices and his smile becomes just that much bigger because of it.
I was just about to give up and run out of here until the blind boy, Niall, leans towards me. "I believe you." He whispers.
"What? Really?" I whisper back.
"Yeah, I've learned how to detect truth and lies in a person's voice. He is definitely not a good actor," he chuckles.
"And besides, it wasn't even a foot that tripped me." He concludes, which doesn't really explain a whole lot but I decide to let it go because for once in my life someone is actually on my side. Someone is finally on my team and I don't even care how small the subject is because knowing that someone is with me for even just a second couldn't feel any more blissful.
"Thanks," I whisper, smiling. He nods and stands from his seat, grabbing his black cane to guide him.
"Well, I better head to class," Niall says, opening the door. "And Zayn?" He pokes his head back through.
"Yeah?"
"I'm blind not stupid," He says, leaving me smiling like a fool.
