Our Tainted Dream

Fourteen: Little Breakdown

Not a friend, But a brother.

I hear the door slam as I make lunch, Gray stomping in and throwing her bag on the couch.

"Gray, a-are you okay?" I ask, seeing her clothes all muddy and covered with dirt, her face a crying mess. I turn the stove off, quickly striding to her side.

"The teachers, the students—those fucking assholes—" She curses, violently taking off her jacket. "They can all burn in hell—"

"Hey, hey, calm down..." I coo, holding her by the shoulders before pulling her into a hug. "Calm down, I'm here."

Slowly, she starts to shake, surrendering into the hug as she starts to sob.

I guide her to the couch, telling her to sit down as I wipe the dirt from her face. "What happened?" I ask quietly, locking our fingers together.

She sniffs, shaking her head as she tries to beam a smile but breaks into tears. "The teacher made me stand on the table—"

She laughs, wiping away the tears only for another to replace them. "I mean, for the stupidest reasons. I made a mistake, I get it. And I don't mind standing it's just― those jocks―"

She sighs, leaning back as she fidgets with her fingers. "Why did she?" I ask, pulling her into my lap, not caring if my own clothes get dirty.

She snuggles onto my chest, her hand tightly grasping mine. "I made a 'mistake' on an essay so I confronted her and said that she got it wrong but guess what? She said I was straight up rude to her so I tried to explain that my 'mistake' was meant to be that wat but damn no, she thought I was talking back and shit so I had to stand on the fucking table."

"And the mud?"

"Well, curse myself for wearing skirts. One of the assholes took a picture and spread it online and everybody saw it. So on the way home they decided to push me around and throw my bag in ponds and rip the pages of my book, insulting me of my 'outdated panty'

"Kei tried to stop them but one of the boys punched him in the face so yay now he has a bruised cheek and split lips..."

She smiles, laughing as she cries, her body now facing me, straddling me as she hugs me. "It's my fault—"

"Hush! Don't say that." I murmur, hugging her back as I stroke her hair, picking off leaves and small twigs. "Reid, I hate them. I feel so bad" She sobs, clutching onto the back of my shirt.

"And I got Kei into this—One day he'll get tired of this, Reid. One day he'll walk out the damn door and abandon me with them."

"The fuck who said I will?"

Ah, the boy and his perfect timing.

"When I said I'll stay by your side, how much of a bitch I could be, I'll damn stay by your side, Gray. And Reid's here. He can beat up those jocks. Right, Reid?

"Hell, he could just scare him off if he wants to."

She laughs, nodding her head at a plastered Kei, dry blood at his nose and his lips bleeding with his right cheekbone bruised.

"And Gray could have given a few kicks but her heart is too soft for that—"

Gray frowns, head lowering.

"No, no, no! I was joking; don't be mad I didn't mean it—" He panics, heading towards us to sooth the lady. "I was joking, okay? I-I'll treat you to ice cream, hmm? Okay?"

"Okay," Gray laughs, almost instantly, wiping the tears away despite her lips sadly smiling.

"No taking back your words."