Periclum (old version)

Chapter 4

Mia brushed a piece of her own light brown hair away from her tired face as she looked at herself in the mirror that hung on the wall in one of the school's bathrooms.

One cut.

Two scratch marks.

She angled her face more to the side as she took her hair gently behind her one shoulder to get her cheek on full display for her. She looked like she had been in a catfight and the cat won.

A small fingertip of hers touched the small cut on her cheek. She hissed in pain at the sudden action and took her finger away from the open wound in a sharp movement.

Ow. That hurts.

Mia pressed her lips in a thin line. She felt sadness in her heart tug painfully when she saw the cut as she revealed the horrible moment where she got the scar.

She felt hopeless. Sad. Guilty.

She didn't know, but deep down in her heart, she had that one feeling this was her fault she got that on her cheek. She apparently was in the way all the time and caught up in the wrong moments and the wrong times.
Always a burden. Always.

Mia ripped her eyes off of the mirror as she swallowed thickly, opening the door, and walked out of the bathroom heading to the physical education. She had physical education that started in a couple of minutes so she had time walking in time for it to start. Mia didn't like that lesson very much because she felt so vulnerable when all the balls are hitting her in the wrong places. Ew.

She walked in with small steps to Maddox that sat on the gym floor like everyone else did just before the teacher would walk in. Maddox had her usual gym shorts on with her grey t-shirt and her black hair up in a high ponytail.

"Took you long enough," Maddox grumbled from her spot when Mia sat down criss-cross beside her leaving a small sigh from her lips.

"Yeah, sorry," Mia mumbled under her breath.

Maddox moved her head to the side watching Mia from her view. "How's your wound?"

Mia cracked her neck discreetly to the side as she swallowed nervously at the uncomfortable question. "It's better."

No, it wasn't better. It still stung on Mia's cheek and she cried two hours last night because of what happened, but she didn't want to admit it. She was too embarrassed.

Maddox crocked a sharp brow in question at her. She brought her hand up to touch the cut but snapped her hand away when Mia flinched. "Did you really fall that hard?"

Maddox didn't know what had happened to Mia because she never told her. In fact, she said that she fell downstairs at home yesterday which obviously Maddox believed for how clumsy Mia was. And that wasn't the first time Mia has actually fallen down the stairs.
Mia smiled a sly smile at Maddox and blinked her eyes innocently. "Yeah, "

Maddox rolled her eyes at that and threw an arm around Mia's shoulders. "Silly girl." She uttered to Mia just as the teacher walked in.

"Today it's dodgeball." He pronounced loudly at everyone as Mia did a silent groan. Although she already knew what they were going to be doing, she still groaned which made Maddox leave out a huff from her lips at Mia's childish behavior.

"Don't act so surprised." She said while she dropped her hand from Mia's shoulder before she stood up, brushing away the dirt from her bum with her hands.

Mia stood up as well. "I'm not." She argued back which led Maddox to roll her eyes as she tilted her head to the side giving Mia a look, letting her long straight ponytail fall over her own shoulder.