Demi Lovato Imagines

She's New

TW - bullying and (mentions of) self-harm

"Give it to me."

You grip it tight, fingertips whitening like the pages. 

"Now," she grunts, snatching it out of your hand, taking one look at the front cover then dropping it to the floor. She maintains eye contact with you as she stamps her foot on top, twisting the book into the ground. 

"Don't make me ask you twice," she says with a smirk, leaning forward on her toes so that she towers over you more. You just look at her, trying to keep your expression blank. 

"Do you hear me?" she snaps, "Don't make me ask you twice!"

You can feel the frustration in her voice as you refuse to react. You almost think you might come out on top. That is before she swings her arm forward, grabbing you by the collar of your shirt and yanking you off the bench. With one movement, she flings you to the tarmac as you fail to catch your balance in time. Within seconds, you're lying next to your book, sprawled on top of the colourful paint they embellished the playground with. 

"And answer me when I speak to you."

You're not sure where the confidence comes from. Maybe the fact you're as far down as you can be pushed with nothing left to lose. But the words are out of your mouth before you can even consider the consequences. 

"I don't speak to bitches." 

Even though you're not looking up, you see the shadow spread around you, sucking you into its void as Lizzie comes to punish you for your stupidity. Very gently, you feel her heel jab into the back of your neck. 

"Excuse me?"

All your confidence is gone. Very quickly, you realise there is further you can fall. That is if you count being pounded into the ground until you're indented in the stone. So you don't say anything. 

"That's what I thought."

The pressure at the top of your spine swells and light escapes your vision as your forehead gets pressed deeper into the ground. 

"Hey!" someone shouts from far away. Immediately Lizzie halts her foot. The other voice gets closer and closer, but you don't dare turn your head to look at who it is. It definitely doesn't sound like a teacher, that's for sure. 

"Get off of her."

"Stay out of this, Madison," Lizzie groans, the frustration back in her voice. Your heart starts to hammer again as you remember what that usually means. 

"I said get off of her. You don't want this to go to head of year, do you?"

Lizzie gives a momentary shove with her toes before lifting her foot off of you. You feel your skin graze across the tarmac. 

"You don't need to be in everyone's business, you know," Lizzie huffs, the ground lightening as her shadow moves away. 

"Well don't give me a reason to be."

You hold still as you hear a chorus of footsteps stamp away, praying the voice hasn't abandoned you with undeserved confidence in your school tormentor. You haven't even been here a month and already it comes up a close second to the nightmare you had at your last school. You don't understand. All you do is try to keep to yourself and not get in anyone's way. Your mom says its a problem with the bully and not with you so not to get upset. But it's hard when your personal belongings get shredded and your skin bruised. 

A hand pulls you lifts you by your upper arm, sending a wave of dizziness to your head and an explosion of stars across your eyes. 

"You okay?" the same voice asks, now with a face. Through your sparking vision, you make out her long dark hair and olive complexion. Everything else is a blur.