The new girl - Elmax

Chapitre 38 : Wound

It was time for Mechanics class, but Lucas was a bit worried. Jane hadn't talked for the entire day, and she had an awful purple wound on her left eye and temple. They asked her what happened, but she ignored the question everytime.

Jane didn't want to talk about it. The day before, after her work, she went back home on foot and, on her way, she met a group of teens from the school. For once, Alban and Abigail weren't here, but it didn't stop them. They threw rocks at her and a big one hit her eye. She ran away while they were laughing, proud of themselves. She was tired and was seeing no end to this. By luck, her vision hadn't been affected, but she was more closed on herself and wondered if the date was a good idea. Maybe another group would wait for them and attack them. She shook her head, even if she was scared, she didn't want to stop living, it was like giving them right, and she couldn't accept that! She sighed loudly with her nose, getting her friend's attention. She had a question for him but didn't how to ask it. She heard something weeks ago, and she hadn't stopped thinking about it since.

- "Can I ask you something?" Jane shyly said, looking at the engine in front of them.

Lucas was surprised to hear her voice but felt honored to be the one she wanted to talk to. Maybe Jane was trusting him, and she was right, the young boy was ready to do anything for his friends.

- "Sure, go on," Lucas encouraged with a warm smile, even if she wasn't looking at him.

- "You...you remember when I hit Alban's face?"

- "In class? Yeah, of course, kinda hard to forget," the boy lightly chuckled. "Why?"

- "Before he...provoked me, he called you by names."

- "Oh yeah, don't worry, we are used to it."

- "No, it's not that. I mean, I kinda understand which nicknames are for, I mean, Carbon it's you, Queer it's Will, Frog Face it's Mike, Toothless it's Dustin but...who is Freckles?" Jane frowned.

- "Oh...it's Max," Lucas answered, thinking he understood what she meant.

- "Okay..."

Lucas waited a moment. He wondered if Jane was going to ask him, but the girl seemed lost in her thoughts and too anxious to ask.

- "You wondered why they are calling Beverly Incest, right?" Lucas finally told.

- "I think I understand, it's just...I, I didn't know, it's...it's horrible...I can't even imagine what she had been throught..." Jane said with a weak voice.

- "Yeah...I'm not gonna lie, it was a really dark period. We didn't know at first, she never invited us or wanted us to even know where she was living, and one day, she exploded and beat her father's face until blood...I mean, his face was bleeding but her hands too."

- "Is he..."

- "Dead? No, but he is in jail and I hope for a very very long time. She lives with her aunt and uncle now, she had a long therapy because she was really really bad...she did bad things, she had...um, alcohol problems, she was smoking and we think she even took drugs."

- "Oh god..."

- "Yes, it was hard. And the school wasn't helping, even if it was less than what you're leaving, mockeries can hurt a lot and some people have no limits."

- "Yeah, I know that..."

- "She still see a psychologist, but she feels way better. Well, I hope she does."

- "You never talk about it with her?" Jane asked.

- "I, I don't know if it's a good idea, I'm always worried to say the wrong thing or to bring back her old bad memories she is fighting against since years now," Lucas explained. "You think we should?"