The Long Road Ahead (Violentine high school AU)

Chapter 7

Clementine had never really had the best of lives, and was used to being mistreated. Especially by Carver. She could still feel the painful scar on her arm from where Carver had thrown a bottle against the wall, shattering it and causing a larger piece to fly through the air and cut her arm. She had been too late to dodge it and now was currently sitting on the sill of her window; as she did most nights. 

Her tears had dried long ago, residue left on her cheeks from them. She refused to let herself cry any longer and to give carver the satisfaction of crying. She had always been like that. Stubborn and unwilling to give anyone the satisfaction of hearing her cry or even seeing heartbreak or turmoil on her face. She had been told that when she felt something or thought something, it was very evident by the look on her face, which is why she practically trained herself to keep any and all emotion off her face, unless she let it.

She doesn't know how long she's been sitting there with her head leaned on the wall and hand barley brushing the screen that separated her from the outside, but by the look of the sky and the flicker of the street lights coming on, she could figure out it was fairly long. She felt drained, like she couldn't move to do anything. All she wanted to do was sit there forever and stare at the sunset and stars. She always admired them; the way they shone so very bright in contrast to the dark night sky. She loved it. And the vibrant colours that melted into one another in the early morning or late day. It mesmerized her.

But, as all things did, her peacefulness had to come to an end at some point, because in reality she couldn't sit there and stare at the stars forever, no matter how much she wanted to. Because this was reality, and reality sucked.

She still had school and practice to think about, and her new "friends" that she was still rather wary about. She didn't trust easy, that much was obvious, but she was dying to finally find at least one person she could trust and tell her secrets to. She was tired of keeping apart of herself shut down at all times.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, blaring in the room at a high volume that sent Clementine tumbling to the floor and rushing to turn it off. Once it was off, she dropped her phone on her bed, and let out a sigh, her head dropping to look down at the time.

10:30

She sighed again, turning her phone off and walking over to her door. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so instead, she was going to get a shower. They had always calmed her for some reason, she found them soothing and made her feel nostalgic, almost like she was a little kid again and being hugged by her mother, but then she'd be snapped back into reality and remember her current situation and the feeling would be gone. 

She walked down the hall, stopping to grab a towel from the linen closet that was just outside the bathroom door to the right, and then walked into the bathroom after retrieving one. She undressed quickly, walking over to the tap and turning on the water and waiting for it to warm up. Once it was warm enough, she pulled the curtain aside and stepped in. 

The moment the water touched her skin, she felt a calmness wash over her. 

She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the cool wall of the shower. Something she did often when she felt tense or anxious. 

She's not sure how long she had been in the shower when she hears a bang on the door and then; "Get your ass out of the shower! You've been in there for almost an hour." Clementine sighed in annoyance, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower, grabbing her towel afterward. 

She wrapped it around herself, and begrudgingly made her way to the door, opening it in one swift motion and making a beeline for her room. She was exhausted and couldn't wait to climb into bed and finally take a break from her shitty reality.

                                                     _________________________________________________

 A blaring alarm is what woke Clementine up, making her jolt up in bed, eyes wide. She had fallen asleep shortly after climbing in bed, pluging her earbuds into her phone and listening to her favourite playlist. She hadn't realized she fallen asleep until now, with the alarm on her phone blaring obnoxiously under her pillow. 

She sluggishly reached under her pillow and turned it off, dropping her head down and trying to stretch the kink in her neck. She didn't sleep well often, and this was definitely one of those times. Her whole body was aching and her muscles screamed at her in protest as she turned to get out of bed. 

Once she was actually on her feet and she stretched, her shoulders and back cracking, she set about getting ready for her second day back to hell. 

After dragging herself out of bed and waking herself up more than she was, Clementine was downstairs within five minutes. Stopping in the kitchen to grab a piece of toast for herself and then rushing out the door to avoid the tension that she knew would be there. 

She hadn't spoken a word to Carver after what happened, only shooting him a death glare and then running up the steps with the intent to clean her cut and wrap it. 

She wishes she could say it was a rare occurrence that Carver would lash out like that, but truth is it wasn't. He would either yell or throw things. Clementine sometimes thinks that all he knows how to do. It's not like he actually does anything. He just sits there and watches the shitty tv they have stuck in the corner of the living room, wasting away on the rickety old couch that looks well past its due date. Waste of air she bitterly thinks as she makes her way down the street. 

It was about five minutes later before Clementine saw the entrance of the school, deeply sighing when she did. Although, she had a sliver of hope that today would be as decent as yesterday was. She found herself hoping to run into one of the members of the group, mainly Violet or Louis though. 

Maybe this year won't be as bad as I first thought was Clementines last thought before she made her way up the steps of the school and to her first class.

A/n: Heyyyy, so, long time no update! I'm back... maybe, not sure yet. A lot has been going on, just started my second semester of grade 9, so far not as bad as I thought it would be, but its still school so like, ew. Anyways, I'll hopefully be updating this book more often, I don't know what to say about uhh... what's the book's name? Ah, yes! 'Stars can't shine without darkness'. Sorry to say, but I honestly don't think I'll be continuing the book. 'Please don't leave' and 'Stars can't shine without darkness' were the first books I/ve ever really written, and yes it was fun, but they are amateur writing. The storyline isn't the best and it's been written poorly, and honestly, I'm quite embarrassed by them. I know I can do better, and my writing has improved a lot since, and I don't feel they show what I'm capable of. I would re-write them, but at the moment I can't see the happening due to low inspiration and lack of motivation. This book, however, I really enjoy writing. So, with that being said the likeliness of me either unpublishing both books or discontinuing SCSWD (stars can't shine without darkness) is pretty high. I will also be making a note of this on my message board. 

Anyways, thank you to all who read this far, and I hope you all have lovely days and/or nights/evenings!

 -Mairyn