[ A COMPLETED 2020 TEEN MYSTERY ] Life can take a turn for the worst when you least expect it, spiralling deeply out of control in mere days. It's hard to see the signs sometimes; it may be personality changes, or even just an odd remark, but if we...
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Sonia
We all await Joel's return as he's taken away by the two officers. I'd be worried about what they were asking him if not for what he did before leaving. He'd looked at me like he used to gaze at Steph - eyes lovesick like a puppy and mouth curving into the goofiest of smiles. It had made me feel almost nauseous, to be on the receiving end of one of his 'Stephanie looks'. It was what I used to call them.
He'd smelt me. It had me feel uncomfortable in unimaginable ways. He'd handed me his jacket, like something out a cheesy romance novel. It was so strange how his feelings seemed to have changed at the blink of an eye. But what worried me was how happy I'd felt, just laying on his shoulder, like I finally had someone other then Steph who truly cared about me.
Gwen has me feel so alone, the things she'd done to me were beyond cruel. Shoving me into a locker seemed almost lovely when I thought about the time she'd pushed me into the deep end of her pool when she knew I couldn't swim. I'd have drowned if not for Joel, who'd come out of the changing room at the perfect time, and dived in and pulled me to the safety of the pool-edge.
Huh. Joel. He'd saved me life. I hadn't even thought about that back then, I'd been paralysed with fear and vomited in the girls bathroom for ages afterward. I'd went to the nurse and been excused from the lesson, due to a serious panic-attack. I seriously had never thought about the story this way. I know I sound extremely ungrateful, but it's hard to think of anything else when you're haunted by the experience for weeks after.
I'd see the water engulfing me as I flailed my arms, I'd see Gwen and her friends' faces all smirking down at me as the water sucked me in. Joel would be too late and I couldn't breathe and I'd drown. I remembered the nightmares like they were yesterday, it was hard to forget such a traumatising event. I'd always left the changing room last since, which I'd usually get in trouble for, but Mrs. Oakley had a strong intuition and she'd guessed what had really happened that day simply by looking at the scowls Gwen was giving me.
I must thank Joel when he comes back, I can't believe I even overlooked such a thing! I groan and Sebastian looks up.
"You okay?" He asks, genuinely concerned. If this was any other day I would have snarled at him, asked him how he even dared to talk to me, but I was so overwhelmed and tired today that I couldn't even manage that.
"Yeah," I say with a feeble smile. He looks disbelieving but doesn't question it further. I'm glad that he realises his boundaries and so I give him a thumbs up. Obviously surprised to this sudden gesture, he lets out a little laugh and I can't help but giggle too.
Stephanie's head turns to us sharply, but even her frustration turns to a smile when she sees me and Sebastian laughing together. I take this as a good time to go and sit beside her. She gives me a tiny smile, but there's a dark sadness behind it. I know this is one of the worst possible questions to ask her at current time, but I say, "Stephanie, how are you feeling?"
