Hopelessly Broken

6. Alone

4.05.20

I walked into the nurse's office while observing the unfamiliar place. I have never needed to come in here before.

"What is it?" A voice called from the back of the room.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the only sound that passed my lips was a high pitched whine directly followed by hacking my lungs out. Maybe I'm more injured than even I thought I was. Rapid footsteps approached me, and as soon as the nurse's face popped around the corner, she rushed up to my now bent over form.

She lifted my head so that she could observe the mark on my neck, and the amount of pain I felt when she pressed on it made me grimace and whine. "Come lay down," she demanded urgently, so I followed her directions to the bed like mat in the corner. "Drink." Water was pressed in front of my face, so I took it with shaky hands and drank deeply which offered some relief but not a lot.

"Can I get you to write down exactly what happened?" she requested, and I took the pencil and wrote down everything. I told my entire story of how the fight started so that if I couldn't tell the principal, it could still be on the records.

"So they're probably expecting you back?" I nodded.

"Just observing you, I think you should be fine as long as you don't try to put too much strain on yourself. Please don't try to talk as long as it still hurts to. Take this note and go back." I took the piece of paper from her hand and walked back to the office. Megan was already there when I got into the lobby, but the receptionist was content to start yelling at me for being gone so long. I just gave her my note and sat down moodily in one of the plastic chairs.

I saw a boy from the sophomore class run out crying before we were sent back together. Megan's hand rubbed my arm reassuringly, so I smiled at her in response before we walked together into the den of the lion.

Jack was already sat on the chair to the edge of the office with an ice pack pressed onto his eye. "Someone tell me what happened," Ms. Garrison ordered, and Jack was quick to leap onto that opportunity.

"He just attacked me out of no where!" he lied shamelessly while shooting me an evil look. He would probably be believed because he's the favorite of everyone in this stupid school. I slid my recap across the desk carefully with my best smile, and the principal made a face at me.

"You were fine earlier," she commented.

I took a piece of paper from the edge of the rest and wrote adrenaline on it before showing her.

"Fine," she murmured before reading my account of the fight. "Honestly, Jack is more believable," I closed my eyes softly while thinking about the school's corrupt favoritism, "so Devon will be suspended for two weeks for starting a fight. Also, from what I see here, you started it anyways by listening into his conversation."

I looked at her as if she had 3 different heads. How did she look at the paper and see that? "Give me that paper," Megan demanded scarily. She could be frightening when she's defending any of the kids she takes care of. She read over the words carefully before shouting, "How in the hell is that what you got from that recap!?"

"This isn't up for debate, ma'am. Get out of my school or I will call security."

Meg grabbed my arm roughly in her anger, and we dashed out of the office together. Once we were in Megan's car, she sighed lowly. "I'm not mad at you, Devon. I can tell that you're telling the truth about this whole thing because who can make up anything that detailed. I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself, and I'm definitely glad that you gave him a broken nose to remember you by."

I smiled softly because of the warm feeling that spread throughout my chest. "I think that Jamie is still planning to pick you up at 4:30," she suggested optimistically. I shook my head. She definitely won't want me now that I've clashed with Jack multiple times. "Make sure that you don't put any unnecessary strain on yourself until you're healed; I don't want you hurting yourself," she instructed when I had gotten out of the car.

I nodded before suddenly remembering that I had totally forgotten my key in this mess. I tapped Megan and took a piece of paper from the little table in the foyer. I lost my key in the fight. I wrote.

"I'll get you another one," Meg reassured before walking away. I walked down the hallways that changed significantly between day and night. Usually when I'm here, the teenage area isn't totally empty, but there was no one here any more since they were all in school.

I stood outside of my bedroom while I waited for Meg to bring a key. Suddenly, an extremely angry man stormed around the corner with Megan behind him begging for him not to do something.

"How dare you damage the pristine reputation of this orphanage!" the man shouted at me. "We raise well mannered, peaceful people! If the government finds out that our pupils are getting in trouble, we will be shut down! Do you want that!?"

I blinked in shock. I was being yelled at for defending myself! "Boy, I have half a mind to throw you out on the streets, but that is also extremely illegal."

My eyes landed on my shoes. I am kind of glad that I can't speak, so I don't say any of the choice words floating around in my mind. How could this man come in here and tell me that standing up for myself was incorrect? "You'd better hope that the people looking into your adoption still accept you because you are on a wire this thin," the man threatened while putting his index finger and thumb extremely close together. "As a punishment, the lock will be removed from your bedroom door."

I looked at him incredulously. In all of my years here, no one had ever been treated as I am right now. Who honestly wants me here? Adults and peers alike hate me. I think the only ally I have in this world is Megan ever since Blake betrayed me today.

The man– who was probably the head of the orphanage now that I think about it– unlocked my door for me. "A crew will be here to remove the lock soon," he declared angrily before storming away from our position.

Megan's calming finger rubbed up and down my sore back, so I leaned slightly into her touch while blinking rapidly to hold back my tears. I. Am. Not. Weak!

The group designed to destroy my rights to privacy came and went within 30 minutes, and I went into my room before closing the door. At least I still have a door.

I walked into my bathroom and looked at my pitiful reflection. My brown hair was a complete mess, but that was pretty usual since I didn't care much about my appearance. The best looking– and my personal favorite– part of me was my icy blue eyes. However, now they were showing how much I was breaking. I turned on my shower so that the rest of the world couldn't hear me then broke out into tears. The water dribbling down my now naked body was therapeutic, and I was lolled into sleep by the calming rhythm of the drops.