Breaking Point

Chapter 6

Sam *

Walking up from the sports field I'm talking to Jolene May about joining the girls touch football team. She has a lot of potential and I believe that if she joins the school team, she'll make the difference we need to win the championship this year. Walking around the corner Jolene makes her way to the change rooms.

Confused I watch Tara wash her hands under a garden tap. Her eyes are close as she takes deep breaths and stretches her neck side to side. She opens her eyes and looks over at me, making eye contact. It's then I notice that her sleeves are pushed up the her elbows, showing a lot of damaged skin. Different type of burn marks run across her arms as well as white jagged scares. The scares look as if she had run through barbed wire, various times. The burn marks look as if someone had put out a cigarette on her skin as well as a hot wood poker. On her right arm there is a burnt patch of skin on the under side of her arm and continues up under her sleeve.

Tara looks down at her arms before her eyes snaps back up to mine. She's realised that I've seen the marks on her arms. With lightening speed she pulls down her sleeves and walks away.

The bell chimes and the other students walk off without noticing what just happened. I put the equipment away before walking back to the staffroom. On my way back I hear some of the students talk about Tara and her reaction to Emily on the balcony.

"I heard that Emily only just found out that she was back and left class to see if it was true." One student says.

"I heard that both Emily and Chrissy haven't spoken to Tara since the night of the party." Another student gossips.

Walking into the staffroom the phone rings, before the automatic answering picks up. Mr Jerry's voice carries through the staffroom. "I'm calling to inform all staff members that Tara Smith has left for the day and not to worry when she doesn't turn up for your class." The call ends.

"Shit!."

"What's wrong?." Asks Debbie.

"Something just happened in my class."

"Concerning Tara I assume."

I nod, rubbing my hands together as I take deep breaths.

"What happened?." Asks Nick.

"After the lesson we walked up to the change rooms. When I came around the corner and Tara was running her hands under the garden tap that's there. She had the sleeves of her shirt pushed up and I saw the marks on her arms. She then realised that I had seen them and panicked and walked away, and now she has left school."

"Sam it wasn't your fault. You just happened to walk around the corner and see her arms." Nick says.

"I know but her expression when she realised I'd seen her arms. She looked as if she was ashamed or even embarrassed by them. SHIT!." I slam my hand against my desk.

"Sam you can't help what she feels. She obviously wears the long sleeve shirt to cover them from everybody. I've spoken to her mother offering my support. We got to talking about Tara and she has told me that Tara wears long sleeve all the time now. She told me she had seen the marks when Tara was asleep in the hospital but Tara doesn't know that. Tara keeps everything to herself to prevent pain to her parents." Debbie sobs the last part out.

Nick shakes his head. "No one should have to go through this, especially not a 16 year old girl."

"I should of done something. I should of told her that it was okay."

"She would not of listened Sam. We just have to go along with what we feel like is the right thing to do and also with what Tara wants to do." Debbie says.

Shaking my head the rest of the day seems to drag on. I keep picturing the marks on Tara's arms and the amount of pain she must of endured.

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