Cruel Sanctuary

Chapter 23

Fighting isn't always the answer, it's what most people say. At this point, I agree with them. By choosing not to hurt Payton as much as I wanted to, I feel like the bigger person. I have no guilt, which makes what is about to happen a lot easier for me, "Payton, we're sending you to a different school where, hopefully, you'll be taught manners and humanity," Our principal orders, walking beside me with his arms crossed as we approach Payton.

When I told him what happened, it seemed as though he had made his mind up to send her away almost immediately, "I-" She tries to argue but the principal snaps his fingers at her, "I don't want to hear it. Get to my office and out of everybody's sight," He snaps at her and she jumps into action, speed walking to his office.

"Thank you, sir," I say and he smiles gently at me, "My pleasure, I wish you the best of luck, Skylar. I will see you on results day," He chirps and exits down the hallway, in the same direction that Payton rushed off in. Almost immediately, Emma, Noah and Owen come towards me. Emma reaches me first, "We have to get you to the nurse, okay?"

Linking arms with her as Owen comes to my side, they steady me and Noah trails behind with Luke, both of them here for support. I am aghast at Luke's presence for my own sustenance, considering he despises everything about me. In a struggle, we arrive at the nurse's office in silence and she gasps when she sees the state of me, ordering me to sit on her comfortable chair whilst the others wait outside, barring Emma who follows me in like a lost puppy. 

"What happened?" She asks and I sigh, "This girl wanted her last go at me before I leave," I explain with a sheepish tilt of my head and she tuts, "Teenagers these days," She murmurs, messing around in her cupboard, "Right, so I'm going to clean the cuts out and put some cream on them and, if there are any deep ones, we may have to send you to the hospital to get them stitched up but I can't see they'll be that bad."

I nod as she gets some cotton wool and puts cold water on them, "Can you hold these to the bruises, please?" She asks Emma and she obliges, holding a large cotton pad on my left cheek bone and another one on the right side of my jaw. The nurse then gets some antiseptic wipes and gently dabs at my cuts. I hiss in pain a few times but just clench my fists and endure the pain which, I must say, is worse than actually getting the cuts in the first place.

"Name?" The nurse asks, "Skylar Greene." I reply and she finds my folder of records, "You're not allergic to anything so I'm going to put on some rubbing alcohol, okay?" I nod and she proceeds. The alcohol is slightly soothing compared to the wipes, however, it still stings as my nails dig into my palms, probably creating small crescent dents in my hands.

"And now for the cream. None of them are very deep, they're more like grazes that have pricked up quite a bit of blood so you won't need stitches. You'll need to put cream on them every day until they heal and there's two relatively deep cuts on your forehead by your hairline, they'll need attentive care," She informs us, being the only helpful school nurse to ever exist.

"You can take off the cotton, dear," She instructs Emma who gladly drops the cotton pads. The nurse takes them and puts them in the bin and grabs a tub of antiseptic cream. Emma holds my right hand whilst she pats the cream on and I flinch in pain, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I know it hurts," The nurse consoles me and I bite back the pain, trying to be strong as she pushes down a clear plaster on each of the two cuts on my head. 

Across from me stands a tall mirror, smudged and scratched but clear enough for me to notice that I have a line of bruises forming on my left cheek bone and a couple on the right side of my jaw line. There are some cuts around my eyebrows that are very small but a lot of blood came from them.

"You're all done, honey, just remember to put cream on and, after today, you shouldn't need plasters on those cuts," The nurse informs me. Emma and I thank her and then exit. The three boys look at us and sigh at my almost unscathed state, "It's not as bad as it looked then?" Owen asks and I shake my head, "I've got bruises forming, two deeper cuts and a few small cuts around my eyebrows," I shrug and begin to trudge to Owen's car, ready to feel the relief of stepping from the school gates.