When I Met Polly

Chapter 13

It was all very quick, after that. I find myself leaving hospital with Stitches across my face, a wheelchair because I was in too much pain to use the crutches and a sinking feeling in my stomach and Polly and my mum are laughing like old friends. Then I find myself being questioned no stop by the police, and they tell me that I should wait until I'm ready to talk about it. I then find myself lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling for days on end. And now I find myself, slowly, oh so slowly hopping my way back to school after a week and a half away. I have no idea what to expect...or maybe do. I take a deep breath and my legs feel knobbly as I look to the far too familiar iron gates encircling our school.

I just wish when I was last here, instead of just beating me up... I wish they just killed me.

I feel everything quieter as I approach the school and all eyes are on me. Tears threaten my eyes, and my stomach feels knotted and my chest is sinking. I just stare to the doors of the school, avoiding the eyes burning on me. I hate it here. I really really hate it. My nails dig into my crutches as I hop up the small steps. I freeze completely as I enter inside. My breath begins to quicken and my heart beat soars. I want to scream and run miles away. But I know I can't. There they are just stood in the corridor in a huddle. They all simultaneously look up at me with dark and sinister eyes. Everyone and everything falls silent as everyone stares at the tension building up between us. Stephanie walks up to me. And leans into my ear.
"Aren't you dead yet?" She hisses and I feel my chest sink. I ask myself the same question everyday. Leann and Alec just stand and stare. I then realise Stephanie is actually waiting for an answer.
"N-not y-y-yet b-but s-sssoon," I stutter not looking back into her dark eyes. She blinks a few times in disbelief before sighing and walking away. I look up and see Pauline stood down the hall. I offer her a shaky smile and wave, but her eyes widen she blushes and hurries away avoiding my greeting. I blink a few times. And look around everyone looks at me, in a way which confirms my fear. I'm alone now. No one wants to help me.

"Look Abby just tell us the truth," demands Miss Cadem after half an hour of me lying and saying that I fell. I just stare my eyes watering. I am in the head teachers office with the Mr Falgrow (the head), Miss Cadem, several police officers and the school governors.
"Just tell us. Did Stephanie Lewis, Leann Mace and Alex Jennings have anything to do with what happened?" Questions one police officer. And my heart hammers, I know I can't tell them, but what else do I say. They wait for me to answer. Yes or no.
"N-no," I whisper, and drop my head. The reactions of everyone are very different. The police officer scribbles something down in to his notebook. Miss Cadem looks frustrated and drops her head into her hands with a slight groan. Mr Falgrow beams very pleased with my answer and very pleased that his star pupil Stephanie Lewis wasn't involved in violent assault on another pupil or that his star football player who won all the trophies for the school was either.
"Now Abigail are you sure?" Questions Miss Cadem questions staring into my eyes and encouraging me to tell the truth. I open and close my mouth frantically.
"Of course she's sure, she's already told us it wasn't anything to do with the three pupils," states Mr Falgrow.
"I was asking Abigail," snaps Miss Cadem sternly and looks back at me with softened eyes. "Abigail?" I just nod slowly.
"I-I'm sure," I reply.

"I should of j-just told the truth," I sigh, with my legs sprawled across the sand. I am sat with Polly on the beach, and yes you may notice I hardly even stuttered in that sentence. That's because Polly is someone I feel most comforted by, she's also helping me with speech, she's really good at it.
"Maybe, but what's done is done," says Polly with a sad smile, I sigh and nod.
"Maybe it's for the b-best anyway," I sigh digging my finger into the sand.
"You know one day life will be much better for you, very soon something will change," she smiles and I just roll my eyes.
"Tom-tomorrow I've g-got that football game," I sigh. She grins.
"Enjoy yourself," she says.
"I won't," I reply with certainty. Her blue eyes twinkle in a way I can't quite decipher the emotions behind it. Sadness yet excitement?
"Here take this," she says. Not another gift! I look down at what's in her hand. An inhaler. What? I look up at her. I don't have asthma. "It's prescribed with the right medication," she says with certainty.

"Ticket," demands the man at the stall. I sigh and hand over my ticket. He rips the bottom off and hands it back to me, a dull look in his eyes. I smile shakily, then hop in my crutches past the ticket man. The reason I'm here is because mum insisted I go after "Jeff spent lost of money, on these tickets!" I'm sure however if she knew the truth about why I ended up in hospital that night, she'd be a little resistant to let me go. But I can't tell anyone, only Polly. There are people scattered all over the fields. I take deep breaths as heads turn in my direction.
"Freak!" Someone calls out, followed by a thunder of laughs. I close my eyes for a few moments before opening them and carrying on.
"Why are you here? Nobody wants you!" Someone yells, and I just try to ignore it all. However the insults just flood in, I decide I can't just stay here and I hop off to the toilets and perch on the steps outside. I'll just wait until the game is over and then go home. Maybe if I count sheep time will go quicker...or would that make it painfully slower. I hear a whistle blow in the distance and yelling. I'm guessing the games have begun.

I tap my fingers anxiously just awaiting the end. All I hear is cheering and occasional whistles, booing and various noises expected from a football match. It seems to have been an hour now, and I'm still waiting. This is so painfully slow. I still have Polly's little gift in my pocket which I have no idea of its use. I don't have asthma. There's then a whistle blow, and yelling maybe even some screaming and some booing. It makes my head snap up, something weird is happening. I can tell. I hen hear bounding footsteps and heavy breathing, startled I hop up and begin to make my way elsewhere. Then I hear someone behind me. A heavy breath, a wheezing, a violent cough. I slowly turn and am shocked at what I see. A boy is holding the wall for support, clutching his chest and breathing and wheezing heavily with a violent cough. His face is red and sweaty and he is desperately fighting for air. This boy isn't any ordinary boy, it's Alex. His wheezing is so loud and high pitched something triggers in me. Sympathy. I need to help him, he looks in serious need of help.
"A-Alex?" I stutter a little shocked. He slowly turns his head still wheezing and clutching his chest and his eyes look at me with desperation, pleading. I widen my eyes and blink a few times. I then remember Polly's little gift. I reach into my pocket and pull out the little inhaler. Some part of me flickers inside. This is the boy who almost killed me, who calls me a freak, who beat me and left me there crippled, who hates me and has ruined my life. The the sounds of wheezing and violent coughing are unbearable. And I realise something...I'm better than him, and I can prove it. I quickly hop forward and hold it out to him with a shaky hand. He reaches out a weak hand and takes the inhaler and sucks the life out of the pump. His breathing begins to calm. He still looks in pain, but now a little calmer. He cradles his chest and swivels so his back is against the wall, his expression is pained as he closes his eyes and slides down the wall so he's sitting on the floor and panting. He then unlocks his eyelids releasing the bright sapphire beneath. He stares into my eyes for a few moments still panting.
"Thank you," he breathes. I drop my gaze to the ground sadly. What I'd I'd left him there? Like he left me. But like I said I'm better than him, I don't need to get back at him. "I'm so-" he is cut off as his head snaps up at the sound that I too am alert to.
"Alex?" A girls voice calls, it sends goosebumps down my back, and I gulp. He too looks scared as her footsteps become more prominent. He looks to me in alarm.
"Hide behind the wall!" He pants and gestures behind the wall which I quickly hop over to. Just in time as sure enough Stephanie bursts around the corner and to where Alex is. I am hidden from view but still peek around the corner. Her corkscrew red curls bounce around her porcelain skin. Alex is now stood up and has shoved the asthma pump down his shirt.
"What the hell was that?" She screeches gesturing back to the pitch, he shrugs.
"I didn't fell well," he says and stares over to where I am hidden. "I'm going home," he states. "It's probably for the best," Stephanie sighs but nods nevertheless and takes him by the hand and walks him away. I let out a sigh of relief and just stare after them even when I can't see them anymore.