Simply Breathtaking
CHAPTER ONE
Tiffany V.
It's the year 1968. Ten year old Charles Lee Ray was sprawled in his sheets, dead to the world. His face, buried in his pillow was devoid of any emotion as he slept. This could be described as a peaceful image.
Well, until his alarm clock went off.
The shrill sound of the metal rods hitting the bells at rapid speed did its job of waking up the poor boy. Startled, he shot up from his sleeping position, looking around frantically in his room. Realizing his alarm's presence, his startled expression turned into that of growing annoyance. He slammed his fist down on the clock's head, silencing it for the rest of the day.
After a few minutes, he managed to drag himself out of bed. It's 7:30 am on a Wednesday morning, he had to get ready for school and catch the bus for 8. He made his way to the bathroom after grabbing his school uniform from the small wardrobe to the right of his bed. Making his way from his bedroom and the bathroom and back to his bedroom was the most stressful part of his morning. Mainly due to the fact that he wouldn't want to wake his parents. Especially his father.
To say his parents weren't the BEST would be a huge understatement judging from the carefully hidden bruises adorning his body and the constant look of contempt and disdain he had whenever anyone mentioned them.
Inhale.
Exhale.
He has to stay calm.
" You're good." he whispered to himself. After his normal morning routine of brushing his teeth, washing his face, and combing back his hair, he slipped on his uniform. Walking back to his room to get his backpack, he made sure to be as quiet as possible. He grabbed his backpack and headed for the front door.
" Alright", he adjusted his tie, " Let's get this shit over with."
He walked out the door to the bus stop.
It's cold. It's really cold. He should've gotten a jacket. He thought about walking back home to get it, but it's so far. The bus stop was a good 15 minute walk away from his house. He's surprised he didn't get kidnapped yet. There's a bunch of creepers lurking around this dump.
He stood there for a couple minutes looking down at his scuffed school shoes and then around at his surroundings.
The neighborhood he lived in wasn't the best. Shit, the state wasn't the best. He missed New Jersey (which wasn't any better).After losing his low paying carpenter job, Rudolph Lee Ray moved his wife and son to Chicago to find work. Finding a new job wasn't easy, but he eventually found one in plumbing. The pay was shit and sometimes he'd come home smelling like it too. The family could barely afford anything. It's gotten to the point where his mother sometimes had to work extra hours at the seedy bar she bartended at, leaving her son to fend for himself when his father came home.
Then again...
She wasn't much help when she WAS home.
He sighed in relief when he heard the humming of the school bus. It stopped before him in all its mustard colored glory. The door opened with a screech, revealing a husky woman. She smiled, nodding a good morning to the young boy. Charles returned the gesture and made his way to his usual seat. Left column, third seat to the back. It's the seat that no one sat at. It's old and worn. The seat belt didn't click. There were large rips in the leather. There's even a spring that stuck out the bottom. It reminded him of himself in a way.
He sat down, resting his backpack next to him. He leaned back, looked out the window, and watched his neighborhood disappear into the distance.
"You see him?"
Charles didn't move.
He just kept staring out the window.
Just keep watching the passing trees, Charles.
Don't get upset.
"Yeah, I see him. That's Charles Ray, right?"
He could already feel the vein in his temple throbbing.
"Yeah that's him. He's so creepy and quiet. He always looks like he's gonna get up and stab somebody."
That's it.
Charles slowly turned his head to the two girls sitting in the seat behind him. His icy blue eyes shot daggers into theirs.
" Keep talkin' and the person I'm stabbin' will be you." He said it low enough for only them to hear. The girls cowered in their seat, not saying a word.
He gave a curt nod before sitting back down, laying his forehead on the window. He scoffed.
' As if a scrawny shrimp like me could stab someone.'
Walking through the school entrance was always a struggle on his part. He always hesitated before being pushed in by the stampede of kids trying to race the bell. He clumsily maneuvered through the horde of peers, almost tripping over his own feet. He didn't bother being polite as he shoved people out of the way for walking too slow. They only have about 3 minutes to get to class before the bell rang. Anything longer than that, they'd be staying after school dusting chalk erasers and scraping gum off the bottom of desks. And another after school detention was the LAST thing Charles needed right now. He already got detentions for the stupid scuffles he constantly got into with his usual bullies. Getting one for being late would be the most asinine thing to do.
'Finally.' he muttered under his breath as he found his classroom just in time. He sat down at his usual spot: the desk closest to the door. That way, when class was dismissed, he had the easiest means of exit.
The moment the bell rang, Miss Donna, his fourth grade teacher, slowly shuffled through the door. She was hunched over but still had her ruby red lips spread out into a smile.
" Good morning, Class!" she cheerfully greeted adjusting her large cat eye glasses.
" Good morning, Miss Donna!" the class greeted back in unison.
" I hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday morning! Today I have a bit of a surprise for you."
The class looked to Miss Donna in confusion. Charles leaned forward in his seat. A surprise? He wondered what it was.
Miss Donna sat her bag down on her desk. " We have a new addition to our class..." She turned to the still open door and gave whoever was standing there a reassuring smile. " It's okay, honey. They don't bite. Come on in."
A few moments had passed before whoever Miss Donna was talking to finally got the courage to walk in. The heels of her maryjanes clicked and clacked as she quickly walked in. When she turned to face the class, Charles noticed her anxious expression. Her eyes kept shifting to everyone in the class. With each glance, the more nervous she looked.
" Everyone," Miss Donna stood next to the girl," This is Tiffany. She just moved here from New Jersey. Everyone say hello to Tiffany."
" Hi, Tiffany!"
Tiffany, not looking any less nervous, lifted a shaky hand and waved.
" H-hello."
" Alright!" Miss Donna clapped, " Now that we're acquainted, why don't we start class, shall we? Tiffany, you can take a seat wherever you'd like." She said, going to her desk to open her lesson book.
"Um...o-okay."
She looked around at the different desks and there were a few empty seats. Her russet brown eyes widened once they met a pair of ice blue eyes; Charles's eyes. He looked down at his notebook. He started doodling in the margin as he screamed internally.
'Please don't sit next to me! Please don't sit next to me! Pick another desk! Pl-goddamnit she's sitting next to me! You gotta be kiddin' me!'
Sure enough, to his misfortune, Tiffany picked the desk right next to him. She pulled out a small notebook from her backpack before setting it down next to her.
"Let's get started!" Miss Donna began the lesson.
Roughly around 20 minutes into class, Charles noticed in his peripheral view Tiffany eyeing him. It was like she was studying his every feature, every movement, like she was trying to crack a code.
' Why are you staring at me?' he whispered, keeping his gaze on his notebook doodle. She jumped. She looked down at her notebook.
' I-I..." she stuttered. Charles raised an eyebrow. '...I'm sorry.' She began to fidget when she noticed him giving her a sideways glance. ' No reason really. I just..." she trailed off, ' I'm sorry.'
Charles sighed. ' Jus-'
" Charles."
He looked up to see Miss Donna with her head in his direction. One hand was on her hip and the other was in the middle of writing a problem on the chalkboard.
" Uh yes, Miss Donna?" he asked sheepishly.
" I hope I'm not interrupting something."
" NO!" he choked out, " Uh I-I mean no ma'am." he corrected himself. The last thing he wanted to do was get on Miss Donna's bad side. " I apologize." Embarrassed, his eyes dropped to his lap. He grimaced at the little horde of snickering kids seated behind him. Tiffany just stayed quiet, giving him a sidelong glance. She didn't mean to get him in trouble.
Miss Donna finished writing the problem on the board. " It's quite alright, Charles. Just make sure to pay attention. These problems are going to be on our next quiz."
" Yes, ma'am." he begrudgingly replied.
Tiffany shrank in her seat.
It was lunchtime. Charles slammed his tray of food down on the table before sitting down. What the fuck? What the FUCK? That phrase went through his head over and over as he stabbed his mashed potatoes with his spoon. The rest of class was shit. After his little mishap, Charles had to put up with the usual assholes who sat behind him laugh at his moment of misfortune. And it was all that girl's fault. What was her name? Tiffany? Yeah. Tiffany.
" Um hi." Speak of the devil. He looked up from his tray to see Tiffany sitting across from him. She gave him a small smile. Annoyed at her sudden intrusion, he set his spoon down and pushed his tray to the side. He folded his arms over the table.
" What do you want?"
" Uh I saw you sitting here alone and I thought that, you know, maybe you'd like some...company." She watched his face harden. She slowly set her lunch box down and sat down anyway. " Look, I'm really sorry about what happened in class. I didn't mean for you to get in trouble. I just-"
" Save it." He raised a hand, cutting her off mid sentence. He pulled his tray back to him and began eating. " It's fine."
"O-Okay." For a moment, she was silent. She quietly slid her lunchbox towards her before carefully opening it. She pulled out a sandwich. " So...Charles, right?" She asked softly.
" Yep." He scooped some potatoes into his mouth, " And you're Tiffany, right?" His eyes pierced hers. He watched her brown eyes shift from him to her sandwich before nodding and taking a bite of it. He still wondered why she had this obsession with watching his every move. His every motion and reaction. What is she trying to do? He barely even knew her and she him, and here she was trying to chitchat with him like they were friends. There was a moment where her timidity went away and she would try to strike conversation with him. He wouldn't answer. He just sat there and ignored her as he ate his lunch. Was he being rude? Yes. Was he being a jackass? Yes, again. But did he care? Not really.
.
.
.
And neither did Tiffany.
And that's how it was for the next couple of weeks. Charles would be doing his own thing, and Tiffany would be there. Following him, talking to him. It all left Charles wondering to himself: What does she want from him? Friendship? Please. He didn't want friends. He didn't NEED friends. How long did he have to ignore her for that fact to get through her fucking head. Shit, most kids didn't like him. Most kids kept their distance. But...she's not like most kids. What's wrong with her?
He pondered that before a hard rubber ball was slammed into his head.
He cried out in pain as he fell to the concrete floor of the playground. His scowl deepened at the laughter that followed.
" What's the matter, Charlie?! You look like you hurt yourself!" A condescending tone called out.
He knew that voice. He turned to it. Yup, it's him. Leonard Green. The main one of many who took time out of their busy (not) schedules to make his school life a living hell. They were about the same age, but Leonard was bigger than him. He glared at Leonard as he got back to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. It stung and he was pretty sure he was bleeding a bit as well. Great.
" What'dya want, Leonard?" His face was littered with contempt. Leonard only smirked. He picked up the ball and rested it under his arm. " I'm surprised you recognized me. I figured your pop's been hittin' ya so hard he gave you brain damage."
If looks could kill, Leonard would've dropped dead by now, but he was unfazed by Charles's death stare. " Aw did I make little Charlie Ray mad? What's your damage, Charlie? It's not like I brought up your whore mo-"
He wasn't able to finish that sentence. Charles's fist had already found its target: Leonard's mouth. The impact forced him to fall back. Only a little. Charles watched Leonard catch himself. The look of malice changed to that of shock as he watched a line of blood trail down Leonard's chin. He looked at his still clenched fist. Did he do that? He couldn't have. He didn't know what came over him.
The moment he looked up, Leonard's fist had connected with his cheek, knocking him to the ground. Soon the two boys were on the ground. Charles did as much as he could to get Leonard off of him. He punched, kicked, scratched, anything, but nothing seem to work.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" A group of kids crowded around them. Some chanted for Leonard to kick Charles's scrawny ass and others chanted for them to stop. At this point, Leonard had a few scrapes from Charles's nails and a bruise surrounding the corner of his mouth where Charles had punched him. Charles had a black eye and a few bruises on his cheek and jaw from Leonard's fists. Leonard was preparing to give one last final blow before he was knocked over.
" Get off of him!"
Charles had his eyes clenched tight, but he recognized that voice anywhere. He groaned. Was it from the pain or was it from the sheer annoyance he felt? Charles decided it was both. He cracked open his eyes to see Tiffany standing over him.
" Step aside, ya chink! This ain't your fight." Leonard said, getting to his feet. Tiffany stood her ground.
" For starters, I'm only half chink get it right. 2nd, what are you gonna do if I don't?" Her tough facade almost broke when Leonard got in her face.
" Then I'll pummel you into the fucking ground." He growled.
Tiffany only smirked, " Oh please. Like you have the guts to hit a girl."
The stare-down they had lasted a few minutes before Leonard finally backed away. " Fine." he said, " You win." He wiped the blood from his lip and glared over at Chucky who was still on the ground. " You're lucky your little girlfriend was here to save you. Next time, I'll make sure she won't be."
And with that, he was gone. The circle of kids disbanded. Tiffany turned to face Charles who was struggling to get up. She rushed to his side. " Are you okay?!" She helped him to his feet. Their eyes met. Tiffany gave him a sad smile. Charles scowled and ripped his arm from her grip.
" Let me go." He stumbled over his feet. Tiffany grabbed his arm again, making sure he didn't fall. Charles, again, made her let go. " I said let me go!"
Tiffany took a step back. " I was just trying to help." She shot back, angered at his outburst. But then, her eyebrows raised in slight shock and concern.
"...Charles? Where did those bruises come from?" Her voice shook.
Charles looked at her confused. " What do you mean 'where did those bruises come from'? Didn't you just see me get my ass kicked?"
Tiffany shook her head. " No, those bruises." She pointed to his stomach. Charles's confused stare moved to his midsection. 'Oh god. She sees them.' He frantically fumbled with his shirt. It was forcibly opened and pulled out of his pants during the fight. Tiffany could now see the many bruises he tried so hard to hide. He quickly buttoned and tucked in his shirt. He turned away from her.
" You didn't see anything."
"Charl-"
" You didn't see ANYTHING!"
" Charles, I want to help you."
" I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!" His fists clenched, his eyes glazed over. He stared daggers into hers. " Why? Why are you always following me? Why are you always talking to me? Why are you always being so nice to me?! Why?!"
Tiffany began to fidget with the hem of her dress.
" W-well, I thought that since we're friends-"
" FRIENDS?!", he exclaimed. He took a step forward. " WE are not friends! I'm not your friend! I don't wanna be your friend. We were never FRIENDS! How long do I have to practically ignore you for that to get through your thick fucking skull?!"
" Charles, I-"
He took another step forward. " And you butting into my business is only going to make shit worse for me. You see that guy over there?" He briefly pointed to Leonard who was all the way across the playground, completely out of earshot. " He's gonna kick my ass twice as hard because of you! And now I gotta go home and show this to-" Charles stopped mid sentence. He needed to leave. He rushed to the exit. Tiffany followed.
" Wait!" She reached for his sleeve. She managed to grip the edge. " Wait! I ju-"
Her hand was smacked away. " No! You have been a thorn in my side since day ONE! Don't follow me! Don't talk to me! Don't even look at me!"
He got so close they were only inches apart.
" Leave me ALONE."
And with that, he went inside.
The cafeteria was empty...
Good.
Charles took the opportunity to slide down the wall, curl up into a ball, and let out the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes while he was outside. He gripped his hair as he held back choked sobs. He took deep breaths to make sure he didn't suffocate on his own misery. His heart kept racing and his chest burned. He sat up with his hand over his heart, and waited for it to calm down.
" Deep breaths, deep breaths." he panted as he pulled his knees to his chest. " You're okay, you're good."
He wasn't going to be okay for long.
He knew what he was going to face when school was over. He knew what was going to face when he got home.
But what he didn't know, was that on the opposite side of the wall, Tiffany was in the same position. Sitting with her back against the wall and her knees to her chest. Tears trailing down her cheeks as she gasped for air.
