My feet scampered on the soft ground as I moved swiftly through the woods. The wind was hitting me like a good cold slap. The clothes I was wearing were soaked, chilling me to the bone. My legs were starting to scream I had been running so long. Don't stop, I think. The path seemed longer the more I ran; I could still hear the sound of feet hitting the ground in the distance.
I paused as the woods disappeared, and my feet hit concrete. I gazed down the direction of the road, nothing. Nothing was there waiting, nothing waiting to get me. My feet sprinted down the road. I passed the gas station, but once I was in front of the house next to it, I didn't see the kid waiting there to tackle me.
My body hit the ground with great force. The kid on top of me must have weighed two-eighty at the least, and stood up laughing once I hit the ground.
"Guys! I got em!" she yelled. I heard laughing at a short distance and tried to get up, but was tackled once again.
"She can run!" one of them yelled.
"Well, of course, Little Ruby can!" the tallest one said smirking. "She didn't stop either! Jeez that was a workout just to do this!" She then proceeded to kick me in the stomach. I heard loud laughter as all the air was knocked out of me. The pain stayed for a few moments before I tried to get up again. Fists took hold of the front of my jacket and picked me up, I just got my footing when his fist met my face. I saw stars and stumbled backwards. My eyes flicked up to see his fist raised again and I braced myself. Nothing ever came, my eyes opened to see a phone in his hand, and him backing off and running away.
"Peridot, where you going?" one of them named Jasper, yelled confused. I saw them running towards her; five girls running toward their friend for an unknown reason. I took my chance and fled. Walking was difficult with my overworked legs, how long had I even been running? An hour? I shuffled around my pocket for my phone, my finger clicked a button and a bright colorful screen greeted me with the time of eight-thirteen. Perfect, I thought to myself. My pace quickened, being home by seven was the only rule I ever really had. Now I would have to come up with some lazy, untrue reason to being late. The thought of being lucky hadn't crossed my mind, I could have been beaten a lot worse. The only thought in my head though, was to just get home.
The heat hitting my face was calming. I crept up to my room to change out of my clothes. Once changed, I walked into the bathroom to see the damage. I lifted my shirt to see a bruise forming on my stomach. The center was red but the ends were starting to turn black and blue. Breathing wasn't difficult, but when I brushed my finger against the bruised flesh I cringed. I released the shirt and looked at my face, my cheek was bruised, and I had a couple other scratches, probably from being black bruise made my red eyes stand out, and my wet, curly dark brown hair almost looked black. I reached up and took off the red ribbon keeping it in place.
I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, my mind was lost with confusion, after all everything happened years ago. I just turned fourteen and was in the beginning of my fresh start to a new school, I may have been quiet, I may still be quiet, but apparently I was interesting to a few girls, but now people refuse to talk to me due to the beatings, the bullying, everything. They're scared that they'll be a target, and that is a good reason to be scared.
The first beating happened because of jealousy. I was beaten because of a girl who talked to me. I was beaten because of a girl I never talk to. I'm still beaten because of a girl I never talked to. That girl actually broke up with her boyfriend, after hearing about the incident. Sounds so much like a bad beginning part in a romance novel. Now, two years later, her girlfriend no longer feels the jealousy, it's amusing to him to come after me. I concluded that he is just horrifyingly pathetic. The only thing more pathetic besides her actions is the fact she uses "Little Ruby" as an insult. My mind wandered.
"Ruby, are you coming down for supper?" I heard my mom yell down the hall, her voice breaking silence.
"No, I ate on the way home, mom!"
"Are you sure?" She was closer to the door now.
"Yeah, that's why I walked in a little late,"
"Okay, next time call before you do, a little heads up would have been nice,"
"Sorry, I will next time, I promise," I called back. I heard her footsteps retreating towards the kitchen. I can imagine her disappointed face as well. Pain shoots through me, I hate to make her feel alone. I know exactly what it's like, but hiding the bruises prevents her from worrying, which will make her even more upset. She's gone through enough, I thought to myself. She doesn't need to worry about me, she had to see dad die. It happened over a year ago when I was fifteen, turning sixteen in just a few months.
I left the bathroom and fell into bed. Not even a minute goes by and I already feel drowsy. Sleep overpowers my beaten body, and my eyes drift shut. Tomorrow is going to be awful, I thought. That was the last thing I remember before sleep took over me.
The next day the walk to school was quiet. The sound of the car passing was rare, and I heard no birds. I enjoyed the quiet. It was relaxing, and a big difference from the yelling I always hear. I walked up the steps and pulled on the door handle, the door opened with a soft creek. The noise inside the school was deafening. Girls shouting and screaming about random things; guys yelling about the girl they just hit on. The sound of hundreds of shoes shuffling through the hallway was enough to give me a headache.
The day was like every other day. The usual glares, and the rare occurrence of some pencils being thrown at me. I was walking to my last hour when the sound of my name roars through the hallway.
"Ruby Wells, please report to the office! Ruby Wells, please report to the office!" My stomach dropped. What do they want? My footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, all the other kids have gone to class while I'm still making my way to the office. My eyes settle on the office door, my hand stretched out to open it. The door opens with little effort, and I'm escorted to a chair in front of the principal's office. A man opens the door and I'm greeted by a friendly face with gray hair slicked back.
"Ms. Wells" he said. I nod, making it obvious that I want to leave. He nods back and motions for me to follow him into his office.
"Where did that bruise come from my friend?" He asks. I am not your friend, I think. I raise my hand up to my face and fake a surprised expression.
"Oh the bruise, my brother hit me with the baseball again,"
He gives me a questionable look "Baseball?"
"Yeah, he's starting fast pitch in the spring,"
"I see, are you sure it wasn't Jasper and her friends again?"
"No, it's been months since that last happened." I say. He gave me a hard stare, while I kept my face still with a small smile.
"Alright, have a good day, Ms. Wells," He says. I was shocked, but kept my face still, I was expecting him to push on, ask more questions, but he just leaned back and started to pick up some papers. I realized that he knew he wasn't going to get any information to help me. I also realized that he shouldn't have to help me, or call me down here.
"You to, Mr. Gibson," I say. I walked out relieved, and angry. I wasn't angry at , I was angry at everything else, Marcus and his stupid friends, the glares, the bullying I was sick of it, I had had enough. Why should I have to lie about it? Why should I push everything away and worry about it? I realized, I reached my limit. I walked to my class with only ten minutes left, I walked in and sat down, oblivious to what the teacher was lecturing the class about.
The bell rang, and the whole school was in a frenzy to leave while I calmly walked out. The walk home wasn't quiet, I was pushed down before I even got out of the school parking lot. I turned around to see Jasper and her friends circling me, and my temper was starting to rise.
"Look it's little Ruby," Jasper said with a grin.
I smiled. This is it. It was the perfect time to strike back, we were still on school ground. "Well I guess it is," I say back. Her grin disappeared.
"What?" She asked, confused to hear my voice.
"Go ahead, beat me," I say with a wild grin. "I'm done with your crap, all of this nonsense over what? Something that happened two years ago?" I start to yell. "After two years, you still do it! You still come after me! Why? Why do you do it?" She looks around worried, knowing I was drawing attention. Her eyes snapped back to me, Orange orbs confused due to not knowing the answer.
"I ugh, you-"
"I know!" I roared, completely cutting him off. "I know why," I more calmly repeated. I looked him in the eyes and never broke contact while the words came from my mouth. "You're still as pathetic as you were two years ago." There was murmuring in the crowd that gathered. His hands came up and tugged at her messy bleached hair.
His eyes darted everywhere but seemed to not focus on one thing, as if he was trying to come up with a reason she was doing what she was doing. I scanned over the heads of a few people, and saw a teacher coming over from her car. His eyes drew back to mine, focused on the teacher approaching, her eyes grew dark and focused in the direction I was looking. The dark orbs snapped back to mine with fear, and what? surprise? No, she couldn't be that simple minded, could he? A teacher on school ground surprised him? She's more pathetic than I thought. I thought to myself.
The crowd started to slowly decrease, Jasper was in a panic when I decided to speak again. "So?" my arms opened wide, as if I was opening up for someone. "You gonna come at me? Or run like the pathetic idiot you are?" The grin I gave of must have been wicked. The fear protruding from her eyes when it formed increased. Her eyes met the teacher approaching, then snapped back to mine with a glare. Her feet began to move towards me, my eyes never left hers as he walked passed me.
Once I saw them a few feet away, I began to walk backwards to look at the few people from the decreased crowd, as if to say, "Sorry for no fight," Then spun around and walked away. The grin on my face refused to disappear, I spoke out, I finally did something to get her off my back. I was actually proud of myself, since, I don't know how long.
The harsh swoosh of the cars passing me hadn't fazed me until I was a few blocks away from the school. The next turn I took took me into the more silent part of the town where I lived. While I moved forward, my mind overtook me, thoughts of the beatings and my voice rising. It wouldn't be all over now would it? No. That glare she gave me. It was screaming for revenge. But for what though? My words? Me embarrassing her? She's at fault though, she chose school ground, one of her idiotic friends will let him know what he did wrong. My mind refused to calm down, I paused and noticed the wooded trail I ran down the night before, before I realized, I was heading straight towards it. It's early, I thought. I can take a little time to go down here. The rocky earth of the path turned into one covered with leaves and twigs that rustled under my movement. I inhaled taking in the crisp fall scent. I enjoyed coming here, nothing was better for me, just to clear my head, which I more often needed.
I smiled unknowingly, the slight breeze, the absent sound of cars, no birds. Something that made no noise, something that was so calming, something I deeply enjoyed so much. Quiet.
"Hello," A shudder of surprise ran through my body when the voice emerged from nowhere. I looked over my shoulder to see a slightly taller, thinner girl with thick blue hair with bangs that covered most her features.
"You," I whispered.
