Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Bu-
Austin Monroe rolled over in his bed and lazily brought his hand down on the magic button which gave him the gift of morning silence.
It was exacly eight A.M. and Austin had exactly forty-five minutes to get ready for school. With that in mind, he rubbed the sleep from his grey-blue eyes, pulled the sheets off his body in one swift motion, and tumbbled out of bed.
He headed over to the washroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Disgusting, revolting. You'd be an idoit to think anybody would ever love you. He couldn't stop the toughs from his mind. They were always there. So he averted his eyes from the mirror, but the next sight wasn't any better. He paused for a second like he often would, to admire his self-enduced scars, and even some fresh new wounds that were still red and raw. They were scattered all over his body, but he never bothered to cover or hide them because no one ever paid him enough attenion to notice, and even if they did, they never cared enough to do anything anyways.
It was going to be one of those days that the world was against him, Austin could tell. It was a sixth sense of his. It amused him, in a sick way, to think he developed a "bad-day-radar" after all the torturous days in his life, which was only because he was homosexual, but he can't help that. Plus, it was a Thursday. He hated Thurdays. Always has, always will.
As Austin got dressed, messed around with his hair, ate breakfast, and ran through everything else in his morning routine, he thought about how he had an essay he had to read aloud in Engish class today. "Wuthering Heighs" was studied, and now everyone was assigned to pick their favorite scene and write about why it was so effective, then it would be read aloud to the class without exception.
Although Ausin would never voice this, he rather enjoyed the story, and he also enjoyed writing the essay, but he was dreading with every fibre of his body to get up there and have it heard by all those eyes. Yes, he was shy, but it wasn't that he had a fear of speaking in front of large crouds, he just knew that by being Austin, any form of attention wa bad and he would end up paying for it, one way or another. Maybe if they all weren't such brain-dead baboons with so little respect for other and even ess respect for themselves, it wouldn't be as bad. Bu of course, if that was the case then Austin's life wouldn't be as bad, and that just wouldn't do, would it?
To Austin's displeasure, it was soon time for English. Too soon, especially for a Thursday, he thought to himself. Mr. Morey's beady rat eyes scanned the room for a victim. Austin sat in his assigned seat, not daring to even fidget in case it made noise and caused the favoritistic teacher to see him and call for him up to the front to read first. But considering his luck, Austin sneezed rather loudly out of nowhere, startling even himself.
"Ah, Mr. Monroe! Is that you volunteering, I hear? Well what are you waiting for? Get up there and let us hear what you have come up with." Mr. Morey ordered. Austin's heart dopped, the sound of his own name bitter to his ears.
Austin groaned and dragged himself up to the front of the eerie-quiet classroom. It's never been this silent, ever. Austin had to make himself breath quieter in fear that people would hear the sound of him living. Even my heatbeat is strangely loud, he thought. Or maybe thats just because I feel like the whole class is burning holes into me wih their eyes.
With sweaty hands and a shaky voice, Austin read his essay only to get about two percent of the class population unenthusiastically clap for him. He handed Mr. Morey his completed essay and found shelter back at his seat. Maybe going firt wasn't so bad. At least I got it done and over with.
After school, Austin gathered his necesiies fron his locker and was about to leave when he heard the all-too-familiar voice of the devil reincarnated, more formally known as Daniel Cane.
"Hey Monroe! Leaving so soon, Faggot? But I haven't even congratulated you properly on your essay in English." Daniel's voice boomed in the now-empty halls.
Austing froze in his tracks. He didn't turn around to face Daniel, he didn't move at all. There simply was no use in running, that would reward you with a harder beating. There was even less use in fighting back or uttering a word, that would make the abuse worse, too. Austin had a theory: he was born to loose every fight.
"Look at me you worthless coward!" Daniel hissed. Austin didn't need to see Daniel's face to know he was supporting an expression of pure venom.
Ausin didn' say anything, nor did he turn around like Daniel commanded. He wouldn't try to avoid the endless pain, bu he wasn't about to welcome it either.
Daniel pushed Austin to the ground afer a few seconds of stillness, and followed wih a hard kick. Another bruise to add to my collection, Austin thought.
"How's the view from down there, queer?" Daniel asked, then laughed when Austin answered with a pained groan.
Daniel didn't stop there. He continued sending unforgiving kicks Ausin's way, for some reason not getting the satisfaction he was yearning for. But that was alright, he had time and no audience to hold him back.
Much like Austin, Daniel was having a brutal day. He greeted his father that morning by showing him his perfect score on his math test but Dr. Cane hardly glanced his way, simply saying "Good job son. Keep it up." Everything just didn't go well after that, and now Austin is paying for it only because he was the first one Daniel spotted.
He's angry. Oh God, he's angry. Austin realised. The beatings were always the worst when Daniel had to feel better or get something off his chest.
Daniel kept spitting profanities and kicking Austin, earning some sickening cracks. He figured he'd get what he was coming for soon enough
When Daniel got enough, he spat on Ausin's lifeless body and walked away shamelessly, leaving Austin alone to ball up in a pool of blood and silent tears.
After a few minutes of just laying there, he decides what he will do. Tonight I am going to kill myself. My life sopped being worth living long ago, and I'm no longer afraid to rid of it.
As Austin was about to try getting up, he heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Holy sh- oh my God! Are you okay!" The voice asked wih panick, sounding genuinly concerned.
Austin turned his head to find a rather small, yet very handsome boy with messy, sandy-blond hair and the greenest eyes imaginable, running over to his rescue.
The boy fell to his knees and outstretched his hands to somehow aid or bring comfort to Austin, but instinctively, Austin winced and moved away from his touch.
The boy stopped and watched the dark-haired other with searching eyes. Noticing his frailty, he cautiously repeated, "Are you okay?" and when he didn't get a response, he added with a sweet smile, "What am I saying? Of course you're not okay. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Come on, lets go get you cleaned up, alright?"
Austin was clueless o how he should react to this guy. He has always been treated so badly ever since he "came out of the closet" about being gay, and he has been punished ever since, so the way he was being treated by this utter stranger was very unfamiliar to him. Was this friendlyness? Whatever it was, Austin decided he raher enjoyed it.
"I'm Kyler, by the way. Just thought you might like to know."
Austin smile a real smile, not a fake one he often forces on his face, but a real one that hasn't made it's home there for a long time, too long. No one has ever been so forwardly kind to him before. A glimmer of hope bubbled up inside of him.
"I- I'm Ausin. Nice to meet you, Kyler." Austin introduced himself, trying out Kyler's name, liking the way it so effortlessly rolled off his tongue as if he'd been using the name for years.
"Well come on then, Austin. It can't possible be that fun laying bleeding on the ground, unless you're into that sort of thing." Kyler spoke jokingly, then giggled. Austing laughed with him, the sound foreign to his ears.
Kyler got up and offered the other boy a hand to help him to his feet. Austin took his hand and got up to his feet slowly, considering his battered body.
Kyler studied the new friendly face, but saw something he wished wasn't there. Deep lacerations litered the skin of Austin's arms. He felt strange about the unfortunate discovery. He had only recently met Austin but he couldn't help but already feel protective of him and he felt sad that this was happening to his new found friend, not only the visible wounds, but the wounds that Kyler could see hidden in the other's misty-blue orbs.
Ausin caught Kyler staring at his arms, evidence of self-harm, and quickly pulled his hand away.
"It will get better, Austin," saying this, Kyler took Austin's hand back in his and looked into his eyes, making sure what he was saying reached Austin. "I promise you this. It will get better."
Austin nodded his head, Kyler's words sinking deep. Maybe I won't kill myself. Maybe it will get better. Heck, it's already looking up.