OUR WAR. CHAPTER ONE
CLARE POV
I was walking up the stairs to my school, all of the memories from this morning fresh in my mind.
Smack.
Slap.
Punch.
Kick.
Push.
Pull.
Spit.
Plunge.
Yell.
And then doing it again.
"Clare, I think you should just go to the party with me! Your mom won't mind!" I sighed, yes, yes she would mind.
"Alli, how many times have I told you, I cannot go? I have a lot of stuff to do with my mom, and that's that."
"Fine, but I feel like you just don't want to go. Is, Clare! Watch out!" I was going to question what she had said, when I felt my shoulder push, hard into another, sending my books flying to the floor. My shoulder was in so much pain, but that wasn't due to the bumping it, it was due to the fact that it was bruised beyond normal, all purple and black.
"shit." I picked up my books, and the papers. I felt someone looking at me, I looked up expecting it to be Alli, but it wasn't, it was a boy. He looked quite attractive. He had blue eyes, and he wore plaid. His teeth were really white, and that's when I realized he was smiling at me. I smiled a little at him. He handed me a book, and I gladly accepted it.
"Hey, I'm Drew Torres." I nodded, and grabbed the book; I walked over to Alli, only to see that she was already by this Drew guy.
"So, you're new. Would you like to eat lunch with us? Oh! I'm Alli!" I rolled my eyes. I guess I would be sitting in the library today.
"Clare afterwards we can show Drew around!" I guess not.
"sure, why not?" she jumped all excited, at least she was happy.
"So you mind if I bring a couple people? My brother, and his friend?" she shook her head no, clearly I had no say in this.
My shoulder was still throbbing with pain, but I couldn't do anything about it. I was walking to my class, annoyed of today's lunch plans.
"Clare Edwards, please report to the principal's office." I sighed, what did Clark want?
"Hi sir." His jaw was tight, just like it was this morning.
"I just wanted to make sure you know that you have to come right home after school. Your mother and I have some things to discuss." I nodded.
"Yes sir." He moved his hand to my shoulder, and I mindlessly flinched from that act. He glared at me, and rested his hand on my shoulder, but squeezed really hard onto it, where it was bruised, and bumped.
He did these things to inflict pain, without people knowing it. I began to walk out of the office; my hands were shaking, so I folded my hands around my books, hoping it would help. It wouldn't.
I sat in class, trying to relax my hands, they wouldn't stop shaking, I was writing my paper, and the words were hard to write even one word. I was practically ignoring everything, until I heard my name being called.
"Clare, did you hear me?" I looked up to the teacher, Ms. Dawes.
"Sorry, no."
"Oh, well I said that you will be partnering with Ms. Middleton, and Mr. Goldsworthy." I swear my eye twitched. I have no idea, who this Goldsworthy person was, but Jenna? Why, God, why?
"Clare bears! We're partners!" I stayed quiet, and tried to steady my hands. Nothing was working. It didn't hurt; it just kept shaking, not violently, just a little, like a twitching.
"Clare, so what time should we go to your house?" I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but I had to stop it.
"You cannot come to my house Jenna." She rolled her eyes. I finally looked to the boy, it was mesmerizing.
He had brown hair, it went in bangs around his eyes, his eyes were this dark green color, that you could easily miss, but once you notice it, it's forever etched into your mind. His lips had a very cutting look to them. They were full, and curved, but not round. Very inviting. His jaw line was amazingly good, and I finally stopped looking, when I realized Jenna was talking again.
"So, your names Eli?" I rolled my eyes. She is so stupid.
"Yup." he said simply. I was mostly paying attention to my hand. I quickly got up, and asked Ms. Dawes if I could go to the bathroom, when she said yes, I grabbed my stuff, and rushed to the bathroom.
I sat in the stall, and shook violently, through out my whole body.
.
.
.
"Clare, get down here NOW!" I slowly made my way down stairs afraid of what would happen. Clark would beat me in front of my mom and she would say nothing. She was so depressed after her and my dad broke up, that she took a random man in with open arms.
"Yes, Sir." I said, once I was down the stairs.
He grabbed me by my hair, and shoved me onto my knees.
"You need serious punishment. I look in the fridge, and there's no milk. Why isn't there any milk Clare?" I gulped.
"I had the rest with my cereal sir." She took his hand, and back handed my cheek.
"How many times do I have to tell you, you don't need food, your fat enough as it is! Why do you eat so constantly!" I hung my head in shame, and that's when it started.
He kicked my stomach, and threw my to the floor by my hair, my shoulder rammed into the wooden table, and my back hit the legs. Next he punched and kicked more violently into my legs, and stomach, until I went numb.
.
.
.
I was so deep in thought I hardly heard the bell ring, but when I did, I knew it was time for lunch.
I walked into the lunch room, looking around, until I felt an arm grab my arm. It hurt, but I looked and saw it was Alli pulling me to a table.
We sat down, and I pulled out a book, to distract myself, from the people eating. My hands were still a little shaky, probably due to my lack of food, but I ignored it. I heard chairs on this table being dragged out, so it must be the people that Alli invited over to our table. I heard words, and sounds but I ignored it, until my book was pulled out of my hands. Instinctively I flinched.
"Clare, why can't you just talk to people? You've been acting weird all year, and frankly it's getting old." She whispered loudly in my ear. I scoffed, grabbed my book, and went to the library. I sat in the back of the library, hiding behind books, tears weren't coming down, because I have an emotional block it seems.
I was reading my book, when I felt someone watching me. Great,
"Jenna what do you want?" I asked harshly.
"I just want to know if you know that Eli kids number." I shook my head.
"I don't even know him; if you want his number ask him yourself." I harshly got up, and walked away, knowing the bell was about to ring.
I was walking when I ran into someone yet again, only this time I felt a scorching pain, in my shoulder. I felt my cut was ripped open, and my sweater was pulled down a little revealing my large black bruise, I quickly yanked it up. I then saw my white cardigan, began to stain red.
"Are you okay?" I looked up to see the green eyed boy, named Eli.
"Yea, I'm fine." I pulled out my cell phone, and ran to the front of the school, and sat at a bench.
"Mom, I need you to pick me up!"
"Why is that Clare?" she asked sharply.
"People will find out, we don't want that do we?"
"Um, I will be there in a minute. Clark will be disappointed that you let this happen." I shuddered at the thought of what might happen,
"Shit, Clare just walk home, my car is gone, Clark took it again." I sighed.
"Okay mom, I'll see you in a bit." My voice broke at the end.
This would be the first time I cried, knowing my own mom, didn't even realize how much I was hurting.
I began to get up, hoping no one would notice me, and I was walking down the road to my house, when suddenly my leg gave out.
I sat on the grass, of this abandoned street, waiting for Gods smites to stop already.
Does God really care enough, to just put a little bit of happiness in my life?
"Hey, need a ride?"