Ninth period gym was always a nice thing. You could take your time changing out of your gym clothes, touch up your make-up, and brush your hair without having to worry about being late to a class. However on Tuesdays, I had to watch the clock. That was the day I had my piano lessons promptly at two forty-five. Changing back into my gym clothes was always a touchy thing. I had to be real careful to keep the cuts, burns, and bruises on my left arm covered. I always carefully and quickly removed my gloves or my long sleeved shirt. I quickly put my tank top on and then my sweatshirt. I must do a real good job at that because no one has ever noticed. Actually screw that, people probably did notice. Almost everyone talked behind my back saying that I wore the gloves because I was cutting. All the girls probably did notice and just didn't care. The rumors were sort of true, except that I would wear the gloves even if I wasn't engaging in self-harm. Plus I knew most of the girls looked at me with jealousy even if they thought how I dressed was "emo." I was stick thin and they all envied it. I only consumed five-hundred calories a day and my gym class wasn't just any old gym class, it was an intense fitness class for people who wanted to become more physically fit. I was beautiful and they all knew it no matter how many rumors were spread.
Only a few people ever expressed true concern for me, five people to be exact. The Cullen family or well the kids at least. I had never met their parents but I had heard of their father Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He was a surgeon at the local hospital and from what I had heard a top notch physician. As nice as they were it made them the type of people I tried not to be involved with solely because if they stopped believing my lies they would surely tell their father. However my involvement with them was inevitable. Jasper Cullen was in my AP U.S. History class with me. Rosalie Cullen was in my Sign Language class. Emmett Cullen was in my English class. Both Alice and Jasper were in my studio art class. Edward Cullen despite being very close to my age was my piano teacher. Edward was a great teacher and he thought I was his best piano student. Alice was always very nice to me and was of few people who loved the way I dressed. She was an incredible artist and I liked her a lot.
I checked the clock before applying my lip gloss. It was two -twenty. I applied the gloss over my black lips to give them a shine and left the locker room. I headed toward my locker to get my piano music. When I got to my locker Alice was waiting for me there. "Oh. My. God! Jasper wasn't kidding. What the hell did you do to your hair Grace?!" She said. "I cut it and dyed it flaming red. How come you weren't in art today?" I asked "Field trip. I really loved your hair the way it was but, I like it this way too just not as much." She said. I smiled. "Thanks Alice." I took my binder out of my locker. It was huge and filled with piano music. It was also decorated with photos of my favorite bands. "When your finished with piano I can take you back to our place. I know you and Jazz have a project to work on." She said. I nodded. "That would be great. Thanks Alice. I better get going. I'm supposed be meeting Edward in five minutes. See you guys later." I turned and walked away.
I met Edward in the band room. " Hi Grace. I like your hair. I bet Alice had a thing or two to say about it." He said. "Hey Edward. Thanks. I think she's a little upset but she said that she likes it. I'm so sorry I had to put lessons off. I'm having a lot family crap going on." I said apologetically. "Don't worry about it things happen. I'm sure you moved on anyway and made a lot of progress. I hope you and your family are okay." He said. "Thanks Edward and things are as good as there going to get for now." I said. I moved to place my binder on the piano and I suddenly felt a cold touch on my left arm. A place on my left arm that should have been covered by my gloves. This pair was a little big and I guess the left one had fallen down without me noticing. I looked at my arm to find that Edward's hand was grabbing it from underneath. My heart began to race and a rush of anxiety flew through me. I looked into his golden eyes. "You're not okay at all. Grace, you need to get help." He said. My breathing became heavy. "Edward, I don't need help. Really I'm fine. You can't tell anyone. You have to keep this a secret." I said. "Grace, you're in a lot of pain right now I know. Which is why I have to tell someone. I don't think that your a freak or that your crazy but this is very serious." He said still looking me in the eyes. "I can get better on my own. I really can. I'm just having a hard time right now."
I was on the brink of tears. "Grace, do you have anything after school Thursday?" Edward asked. I shook my head. "Okay then let's reschedule to Thursday. I know that this isn't what you want right now but I'm going to take you to the hospital. Not tothe psych ward or any thing like that. I'll take you to see my Father only so he can look at the wounds. They could be infected and clearly need to be dressed properly. I'll make sure that you don't wind up talking to a counselor or on suicide watch. Now, that this has come out, we can help you and bring you healing. Right now I need you to come with me. Do you understand?" I nodded tears streaming down my face. I knew Edward meant well but I really did not want to go. I was so afraid.