It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt. "HEY! You stupid, ugly bitch. I'm talking to you!" "Yeah, fucktard, stop walking away and get your sorry ass back here!" Maria repeated the mantra over and over again as she continued to walk quickly down the hall. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't... "I SAID STOP!" She flinched away when a hand yanked her back and ripped hair from her scalp. "Dumb bitch, don't act snooty, when I say stop you better fucking STOP." With an aggressive shove, she was thrown to the floor. Don't make a sound, she whispered in her head, they don't deserve the satisfaction. "You are so stupid, God, wearing those goth ass clothes and being as fat as you are. Loser. Nobody likes you. Why are you still alive?" Don't say anything. If you get into another fight then you'll be expelled. Again. And then mom will be disappointed. Again. If I don't say anything, they'll stop. Eventually.
They never have. Maria had been bullied every day of her Junior and ongoing Senior high school career. It was usually girls, but every once in a while, several boys thought it was funny to torment her as well. Just like today. "What? Are you mute now to? Disgusting. You shouldn't even exist. So UGLY." Don't cry. Don't start a fight. You're better than that. You're better than THEM. "Well, if you're trying to make yourself ugly, we'll help you." BAM! And then the hits fell. And the kicks, and the spitting, and the laughter. It never stopped. Maria rolled onto her stomach and curled into a ball, using her arms to shield her head from the onslaught of blows. Don't hit back. They'll blame it on you. Just like last time. And the principle will believe them. Just like last time.
"Stupid cunt. Don't even bother to get up, let one of the janitors find your sorry ass and take you to the nurse!" They boys laughed again and sauntered away, deciding it was high time they returned to their after school sports practice. Maria gasped and rolled onto her back, trying to get the air back into her aching lungs. Well isn't this a great way to finish up her last day of school before summer? She thought. As she sat up, she felt blood rush down her face and cupped her hand under her nose to stop it from dripping down her front even more than it already had. Grabbing her bag off the floor, she staggered to the nearest girl's bathroom and locked the main door. She dropped her bag to the floor and slowly turned to look in the mirror.
And immediately wished that she hadn't. Her eye was swollen, an indication of a horrible black eye that would make itself visible in the days to come. Her gushing nosebleed was slowing to a slow trickle but the blood had stained most of her face, oversized hoodie, and Asking Alexandria t-shirt plus the top part of her baggy pants. Her lip was split and her body felt beaten. There would be bruises, she was sure of that. Damn it all. Why can't I just stand up for myself? She sighed and went to work on the blood, making sure to remove as much as possible before she went home. She didn't want to be questioned by anyone, not even her mother who had just made it back from a modeling job in France.
That's right, the daughter of a million dollar, recently divorced model with Costa Rican roots was bullied. Why was that? Well, Maria had decided that she should just keep it a secret that her family had money. She didn't need fake friends. Or any friends apparently. It's not like she was that weird. Okay, yeah, she liked dark, oversized clothes. Big deal. It's not like she was depressed or anything, she'd never even thought about cutting herself. So what if she liked metal and rock music. It made her think and enjoy herself. And, alright, maybe Maria was a little hefty at nearly 200 pounds but she wasn't that fat. Candy and bread were just too good to give up. She'd tried.
Maria sighed again and glanced back to the mirror. She leaned forward and looked past the bruises and cuts. Past the baby fat and the black messy hair. And looked into the brilliant hazel eyes that shone with jungle green and glimmering gold. Her mother's eyes. She tried to smile. It's there. I could be pretty if I really wanted to. I could be beautiful. Ha, Those guys would be shocked at what I would look like. If only I had the dedication to actually try... She finished washing up, feeling a little disappointed with herself. When she was done, she bent to collect her things and walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it to step out into the hallway- only to immediately have the door shoved back into her, knocking her onto the floor for the second time that day.
"Ouch!" she grumbled out loud as she dragged herself onto her feet again. Maria felt a slight irritation in her chest as she turned to look at the guy who had knocked her over. Whoever it was, she was really not in the mood to deal with them right now. She found herself staring into deep purple eyes which were only slightly visible from underneath a low riding pair of black sunglasses. His face was framed by a head of long, dirty blond hair tied back into a pony tail. There was an awkward looking long curl loose from the rest of his hair. His back was loaded with what Maria thought was hockey gear as she could see a hockey stick sticking up from above his shoulder. Several moments of awkward silence later, Maria decided she should speak first. "I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention when I opened-" The blond male turned and started walking away from her. Now Maria was very irritated. "Excuse me?! Sir, I was talking!" The male blatantly ignored her as he continued on his way down the hallway. The nerve. Maria couldn't help herself at the next words that came out of her mouth. "HEY! Didn't your father ever tell you that it's rude to walk away from a women when she's speaking to you!?" He froze. Very carefully he turned back towards Maria and made his way in her direction with a dark look on his face. Apparently she'd struck a nerve. Good. He stopped in front of her and tilted his head to the side. "What did you just say to me, eh?" He had a very quiet yet firm note to his voice, like he didn't really believe that someone would have the nerve to talk back to him. Maria felt her back straighten ever so slightly. "Did you not hear me or did you not understand what I said?" His eyebrow raised and his lip quirked. "I don't have a father." Maria felt the atmosphere get a little colder. Tough shit. "Well neither do I but you don't see me using that as an excuse to act like a prick." What the..? Where did this come from? How is it I feel the need to hide in a corner in front of pathetic losers who have nothing better to do than bully someone who has never done anything to them, but have the balls to stand up to a guy who looks like he could beat the shit out of me for looking at him the wrong way? A dull feeling in the back of her brain gave her an answer. Because he means something. He's not worthless like the others. Leave an IMPRESSION.
The guys eyes lit with a flashing spark. Brilliant but gone in a second. He smirked ever so slightly and started to turn away again. "Geez girls like you are so..." He didn't finish. "So what?" Maria demanded. He continued to walk away. "SO WHAT?!" she screamed after him. He stopped halfway down the hallway and muttered something unintelligible. "Okay, LOOK buster, either you get your sorry ass back here and talk to me or I will come down to you and DRAG you back here!" He whipped around and stormed his way back to Maria and planted himself firmly in front of her. He sized her up, evaluating her from top to bottom. Finally he asked, "Don't you ever get tired of people hurting you?" She froze. Okaaayyyy... Not what I was expecting... He continued "You really think teachers and 'the nice kids' don't notice. That's a load of bullshit. They notice because I notice, and trust me, I take great care in not noticing shit 'cept for Hockey." Maria's eyes narrowed and her head tilted slightly to the left. "Where are you going with this?" she asked suspiciously. He hesitated before continuing.
"If I told you I could help you, If I told you I knew someone you could pay to help you become the person you obviously want to be, what would you say?" The lies came to her immediately. "I don't have the money." His response was just as fast. "Don't give me that shit, I know who you're mom is. I've seen her pictures." Maria's eyebrows raised. "You've seen my mom?" Maria swore to God he blushed but knew he'd never admit it. "Yeah... but that's beside the point. What would you say if I told you I had her number right now? That I could call and make an appointment for you with her tomorrow right after my hockey practice?" Now it was Maria's turn to hesitate. Well... she did want to prove everyone wrong... but was that a good enough reason? Shouldn't you want to be beautiful for you? She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She had always wanted to be pretty, but instead of aiming to keep herself on track, she had fallen out of faith the first time someone had called her fat. Instead of exercising, she sat on her bed and thought to herself. What if they're right? Her eyes opened. Never again. She was going to do this for herself this time.
Quietly she looked at his face and asked, "Why would you do this for me?" He avoided Maria's gaze and answered her question by not answering her question while running his hand through his loose hair. "I have my reasons. So, I'll call for you after Hockey then, alright? Give me your number and I'll have her secretary call you to give you your appointment time." Maria nodded and smiled after snatching a pen out of her bag and writing her cell number on the back of his offered hand. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall in the hallway and swore. "I'm late for practice, bye Maria." She froze but quickly called after him as he jogged away. "Wait, how do you know my name?" "I just do!" he threw over his shoulder. "Then what's your name?!" she cried as he flung open the school doors and stepped into the bright daylight. His head turned slightly but he never stopped moving forward as they made eye contact. His lips curved into a tiny smile. "Matt." And then the doors shut.
*Writer's note- Whoot! Whoot! Second ever fanfic story done (and I'm very happy that I have decided to make this one part of a series). I don't know exactly when I'll be writing new chapters for this one but I'll work on it whenever I have time to do so. I hope you enjoyed it (personally I had to fangirl squeal at the end but that's just me being corny:) Thank you so much for reading my work, please feel free to let me know if you like it and leave comments/critique or whatever floats your boat. Peace~Berries and Beans