"C'mon, you're so damn slow!", Ashley said in a very annoyed tone.
"Are all depressed people slow?", Makayla snapped.
"God, you're just pulling us behind. Why'd we have to get stuck with an emo?", Emma complained.
"Sorry…", was all I could say.
I tried to walk faster but the pain was almost unbearable. I pulled through though.
We were on a field trip to the Smithsonian, and split into groups. Of course, I got stuck with the 'popular' girls, whom antagonized me constantly. Why me? I don't know. Sure, I was depressed, but I don't consider myself an 'emo' per say.
"Hurry up! We wanna see the Captain America exhibit!", Ashley said, all of them swooning at the hero's name.
I rolled my eyes at their hopeless sighs. I didn't hate Captain or anything, in fact, I'm fascinated by him, but more of the history, not just his looks.
"I doubt any of you even know what his shield is made of.", I muttered.
"Um, duh, it's titanium." Emma said confidently.
"Actually, it's made of vibranium.", I corrected.
"Same thing, it won't matter when I'm his wife.", she cooed.
"'When you're his wife'? Excuse you, but that's gonna be me!", Makayla spouted angrily.
They began to fight over the thought, as if they even had a chance. I walked past their cat-fight and went on to the exhibit. I took a moment to appreciate the large mural on the entrance wall before continuing on.
The facts were fascinating with various statistics and facts on the serum's effect on Steve Rogers. Two screens showed his before height and weight compared to the after. I looked behind me and saw the girls had followed and were still fighting. I glanced beyond them and saw another wall of information. I walked over to it for a better look.
"James Buchanan Barnes.", I read aloud.
To the left of the block of words was a picture of the man himself. He was attractive to say the least. It's a shame he died, he must have been a good companion to the captain. I got lost in reading the description over and over to absorb its knowledge.
A slap to the back of my head, snapped me out of it.
"I said, wake up, dumbass.", Ashley yelled, annoyed. "We gotta go, c'mon."
"I have a name you know."
"Hmm, let me think. I think the only name you need is dumbass.", she said sarcastically.
"It's Levi.", I said with an irk in my voice.
"Oh yeah, a boy name for a girl. Oh well, no boy is gonna like you anyway."
"Well, there was one, but he killed himself didn't he?", Emma said heartlessly. "Wasn't it Daniel?"
"His name...is Danon.", I said through gritted teeth.
"Don't you mean...was?", Makayla taunted.
"If you say one more word about him, I'll slit your throat.", I said, gripping her jacket in my fist.
She reached up and pulled down the wristbands on my arm, exposing the self harmed skin.
"Just like you do to your wrists?", she provoked.
I let her go and quickly covered my arms and walked back to where our buses were. Anger and embarrassment mixed in my stomach, making me feel sick. I didn't say another word to anyone in school.
I try to cover them up, but somehow people still see them. I don't want their pity. I honestly wish they were invisible sometimes.
My walk home was no less than strenuous. The pain in my legs made it that way. I pulled out my key and opened the apartment door. Dad wasn't home yet. I made some food for myself and headed upstairs to my room. I clicked on my small tv and ate my dinner while doing some homework. My ears stayed hooked to the news to be caught up on current events.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have some updates from last week's crisis.", a reporter stated.
I spun in my chair, knowing they were talking about the event with HYDRA. The reporter began reading off the number of civilian casualties and updates on whereabouts.
"However, there has been no sight of the one called 'the Winter Soldier', many presume he is dead, or is it that the legend lives on? Back to you in the studio."
My anxious body went limp again in unsatisfaction. I stood up with a groan and changed into some shorts and a t-shirt. Ugly bruises painted my legs in various colors. The night before, my dad was so drunk and angry he threw me against the stairs, giving me the bruises. Sadly, he gets drunk quite a lot.
I glanced over to my clock and saw that it was 9:30 pm. He would probably be home soon. I grabbed my empty plate and went downstairs to put it away. I heard the front door swing open and slam closed.
"Levi!", I heard a slurred voice shout. "C'mere!"
I peeked from around the corner.
"Yes sir?", I said quietly.
"'Mere."
He was ragged looking and was a mess of a man. A half-drunk bottle was gripped in his hand. I slowly made my way towards him, sure to keep my distance.
"What're the bruises from?", he managed to say, obviously forgetting that he caused them. "Did ya get beat up at school? Ya gotta be stronger, Levi.", he lectured.
"It wasn't from school, Dad."
"How then?"
"You threw me on the stairs last night, that's what caused them.", I said, looking at my feet.
"Liar! I don' remember any such thing! I bet you tell lies about me like that all day! You damned child!", he yelled. "Maybe I need to teach you a lesson!"
With his words, he threw his bottle at my shoulder. I tried to avoid it but I only managed to dodge most of it. The glass shattered on the side of my right shoulder, embedding some of it in the gash it had made. Smaller shards of the glass scratched around various parts of my body. The leftover alcohol seeped into my wounds and burned the raw flesh.
I rushed as fast as I could to my room and locked the door. I weakly propped my chair against the knob, just in case. I then hurried to my bathroom to treat the gash. I ran water on it to wash the wine away. Using my tweezers, I pulled pieces of glass out of it. I grabbed some gaus and medical tape and closed the wound to the best of my abilities.
This was the last straw. I couldn't live like this anymore. I emptied my backpack, except for my notebook and pencils, and began to pack. Where was I going? I didn't care, anywhere but here. I gathered some basic clothes, filled my water bottle, phone, charger, and my necklace that Danon gave me. That was all I needed. I climbed out of my window and hopped onto the fire escape. I closed the window, seeing the pocket knife of the dresser. I let out a sigh and looked away. I don't need it anymore. Creeping down the metal stairs, I tried to figure out where to go. A roof of some sort. Staying on the ground for the night might not be too smart.
I raced down the alley beside our apartment complex and down a few blocks. I made sure that my dad. nor anyone, was following me. My eyes traced the buildings around me, trying to find access to a roof. I noticed a ladder bolted into a brick wall of what looked like another apartment building. Walking up to it, I readied myself and jumped onto it and climbed weakly up. Soon enough, I made it to the top and prepped my sleeping area. I slipped on my big hoodie for warmth and used my backpack as a makeshift pillow. I laid on my left side to avoid irritating my gash. It wasn't comfortable, but it'll make do. My exhausted body accepted the rough bed and fell asleep fairly easily. The back of my mind worried for tomorrow, but I ignored the stressful thought. It also worried that a stranger may try to attack me. Now, that one was not so easily silenced.