Ok, now this is kinda depressing, but this stuff kinda almost happened to me. So I'm really expresional about it. I also wrote this for English so that's why violence is kept at a minimal.
Gabriel walked off the bus and up to her friend Lena. She looked around suspiciously, checking around to make sure nobody was watching her. Gabriel was afraid to go to school lately, not because of the academics, but because of what people were saying behind her back.
"What's up Queen Gloom?" Lena asked looking at Gabriel's choice of clothing.
"Nothing, and I'm not gloomy. I'm just wearing a black sweater, jeans and converse." Lena kinda giggled.
"Yeah, I know." Gabriel playfully shoved her friend, her orange hair sweeping against her shoulder.
"Whatever, I'm going to class. I don't feel like standing here while you criticize me."
Gabriel began to walk to the east wing of the building when she realized that second semester stared the day before, meaning that she now had Art instead of Creative Writing. She stopped, turned around and headed up the blue, metal stairs to the Arts Department.
I sat in my seat, delicately drawing the fake apple in front of me as music blared in my ears. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I jumped, scrapping the pencil across the page. The person who had tapped me was the dark-haired girl sitting next to me, Bandit. She never never really talked to anyone, so it came as a surprise when I realized she wanted to speak to me.
"Your music doesn't sound very joyful." She said pointing to my iPod.
"Well it isn't supposed to be. Wait, you can hear it?" She nodded.
"It's pretty loud, plus it's kinda quiet in here." We were a fairly small class, only having about seven or eight people, I understood why it was usually silent.
"So why are you listening to such sad music?" I looked down, ashamed that someone had realized that I was unhappy.
"Because I don't have much to be happy about." She then turned to her left and pulled her phone out of her backpack.
"Here, listen to some of my music, it might cheer you up." Bandit explained. I returned to my work, uninterested in what she had to show me.
"No thanks, I'll just stick to mine."
"Fine, but I just wanted to help." I just ignored her and over the course of a few weeks, she completely ignored me right back.
Soon, I started to realize just how sad I really was. Lena began to ignore me as well, always avoiding me in the hallways and not replying to any of my texts or calls. I was lonely and didn't have anybody else that I could really call "friend". I've heard or teenagers who hurt themselves to feel better. I tried it once, but I couldn't go through with it. I was afraid. "Coward!" I whispered to myself at lunch. I sat alone again and decided that I would try to draw the kids at the table in front of me. Just to challenge myself. Just as I was about to shade in a blonde girl's hair, two muscular guys, one teller than the other, came up to me. The taller one throwing my lunch bag and sketchbook onto the floor.
"You creep! Your drawing people you don't even know!" The tallest said, a devilish smile on his face.
"And your alone! Because nobody likes you." The short one said as I tried to pick up my book. I was half bent over when one of them decided to tip my chair, forcing me to fumble to the ground head first. I could feel warm tears on my probably red cheeks. "I bet she even cuts herself!" The tall one accused.
"I- I don't!" I screamed , still struck with fear and embarrassment.
"Then show us your arms! Oh, Come on! If you don't cut, you have nothing to hide right?" Shorty said confidently. I didn't show them, my cat had recently attacked my arm and covered them in scratches. "I knew it. You do, and it's not right. Not normal." Shorty continued.
"Well I'm not normal." I said as anger filled my weakened heart.
"Yeah, we know. You're just a freak. Why don't you just kill yourself and do us all a favor?" The taller of the two said as they walked away laughing, leaving me to sit there to drown in my own tears. I didn't move for a minute or so, still shocked at what happened. Then I realized that nobody had noticed my harassment. Nobody saw the upset and scared girl sitting on the floor. Those thugs hadn't done or said those things to me to get attention. They really hated me that much. As I picked up my belongings, I decided that they were right, the world would be better off with out me in it. After school I went straight home, grabbed a rope from the shed in our backyard and headed to my room.
Gabriel dropped her backpack on the bed as she kicked the door shut behind her. She walked to her closet and hung one end of the rope on a stray nail just above the door frame. Standing on a chair, she then tied a noose and slipped her head through the knot. She took three deep breaths.
"One...Two...Thr-." She was just about to jump off the chair to her fate when her younger sister Michelle walked in looking down at a piece of graph paper.
"Hey Gaby? Oh my god!" Michelle ran over to Gabriel and held her legs so she couldn't jump. "Don't do it Gaby! I love you! Don't do it!" Gabriel pulled her head out of the rope, hugged her sister and then threw the rope away.
Even though her sister saved her from a disappointing death, Gabriel was still extremely depressed, and needed a different approach to be rid of it for good.
I trudged into Art and remembered Bandit trying to make me happier. It wasn't much, but if there was hope of me getting out of this, I was willing to take anything I could get.
I tapped on her shoulder, "Hey Bandit? I was just wondering what you wanted me to listen to that would make me feel more cheerful?" Smiling, she handed me her phone.
"Listen to any My Chemical Romance song. It'll help. I promise." I took her phone and sat in my seat. I had decided to listen to 'Early Sunsets Over Monroeville'. Before I pressed play, Bandit told me to focus on the lyrics and to connect them to how I felt. I hit play and was lost in a daze.
"Up and down escalators, pennies and colder fountains.
Elevators and half price sales, trapped in by all these mountains.
But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
But would anything matter if you're already dead?
And well should I be shocked now by the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained.
And there's no room in this hell,
There's no room in the next,
And our memories defeat us,
And I'll end this direst.
But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
But does anyone notice there's a corpse in this bed?"
I paused it before the next song played. I was crying again. Bandit looked at me concerned. "Are you alright?" I nodded, pulled the earphones out of my ears and placed her phone on the desk. Then I hugged her, thanking her through my tears. "Gabriel? Um, your welcome." I let go of her and asked if I could continue listening to them throughout class. She agreed and I listened blissfully through Art.
The music spoke to me. It was as if these musicians knew exactly how I felt and how to make me feel better. After I got home, I looked the band up and they have four albums out, all of them have a personal theme. The first, is about how life is difficult and how frustrating lonesomeness can be. The second, is about not really caring about what others think and that violence is never the answer. The third album is about greeting any deaths or tragedy that may come. The fourth, and most recent album, is about taking the depression and turning it into a colorful work of art that can easily make you smile. It was like the story of my life, but a story I hadn't read the end of.
Later that night I went to the store bought all for albums. Then I listened to each song in order. By the time I had finished the last song on the last album, I was smiling. Something I haven't some in months. Then I replayed the song called 'Planetary (Go!)' and began to dance. Another old friend, long since forgotten. I fell asleep that night with bright thoughts of what lay ahead of me.
In Art the next day I hugged and thanked Bandit again for showing me this amazing band. "I tried to get you to listen to them before, but you refused!" We laughed, and it felt good to be able to laugh again. When school let out, I found Lena and asked if she wanted to spend the weekend at my house.
"Are you out of your gloom?" She asked hesitantly.
"I am." I nodded and pointed to my mouth, smiling. "See?"
"Ha ha, okay. I'll see you Friday." I was so excited and happy. I had my best friend and a new friend now.
Gabriel waled off the bus, but didn't go home. There was a nature trail just down the road where she could walk and think. As she walked further and further from her house, she couldn't help but think to herself "My life is beautiful. Life is gorgeous. I don't understand why I didn't see that before." After about a half hour of walking, she laid down in the grass and watched the clouds. Putting on some of the music that saved her life.