Heather sat, waiting.
The clock ticked.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock
Her mind was on her.
She stole everything from Heather. Everything. Her brother, her father. Even her mother was becoming obsessed with her. Everything had to be about her.
Cause she was pretty, she was nice, she was funny and smart and witty and clever and sneaky and popular and everyone knew her for being everything.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock
She was out with Casey. Heather's mother was out trying to find them, so it was just Heather, alone. Pacing.
Up and down and up and down and up and down
Tick tock tick tock tick tock TICK TOCK
How had this happened? She never had to endure the fights, the screams of when they fought. The things thrown and broken and scattered and embedded in your arm for days until they noticed the broken pieces of shattered glass and the blood and bandaged it and cleaned it and promised that things would be better from now on only to have them break things again and again and again…
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
Up and down and up and down and up and down…
Even then it was her fault, even then they knew she would come, so they prepared by fighting, leaving the way open for her.
They left, her father took Casey and Heather stayed with her mother.
Heather shook her head, trying to shake the memories from her head. She sat down, trying to focus on things other than her.
Up down up down up down up down…
TICK TOCK
Other than her. Family. Family had problems. Problems were caused by-
No. Friends. Monet. Tennille. Tennille had left because of her. Monet had left Heather, afraid of-
No! School. School was bad. Grades were spiraling down because all Heather could think about was-
NO! Looks. Heather's looks had always set her apart. Lately, they had been failing. When she lost the most unique style award, Heather had stopped eating and had been desperately trying to look better, trying to gain the attention lost, trying to outdo-
NO! Social life. Everyone thought she was a freak because she was obsessed in foiling-obsessed in foiling-
OBSESSED IN FOILING HER!
Heather slammed her fists into the ground. Her thoughts whispered.
her, obsessed, always inferior, always worse, obsessed…
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
always lesser, never winning, her, obsessed, never better, obsessed, always losing, OBSESSED…
UPDOWNUPDOWNUPDOWNUPDOWN!
Heather began to cry, trying to sort her thoughts, which flew around her head, always evading her-
always better
Evading her grasping arms like the shattered glass, embedded
always worse, drove him away, drove them away, obsessed
They had left, unable to stand being around Heather. They had left her alone with her mother. NO! They had fought.
With her!
NO!
The thoughts swirled around Heather's mind.
She couldn't think, everything was awful because of HER!
!
Her mind sailed with the clock, spiraling out of her control. She couldn't think straight. The room wasn't right, it was tipping. It was too big, too small…
Never good enough, her, always inferior, obsessed, obsessed, her, obsessed with HER…
Heather needed it to stop.
UPDOWNUPDOWNUPDOWN
It needed to go away!
TICKTOCKTICKTOCKTICKTOCK
She needed her to leave.
UPDOWNUPDOWNUPDOWN!
DOWN!
DOWN
DOWN
Down
down…
.
Heather blinked. The room loomed above her. She lay on the ground.
As Heather slowly picked herself up, her mind was no longer crowded, the thoughts fighting to make sense.
No.
She now had only one thought.
Sammy.
Sammy had ruined her life.
Sammy had caused her pain.
Heather grabbed a knife out of the kitchen and headed for the rainy night.
Sammy would have to go.