A/N: Sorry about the wait. I've been so busy recently. I promise I'll be quicker with the upcoming chapters. Thanks for the reviews. Shout out to BerryEbilBunny, wen wen, Joanjett77, and KCRedPanda98. Without further ado…
Chapter 4
-Forgotten-
I had forgotten what it was like to fly. It didn't even feel like I was walking anymore. I felt like I was underwater with a weight tied to my ankle and no matter how much I flailed and moved my arms and legs I kept sinking farther down.
By the end of the year I told Rachel what Andy Evans did. At first she couldn't believe it. She thought I was a pathologic liar, a psycho. But to be honest, I didn't care. I had finally spoken. People could believe me or not, but I finally had a weight lifted off my chest.
I got an A in art. I consider Mr. Freeman one of my closest friends. His class tough me a lot of things. To believe in myself again. To love myself enough to speak up for myself.
I can't get my head around the fact they're going to fire him. What kind of crap is that? He gave me his phone number and address. I'll definitely keep in touch. How can you forget the only person who treated you like a human being? He was so decent and kind.
When I showed him the janitor's closet full of my tree drawings, seeing his expression of appreciation, of pride. That was the first day I felt happy.
I had felt numb all year and for the first time I felt warm and alive.
It didn't matter when Andy attacked me in that closet and cut open my face. I had the tools to fight back. I wasn't going to let anything scare me ever again. I grabbed a container full of acid and burned his eyes with it.
People ran over in shock.
And something I thought would never happen happened. People believed me. They didn't hate me. They felt for me. That day, I finally felt free. One step closer to the person I used to be.
A year later and I was okay again. Rachel and the rest of my old friends have started to talk to me. They apologized to me for the way they treated me. They got me a card and signed it.
We plan to hang out.
But I think the truest friend I have is Dave Petrakis.
Dave is kind of nerdy, the laid back smart type. And he seems to be free from the judgment everyone has for others. He's not tied to social limitations like everyone else. He thinks what he wants to and does what he wants to and I respect him for that.
I'm sitting in my room and I hear a tapping at my window. I go over and Dave is standing in my front yard with some pebbles in his hand.
I shake my head with a smile and open it, sticking my head out.
"Dude, you are crazy." I yell down to him.
He smiles.
"So are you, Sordino!"
I laugh. "Yeah, I am. And proud!"
"Wanna come over my house for a bit? I'm ordering pizza and watching some movies with friends."
I hesitate. But then I answer. I have to learn to trust people again. Dave is not the kind of monster Andy was. "Yeah. Give me a minute."
His dark hazel eyes catch the afternoon sun. "Okay."
I had always had dreams I could fly. And now they didn't seem to be dreams anymore.
