Chapter 4 - Secrets
How could he do something like that? Why did he do it? I don't understand.
He seemed like a good guy. I'm not going to tell anyone. Nobody needs to
know.
The next day at school, Lynn could tell something was wrong. She asked me a few times what was the matter. The only thing I could tell her was that I got into an argument with my parents, which was true to an extent. There were so many times when I just wanted to tell her, just to get it off my chest. But in the end, all I could do was keep quiet. Val didn't seem to notice anything was different. Maybe she was too consumed in all her other friends to notice, but I wasn't feeling social, so I just stood back. I went through the day in a kind of haze, as if watching myself from above. Amazingly, I finished all my homework before three o' clock that afternoon, and was stressed when I had nothing to hide behind. To save myself troubles, I went to my locker to drop my bag off so I wouldn't need to carry it home. As I twisted the combination and opened the door, I looked down the hallway to see Owen approaching me. He seemed really angry, making me extremely nervous. Don't you tell anyone about last night, or I'll kill you," he mumbled as he passed. This brought tears to my eyes. I covered my mouth, as if this would hold back my sobs, and I went to the girls' bathroom and cried. A few minutes later, I forced myself to pull it together. I unlatched the door and came out of the stall, chancing a look in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and my nose was pink. I looked like total hell. I walked to the entrance of the high school, waiting for my bus to arrive. Lynn came up to me and gave me a much needed hug. She looked me in the eye and told me, "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm here for you. Just give me a ring and I'll be there." She smiled comfortingly. I nodded and returned her smile. "Thanks," I replied. At home, I engrossed myself in chores. It was something to take my mind off of the situation. I cleaned the dishes that were piled high in the sink, vacuumed the living room and the dining room, able to tell the carpet was a light beige color afterwards, and I swept the kitchen, no longer feeling the gritty dirt and grime underneath my bare feet. After I finished making the house look extraordinarily presentable, I went to my room and shut the door. Turning on some classical and relaxing music, I sat on my bed, curled up beneath the worn comforter and read a book, one of my favorites, Sweep by Cate Tiernan. Around nine-thirty, I got up and went down the hallway, stopping at the closet that held towels, grabbing a fluffy purple one. As I was taking a shower, I scrubbed my hair and body hard, as if this could wash away more than just dirt--all of my problems. Keeping to myself all afternoon felt nice. Wrapped in my bath towel, I went into my room where I dressed into my plaid pants and a large t-shirt. I turned out the light and lay down gently, my back hurting and bruised from the night before. As my head hit the pillow, I was instantly hit by sleep.
The next day at school, Lynn could tell something was wrong. She asked me a few times what was the matter. The only thing I could tell her was that I got into an argument with my parents, which was true to an extent. There were so many times when I just wanted to tell her, just to get it off my chest. But in the end, all I could do was keep quiet. Val didn't seem to notice anything was different. Maybe she was too consumed in all her other friends to notice, but I wasn't feeling social, so I just stood back. I went through the day in a kind of haze, as if watching myself from above. Amazingly, I finished all my homework before three o' clock that afternoon, and was stressed when I had nothing to hide behind. To save myself troubles, I went to my locker to drop my bag off so I wouldn't need to carry it home. As I twisted the combination and opened the door, I looked down the hallway to see Owen approaching me. He seemed really angry, making me extremely nervous. Don't you tell anyone about last night, or I'll kill you," he mumbled as he passed. This brought tears to my eyes. I covered my mouth, as if this would hold back my sobs, and I went to the girls' bathroom and cried. A few minutes later, I forced myself to pull it together. I unlatched the door and came out of the stall, chancing a look in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and my nose was pink. I looked like total hell. I walked to the entrance of the high school, waiting for my bus to arrive. Lynn came up to me and gave me a much needed hug. She looked me in the eye and told me, "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm here for you. Just give me a ring and I'll be there." She smiled comfortingly. I nodded and returned her smile. "Thanks," I replied. At home, I engrossed myself in chores. It was something to take my mind off of the situation. I cleaned the dishes that were piled high in the sink, vacuumed the living room and the dining room, able to tell the carpet was a light beige color afterwards, and I swept the kitchen, no longer feeling the gritty dirt and grime underneath my bare feet. After I finished making the house look extraordinarily presentable, I went to my room and shut the door. Turning on some classical and relaxing music, I sat on my bed, curled up beneath the worn comforter and read a book, one of my favorites, Sweep by Cate Tiernan. Around nine-thirty, I got up and went down the hallway, stopping at the closet that held towels, grabbing a fluffy purple one. As I was taking a shower, I scrubbed my hair and body hard, as if this could wash away more than just dirt--all of my problems. Keeping to myself all afternoon felt nice. Wrapped in my bath towel, I went into my room where I dressed into my plaid pants and a large t-shirt. I turned out the light and lay down gently, my back hurting and bruised from the night before. As my head hit the pillow, I was instantly hit by sleep.