Two chapters in one day! I'm proud of myself. I had all my inspiration on this story and not my other one, I'm sorry. I'll update My Torturer, Back Again in the next two days.
Anyways, here you go!
"Angel, wake up," I said almost silently, shaking her shoulder.
I was proud when she immediately awoke, already alert.
"School," I told her, handing her a purple long sleeved shirt and a pair of black sweatpants.
She nodded and slipped on the one pair of shoes she owned.
For a second, I just looked at Angel. Her pale skin, her blue eyes that could practically read your mind, her blonde ringlets that floated around her head like a halo. She was so innocent, why does she have to go through this?
After that, I got dressed.
A black long sleeved shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, and my sneakers. I pulled on a hoodie over that.
Then I went to the mirror. I quickly applied concealer to hide the bruises on my face and neck. I found myself just staring at my tan skin, my brown hair with the blonde streaks, my brown eyes.
Then I snapped out of it and called Angel over, to make sure she didn't have any noticeable bruises or cuts or scars.
After that was done, we snuck as quietly as we could to the front door.
Because I was feeling brave today, I snagged two pieces of bread for Angel and I.
Then we walked to school.
About half way there Angel asked, "Could you sing to me, Maxie?"
I looked at her and nodded, taking her hand.
Innocent by Taylor Swift
I guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your warpath
Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind tryin' to get it back
Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything
And everybody believed in you?
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been.
You're still an innocent,
You're still an innocent.
Did some things you can't speak of
But at night you live it all again
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now
If only you would seen what you know now then
Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?
When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you
Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep
Before the monsters caught up to you?
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
10, and still growin' up now
Who you are is not what you did.
You're still an innocent.
Time turns flames to embers
You'll have new Septembers
Every one of us has messed up too
Lives change like the weather
I hope you remember
Today is never too late to be brand new
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent.
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
10, and still growin' up now
Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent.
You're still an innocent.
Lost your balance on a tightrope.
It's never too late to get it back.
I finished right as we got to the school, and I realized that we were being followed the entire time by Nick 'Fang' Martinez.
Let me state that I don't like him. In fact, I hate him.
He tags along with the crowd that bullies me, but always hangs by the edge of the crowd.
I glared at him then sent Angel to the elementary school.
I ignored him as he stared at me, with what seemed to be recognition on his face.
When I glared he looked away, then walked to the popular crowd.
I shook my head and walked to my first class, but as always, I was stopped.
The popular crowd consisted of Brigid and Lissa Morgans, Dylan Gunther-Haggen, Sam Fields, Fang, and Omega and Maya Flies.
They cornered me as usual, but instead of just going along with it, I asked, "Could you please move? You're in my way." As I pushed past Brigid.
She gasped dramatically, then said, "Emo girl! We're not done with you!"
I stopped and turned so I was facing them.
"I'm not emo, Brigid. I like the color black. So does Fang, but do you call him emo?"
"Fang isn't emo! He is hot!" She sneered at me. Now that I think about it, her insults are not creative or really well thought out.
I didn't respond, I just pushed past all of them, then walked to the class.
I saw Lissa gaping, nobody ever stood up to them. Nobody.
I didn't say anything, I wouldn't sink to her level and call her a mean, no-good, human being, even though she is. I know what it's like to be called things. My parents abuse me both mentally and physically. According to them I'm ugly, stupid, a bitch, a slut, a whore, a nobody, fat, and worthless.
I try to tune it out, but it doesn't always work. This is my parents calling me this.
I never have ever even thought about cutting. I'm already abused, why on Earth would I want to abuse myself?
The day was uneventful, until I walked to the park.
It was about eight o'clock P.M, and getting chilly.
I climbed my tree and slowly started to sing.
"She walks to school with the lunch she packed. Nobody knows what she's holding back," I started, closing my eyes. "Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday, she hides the bruises with linen and lace, oooh," I paused here swaying to the tune in my imagination.
"The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask. It's hard to see the pain behind the mask." It's true, I have an unreadable mask that I wear so nobody could ever figure the pain that I suffer through every day. "Bearing the burden of a secret storm, sometimes she wishes she was never born!" I let my voice strengthen, slowly getting louder. Loud enough that Angel's sensitive ears picked it up and she wandered over, smiling slightly.
"Through the wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone, in a world, that she can't rise above," I sang, taking a breath.
"But her dreams give her wings, and she flies to a place, where she's loved! Concrete Angel!" I let my voice fall back to a softer tone.
"Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors hear but they turn out the lights." Sadly, this part is also true. Our neighbors don't really care about us, so they just tune us out.
"A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate, when morning comes it will be too late," I sang, letting my voice rise again.
"Through the wind, and the rain, she stands hard as a stone, in a world that she can't rise above. But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved. Concrete Angel!" Again I swayed to the tune in my head.
"A statue stands in a shaded place," I sang softly, just one tear falling from my eyes. "An Angel girl with an upturned face," Now Angel had climbed, so that she was sitting next to me.
"A name is written in a polished rock. A broken heart that the world forgot!" My voice rose with an anger I didn't know I had. "Through the wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone, in a world that she can't rise above! But her dreams give her wings, and she flies to a place, where she's loved!" Then with one last breath I sang, "Concrete Angel!" I put my arm lightly around Angel's shoulder.
"Maxie?" She asked quietly, her beautiful eyes wide.
"Yeah, Ange?" I replied, a sad frown on my face.
"Can you sing one for Alyssa?" She asked, looking so heart broken that I couldn't say no.
She smiled weakly when I nodded, then laid her head on my shoulder.
Alyssa was Angel's first friend. Alyssa was being abused in the time period that my parents stopped abusing Angel and I.
I took a deep breath and began.
Alyssa Lies
My little girl met a new friend just the other day
At the playground at school, between the tire and the swing
But she came home with tear filled eyes.
And she said to me, "Maxie, Alyssa, lies."
Well I just brushed it off at first.
I didn't know how much my little girl had been hurt.
Or the things that she had seen
I wasn't ready, when I said, "You can tell me."
And she said
Alyssa lies in the classroom
Alyssa lies everyday at school
Alyssa lies to the teachers
As she tries, to cover every bruise
By now tears were streaming down Angel's face
My little girl laid her head down, that night to go to sleep
As I stepped out of the room, I hears her say, a prayer so soft and sweet
"God bless my mom and my dad. and my new friend Alyssa, I know she needs you bad!"
Because Alyssa lies to the classroom
Alyssa lies, everyday at school
Alyssa lies to the teachers
As she tries to cover every bruise
I had the worst night of sleep in years
As I tried to think of a way to calm her fears
I knew just what it was I had to do
But when I got to school on Monday I heard the news
My little girl asked me why everybody looked so sad
The lump in my throat grew bigger, with every question that she asked
Until the tears ran down my face
And I told her that Alyssa, wouldn't be in school today
Cause she doesn't lie to the classroom
She doesn't lie, anymore in school
Alyssa lies, with Jesus
Because there's nothing, anyone would do
Tears filled my eyes, when my little girl asked me why
Alyssa lies
Maxie tell me why!
Alyssa lies.
I solemnly finished the song, then I slipped down the tres and walked home, hand in hand with Angel.
MAXIMUM RIDE
FANG POV
I went to the park again. To the exact same part at the exact same time.
Again I heard the singing, but this time I got to hear the entire song. I'm pretty sure it was about child abuse. Now why would somebody be in a tree, in the forest in the middle of the night, singing about child abuse?
But I'm almost positive that the voice sounded like Max. The girl that my girlfriend and friends bullied for as long as I can remember.
She wouldn't be here, I'm just being stupid.
Then I heard a voice that sounded as if it belonged to a little girl. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but then that heavenly voice started up again.
Now it was definitely a song about child abuse. It was about how a girl named Alyssa died from abuse. It was really sad, and the emotion from the singer made it sound like she had experienced it first-hand.
Don't tell anybody this, but a single tear escaped my eyes during the last minute of the second song. If you had been there, you would've been bawling.
After that the people left, and I was sitting there like an idiot, muttering, "It can't be Max. It can't be."
Why would it be Max?