Monday morning everything was fine, Ashley and Courtney were nowhere to be seen and they didn't give me any bother. The whispers and stares had increased after word had spread of Alex punching Ashley but no one actually confronted me about it.
Not until I was in the seemingly deserted bathroom during break.
I was checking my makeup in the mirror and applying more mascara when Ashley and Courtney burst in accompanied by four other girls whose names I didn't know, suddenly cornering me and causing me to drop my mascara wand in the sink. "I don't appreciate what your bitch did to my face." Ashley growled at me, pointing to her slightly purple cheek. I backed up until my back hit the corner behind me as they all closed in on me. Before I could respond or even register fully what she'd said I felt a blinding pain in my stomach, one of the unknown girls had kneed me and it took everything in me not to crouch down and clutch my stomach in pain.
"What the fuck?" I shouted at them loudly, praying a teacher or someone of high authority was walking past at the time. Apparently they weren't.
"Your slut fucked up my cheek so now we're going to fuck you up!" Ashley yelled down my ear, making my eardrums rattle and my eyes water. "Aw, look, she's scared, she's gonna cry." She cackled to the five girls around me. Her fist collided with the side of my head, causing my vision to blur and the tears building up in my eyes to escape.
'Where's your dirty whore of a girlfriend now?' 'Disgusting fucking dyke,' 'Kick the shit out of her,' 'Die,' 'Rot in hell,' and 'She can't help you now,' were just some of the insults literally screamed at me as I fell to the floor, feeling blow after blow to my stomach, face, legs and arms before I blacked out.
I didn't know how long I was out for but I found myself in the nurse's office lying on the bed in excruciating pain. "Oh, thank God!" I heard my mom's voice from next to me. My vision was blurred and I could only just make out her outline as I tried to sit up, feeling a hand pushing me back down, restraining me. "Don't sit up baby, you'll hurt yourself."
"Mom… shou… shouldn't you be at work?" I croaked out, my throat sore and my voice hoarse. I felt a lot of excess liquid in my mouth and turned my head to spit it out, not caring where it went. Apparently someone had already put a bucket by the bed because when I finally managed to regain my vision I noticed a bright red crimson color sticking out like a sore thumb mixed in with vomit.
"Don't worry about that baby, what happened to you?" She asked me worriedly, lightly stroking my hair.
"I… bitches… Ashley, Courtney, some others." I told her shortly, desperate not to go into detail. She looked at me expectantly and I sighed loudly. "Can I… can I talk about it later?" I asked her, lifting my right arm, which had been protected previously by me falling on it, and rubbing my sore neck.
"Was it because of those rumours a few weeks ago?" She pushed, not taking no for an answer. I nodded uncomfortably and looked away from her; she'd been crying and I hated to see her like that. "I'm transferring your schools. I know you worked hard for your scholarship but I absolutely, under no circumstances will be sending you back here and there is no way you're coming back here, this is not up for discussion, it's happening." She asserted firmly. I didn't have the energy to argue, not that I really wanted to anyway, so I didn't say anything. The nurse re-entered the room at the sound of us speaking and smiled at me sympathetically.
"Michelle, how are you feeling?" She fussed, checking the bandage which I hadn't noticed was around my wrist.
"Shitty, how bad am I?"
"You've got a blackened eye, a bruised chin, a few pale bruises on your stomach, you had a bloody nose earlier but I cleaned that up for you, your wrist is sprained so try not to move it and you have a few grazes on your knees and elbows. There may be more bruising overnight but given the circumstances I'd say you're pretty lucky." She informed me with a small smile. I offered a weak one back and turned my head to my mom who looked furious.
"Lucky?" she yelled at the innocent nurse. "She's lucky? She's just had the living daylights beaten out of her, she's been unconscious for god knows how long and you're saying she's lucky?" She blew up at the shocked nurse. I'd never seen my mom so angry except from when she found all of my things. If I wasn't certain that none of this was my fault I'd be terrified of getting in the car alone with her.
"I'm very sorry Ms. Munroe, the principal wants to speak with Mitchie now that she's awake and I can assure you that the girls responsible will be severely punished. I'll go and fetch her." She defended the school against my livid mother.
It took all but five minutes for the principal whom I hadn't yet come across in person to enter the room briskly. "How the heck could you let this happen?" My mom shouted at her, taking the forty-something-year-old woman by surprise. "I wouldn't mind so much if it had all been discreet but the school were fully aware that she was having problems because I received a phone call a while ago informing me."
"Ma'am, please calm down. Yes, teachers were aware that Michelle had been receiving some teasing but we were not aware of the extent. We were genuinely under the impression that it was just girls being girls and poking fun, nobody had any idea how bad it had become." The principle argued defensively as she took a seat next to the bed. I was praying that my mom wouldn't press her any further, there was no saying whether or not the principal would tell my mom what the rumours were about. "Michelle, what on earth happened?" She asked. I basically just explained to her what I told my mom; who it was.
"What happened afterward? Like, the last thing I remember was them kicking me before I blacked out, how did I get here?" I tried piecing it together in my mind but it was all just blank. The principal pulled her chair in closer to my bed and further away from my mom, who was breathing heavily through her nose to let her anger out, before explaining.
"When you didn't show up to your fourth period class the guidance counsellor was informed and she warned us that you might have been in danger. She began to look for you and by the end of fourth period she found you on the bathroom floor bleeding. She called for the nurse and then you were brought here but they were both debating whether or not to take you to the hospital. You were very lucky to escape with what you did."
"Will people stop saying that? She was not lucky! Why in the name of God is this even happening in a private school? Public schools, maybe yes, but in a private school where parents pay for their children to be well looked after this is despicable." My mom exploded at the mention of the word 'lucky,' most likely as sick of hearing it as I was. This was not luck.
"Ms. Munroe, please, calm down or I'll have to have you escorted from the premises," The principle threatened seriously.
"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down when my baby girl has just woken up from unconsciousness brought on by a brutal beating that no matter what she's done she absolutely did not deserve? I. Will. Not. Be. Calm!" She growled, pausing between each of the last five words to express her point further.
"Ms. Munroe, the both of you have my sincerest apologies on behalf of the girls that did this to your daughter, Michelle and yourself need to decide on the punishment they will receive because this is actually grounds for expulsion but it is ultimately up to the both of you which punishment they endure, providing that it is severe enough." The kind principal offered. The look on her face clearly showed that she was dismayed at what had happened. "Never in my thirteen years as principal here have I had an incident like this and I don't intend on there being another…" She trailed off, speaking more to herself than my mom or me.
"It doesn't matter, my mom said she's transferring me and I want her to." I bitterly told her, completely supporting my mom's decision.
"There's no need to be so drastic…" She began before my mom cut her off.
"It's not something that's up for discussion, I'm moving her to my school so I can always be there." She stated. I guessed I knew where I was moving to.
The principal looked defeated; she shook her head softly then turned to my mom. "If you're certain that would be what's best for Michelle then we can have her enter into special circumstances and start at your chosen school next week," she explained kindly before turning to me. "Michelle, you've been a wonderful addition to the school and should you choose to come back for whatever reason you will be more than welcome and your scholarship will still stand."
"Thank you." I mumbled, swallowing down what felt and tasted like a tiny bit more blood.
"She won't be in school again and as you suggested before, I want the girls that did that to her to be excluded and blacklisted from her new school so they can't be together." My mom ordered. The principal turned to me and I nodded in agreement. "Mitchie, we're going home." She told me, causing the principal and nurse to leave; both shaking my hand goodbye before exiting. "Mitch, can you stand baby?" She asked; she was suddenly calm and sympathetic again. I shrugged roughly and sat up, wincing in pain as my stomach muscles moved.
I swung my legs around cautiously as my mom stood up and pressed my heel-clad feet to the floor with a loud click. Pressing down on the bed I stood briefly before feeling a sharp pain in my right ankle and quickly grabbing my mom's shoulder to steady myself. "Okay baby, just walk slowly with me." She instructed, picking up my purse from the side of the bed and hooking it over her free shoulder.
It took around fifteen minutes for me to finally get in to my mom's car, leaving mine in the parking lot. The ride home was silent and I noticed that it was two forty; I'd been out of it for about three hours.
My mom fed me and helped me upstairs to bed where I called Alex, explaining everything that happened. Needless to say she was livid and was ready to commit a mass murder but I calmed her down by telling her that I was moving schools, which seemed to cheer her up and she jokingly suggested that I should move to Independence to be with her where she could act as my bodyguard.
At seven there was a knock on my bedroom door and my mom came in, holding a piece of paper. "Mitch, I just got this e-mailed through from my boss, we're good to go and you'll be starting at my place on Monday." She told me with a broad smile and passing me a piece of paper which I didn't bother to look at, just taking her word for it. "What's going on, Mitchie? Why did all of this happen?" She asked cautiously as she sat down on the bed. I shifted slightly and looked at the cigarette packet next to me. "You were just about to go outside, weren't you?" she had a knowing smile as I nodded my head. I knew she didn't like me smoking but she seemed to just accept it. "Come on, we can talk out there."
She helped me to limp out onto my balcony and we sat on the two seats whilst I lit my cigarette. I knew that she wouldn't drop it until I told her so I inhaled a shaky drag of my fag and spoke up. "I have to tell you something, it's big and it's really important but I want you to promise me that you're not going to freak out. After everything you found the other month I don't want to push you over the edge but it's time you knew and you'll find out eventually anyway," I gushed out quickly before she could interrupt.
"Oh, Mitchie, I gave you those condoms back for a reason, how could you be so stupid?" She asked me disappointedly. I knitted my eyebrows together and then realised what she meant and shook my head quickly. "Who did this to…" I cut her off before she could convince herself any more.
"No, mom, don't worry I'm not pregnant. Just let me explain this one first without any interruptions because this is hard enough for me to tell you anyway, without you butting in." I reassured her, taking a pull on my menthol cigarette. She eyed me suspiciously and visibly relaxed when I said I wasn't pregnant, waiting for me to continue.
"So… for a long time now I've been… looking at people differently from how normal people see them. At first I just thought it was normal but then I met someone and I realised that it wasn't what everyone felt, so I got some help from the guidance counsellor at school and she gave me these…" I trailed off; picking the pamphlets that Mrs Goldman had given me months ago from my purse which I'd left outside last time I came out to smoke.
"I don't understand… what are you saying?" She asked after a little while of looking at the front cover.
"Mom… I'm so sorry; I didn't want to be like this but… I think I'm gay. The girl I mentioned just is now my girlfriend and we've been dating since early September." I admitted nervously to her. She got a blank look on her face and didn't say anything for a while. "Mom?" I asked her, waving my hand in front of her face.
"Lexi?" Monotone.
"What?"
"Is the girl Lexi? The one you've been spending so much time with and being really secretive about… is it her that you're dating?" She questioned me calmly. I nodded silently and she didn't say anything else.
"I… What's your opinion on this?" I asked her, realising that she wasn't just going to tell me.
She took a while, looking deep in thought, but eventually she answered. "Baby girl, when you said you needed to tell me something a million thoughts passed through my mind, I thought 'pregnant, back on drugs, hard drugs, a severe STD, eating disorder, self-harm.' When you work in a school you hear about all those kinds of things regularly and it worries you. I wasn't expecting you to tell me that at all but if this Lexi girl makes you happy then it makes me happy." I literally felt a huge weight leave my shoulders when she finished and I couldn't prevent the grin from practically eating my face. "I want to meet her though. Invite her round for dinner tomorrow after school." She added quickly.
"Yes, absolutely! Thank you so much mom, you have no idea how much your acceptance means to me."
"Baby, why didn't you tell me before?"
I took a final drag on my cigarette and my mom cringed at the sight as I dubbed it out in the ash tray. She'd never actually watched me smoke and I knew it was horrible for her but she suggested we talk during it so I wasn't going to argue with her. "I just… I was scared, I guess. After everything in September I didn't want to push you over the edge and make you hate me, I wasn't even totally sure back then and I've only became certain since Lexi and I started dating properly. I didn't want you to get upset or anything like that," Every word I spoke made me feel less burdened, like getting it off my chest was literally lifting a weight from me.
"Mitchie, you're my baby, nothing you could do could make me hate you… and that's not a challenge by the way. Truthfully, I never thought you would turn out this way, I always thought you'd be my innocent little angel but you're not innocent nor are you an angel. It's okay though, I know you're growing up and I was naïve to think you'd stay innocent. I love you so much; I love you more than anything or anyone else in the world. I can't wait to meet the girl that makes you happy and when I do I will welcome her into the family with open arms." The long acceptance speech made me tear up as my mom stood up and helped me back in to my bedroom. "Is that why this happened?" She wondered, gesturing to the state my body was in. I nodded silently and she shook her head as we both sat on my bed together.
"Someone saw us on our first date and photos were spread around the school; that was what started it. A couple of weeks ago there was a petition on the changing room door basically banning me from there because no one wanted to change with me," I began to explain to her everything that I'd hidden. "They beat me up today because Lexi saw Ashley shove me and punched her for it. She's so protective and caring that she just wouldn't stand for seeing it." I told her, hoping she didn't pre-judge Alex for punching her.
"I like her even more already." She said with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Good, because I really like her and she makes me so happy. She's perfect, she's a couple of months younger than me but she's a senior, her birthday is in February and she's everything I've ever wanted. She treats me like a real princess, she takes me on adorable dates, picks me up from school, gives me her jacket when I'm cold and generally does everything I could possibly ever want." I gushed excitedly to her. I was so glad to finally have someone to talk about Alex to who could be happy for me.
"How sweet of her… I'm glad that she treats you the way you deserve to be treated." She said as she wrapped her arms around me in a gentle hug, being careful not to put pressure on any of my injuries. She kissed the top of my head and lingered there for a few moments before getting up. "I love you so much; don't ever doubt that for one minute. I was not expecting this but if she really makes you happy then I'm okay with it and I'll get used to the idea of my daughter liking other peoples' daughters rather than their sons." She continued with a small giggle. I laughed with her then her face got serious again. "Just promise me that one day in the very distant future you'll make me a grandmother."
I smiled lovingly at how much my mom wanted me to have a family, she'd always made me promise to give her grandchildren and I always intended to. "I promise mom, somehow I'll make sure you get at least one."
"Good, I'm glad about that. Try to get some sleep gorgeous. Do you want me to stay home tomorrow to take care of you?" she offered caringly. I shook my head quickly, I didn't want her to miss any more work than necessary.
"I'll be fine, thank you though. Good night. I love you."
"I love you too baby."