Chapter 2 Beginning of hell - II

一 I know but I wanted to know your opinion 一 He insisted.

My dear friend Brendon, spending the vacations at your doorbell was the best thing that ever happened to me.

一 You're an idiot, man. 一 He gave me a gentle nudge and then hugged my neck.

一 That's why you're my best friend 一 I returned his little compliment.

I hadn't realized that to my unhappiness we had already arrived at the school, if it wasn't for Brendon's disgruntled sigh I really wouldn't notice, my reaction was no different than his, because for me everything involving her made me unhappy.

一 Yeah, we need to get inside 一 He called out and I took a deep breath before setting foot in the school.

一 So let's go.

The schoolyard was packed with kids and teenagers, today all the classes start, I caught several familiar faces as soon as my eyes passed all over the big schoolyard. The principal had already started her rehearsed speech and unfortunately everyone had to stay until the end of it, if I didn't know who was already in the room, I would definitely go there.

What if we go to the living room? Brendon proposed, looking as if he had read my mind.

Look all around the yard and see who's not here.

His head spun around almost 360 degrees looking for something and when he finally didn't find it, he looked at me with a look of disgust and finally he had understood that Mark and his gang were already in the classroom, since they always bypassed the direction and everyone else who was supposed to be one level higher than us, the students.

After a long and torturous thirty minutes, finally the principal had finished her speech and explained the same thing as at the beginning of the year, that the teachers would pass on the subjects and these would be what we would study in the last remaining six months. Brendon looked anxious as he walked beside me to the classroom, maybe it was because we were almost at the final stretch to finish this torture of high school. When we arrived in the classroom we had confirmation of what we had talked about a few minutes before 一 as if they owned the room, Mark, Emilly, and their cursed class already occupied the entire back of the room, and as soon as Mark's eyes met mine, a mocking look was given on his part, I knew he was up to something.

I almost stood motionless in the classroom doorway if it wasn't for Brendon who pulled me to the seat that used to be ours and that no one ever sat in, since according to Mark and his class, we had some contagious disease and if anyone dared to sit or touch us they would end up catching the same thing that he and his tiny brain supposedly had. I never understood the real reason Mark had tormented me since the fifth grade, I had heard from many people that it was all just jealousy, but I didn't have half of what he had, so jealousy was not the case.

I was distracted by my own thoughts until a ball of paper was thrown at my head, unlike the others I had been hit with, this one hurt more than usual and I only understood why when the paper shattered on my desk and inside it was a rock. Mark and his friends laughed at my face as well as everyone else in the room, while Brendon made a crying face, and it wasn't even on him, when I looked again, Emilly seemed to be sad, and her look at me was like pity, and as soon as Mark realized that we were facing each other, he pulled Emilly by the hair brutally and I was sure that it hurt. Luckily for me, the geography teacher came into the room, and that little scream that had formed in the room, I didn't understand why this was happening to me.

一 Good morning students! The teacher greeted us as he put his bag on the desk.

No one in the class responded and this was something so common that the teachers and the administration were already used to the rudeness of the class, so in his speech Professor Marcos also announced that the five classes would be of thirty minutes and fifteen breaks, which was a relief for me, my head where the stone was hit hurt and I wasn't brave enough to touch it.

The teacher started the class and told me the subject he would begin with and that in a few days he would ask for a pair work that he himself would choose. I never liked it when teachers chose, because I always fell in with someone who hated me as much as I did, but I had to put up with it or I wouldn't get a grade.

Every time I heard a joke directed at me that in fact everyone in class knew and even some of the teachers, I contemplated the idea of going home early, but I had to stop being a whiny little boy like I used to hear and hold my head up high.

To my relief, class went by quickly and I basically dragged Brendon to the tree we used to hang out in, I had totally lost my hunger and to avoid confusion, I preferred not to show up in the cafeteria and to my bad luck, Mark was in the tree leaning over as if he was waiting for us. Brendon managed to get back unlike me who was closed in by Luke and Peter, and to make my situation worse, Mark was also closing me in.

一 I don't want you looking at my cat 一 He pushed me away and pointed in the direction of Emilly who was with her head down.

一 She's not invisible so I don't have to look 一 I replied at the time and at the same instant I regretted it, Mark punched me in the stomach making me fall on the floor in pain.

I looked to the side and several people saw the scene, even Brendon who was now lying on the ground and next to him were Luke and Peter who disappeared behind me in a split second. People didn't dare to get involved in Mark's fights, and the place we were in didn't have a single camera, but maybe that wouldn't change much since the direction only cares about status and not about the well being of the students.

一 Next time it will be worse 一 Mark uttered the words as soon as I caught my breath and before I could look at him, something was put on my head and only after a banana peel fell I realized that the unknown object was garbage.

I felt like the worst person in the world for not being able to fight back, this has been happening to me for years and I never did anything about what he did to me. And again what Mark once told me came to the surface 一 I really was a wimp and couldn't save myself or my best friend if something happened. I took the trashcan off my head and as I looked to where Brendon was standing I could see the boy still lying on the ground, I walked still in pain towards him and as I approached I realized he was crying.

一 Let's get our stuff to go home, man 一 I called out giving him a little push.

一 How long is this going to go on? He asked and I felt sorry, neither of us deserved this.

一 Hold on just a little while 一 I repeated his words from earlier.

一 It won't be long will it?

一 No brother, it won't. Now let's go.

I offered my hand and he took it without hesitation, my shirt wasn't as wet as I thought it would be, I looked back and realized that only papers and vegetable peelings were inside, which gave me a relief since I wouldn't want to explain to my mom how I got all my uniform dirty. When he got up we headed inside the room and luckily there was no one there, it was only 8 minutes until the end of the break, and I didn't want to stay one more minute in this place.

Like two outlaws, we left the school without anyone noticing, outside I felt free, there will still be two more classes for the morning shift to end, but since no one will miss us, I'm sure it won't change much. The silent way back home was the best, neither of us dared to comment on what happened at school, this kind of thing was what I avoided talking about even with him who always saw.

We said goodbye as soon as we arrived in front of my house and luckily my parents were not there, as soon as I locked the door, I passed through the huge hallway before entering my room and decided that today I wouldn't leave it to meet my parents for dinner, I threw my bag on the bed and grabbed some clothes from the closet and went to the bathroom.

I stopped in front of the mirror and had a small vision of the back of my head, the reason for the pain was a small wound that formed where the stone was hit, he was going to pay for everything he did to me, because I believed in the law of karma. I searched and searched again and finally found my father's little box of blades, I had promised myself that I would stop this, but again I couldn't, I am the weakest being on the face of the earth.

One cut, two cuts, three cuts would be enough for today. The blood dripped into the bathroom sink and the cut burned enough that I didn't get wet in the water now, I pretended to be strong, but the reality was that I was not. The tears that I had avoided all day finally came out of my eyes, sometimes I wondered if I lived or survived, but I couldn't end my life and leave my parents suffering, I loved them even though I didn't show it, and I want to see their happiness even if I am dead inside.

I stepped into the shower and the blood mixed with the water that fell on my body, the burning was bearable compared to my aching heart, it wasn't wrong for a man to cry, but it was wrong to be a despicable person like Mark, but I was too weak to do anything and help other people going through the same situation as me.

The bleeding stopped and I was ready to get out of the shower, I ran soap all over my body avoiding my wrist, turned off the shower, dried myself in a careful way and put on my clothes, my parents would only arrive in the evening, and I know that depending on the day, they would not call me for dinner, and this would be better.

I checked the front door one last time and when I saw that it was locked I went to my room ignoring everything, and when I arrived I noticed that Mark's car was parked in front of Emilly's house, I closed the window a little hard, then the curtain had the same fate and then I threw myself on the bed, the morning for me was the worst, but unfortunately I would still have the rest of the days, and I would have to be strong to endure everything with my head held high.