Song: "1,000 Ships" by: Rachel Platten
Line: "I'd go beyond our fighting boarders if you needed that from me. I'd march with decorated soldiers to get your pretty eyes to see."
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Our friends
don’t get along. Her friends avoid us when they can and the same for mine. So
when Darren Simmons approached us in the hallway before school I knew something
was wrong.
“She needs
you,” was all he said. Darren is tall for a level one; standing at about six
foot two he towers over us in his leather jacket and messy hazelnut colored hair.
I looked from him to all of my friends; they all nodded.
I started
marching towards the front door. Everyone moved out of the way as I powered
through the hallways; almost like a scene from a movie. Behind me I could hear the
sound of high heels hitting the titled floor and knew that my friends were with
me. We walked in a V-formation; me and my decorated soldiers. They’d all had
experience dealing with drama; being friends with girls will got you lots of
experience.
Throwing
open the front door I stood on the steps and looked around. Kids climbed off
big yellow buses, gathering in scattered groups around the outside of the
school. Some walked across the gravel
parking lot towards the Junior High School; more scattered groups of pre-teens waited
by the back doors for the first bell to ring.
“Where is
she?” I ask sternly and seriously. Turning to my right I stared up at Darren,
placing my left hand on my hip and using my right hand to shield the sun from
my eyes.
“Over here”
Darren replied, walking calmly down the steps with us not too far behind. When I realized where we were going I wanted to run ahead of him to her but I didn't because this isn't my territory. We are on either side of a fighting boarder and I'm about to cross it for the first time.
Rounding the corner of the school I see the dumpsters. Why are they not in front of them? I wonder. They always hand out in front of the dumpster. I've never seen them go behind. But when we turn the corner I understand. Along the sides, by the dumpsters and the chain-linked fence were her friends. They stood stiff; hands by their sides.
Crouched against the brick wall of the school, head in her hands, shoulders shaking, was Katie. I looked at all of her friends and knew, none of them knew what to do. In her group nobody cries, at least not around each other.
Getting a nodding approval form each of them I approached her and knelt down in front of her, laying both of my hands on her knees, Behind me I heard the loud sounds of combat boots stomping away and the clicking of high heels coming closer.
"Katie, what happened?" I whispered, tucking a loose piece of curly brown hair behind her ear. When she looked up from her lap my heart broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks, both eyes red and puffy beneath her thick rimmed glasses. Katie looked broken.
"It's... it's nothing" she muttered, hurriedly taking off her glasses and frantically wiping away the tears. I sighed and grabbed her wrists, moving them away from her face.
"Talk to me." I demand, looking at her; my heart breaking even more. I studied her, looking over her face, collar, and arms, noticing that her sleeves were down. They were never down; she hates sleeves. When I went to roll them up Katie shoved my hands away, grabbing the ends of her blue sleeves to make sure they were down.
"Okay" she sighed, "it's something" Katie muttered, looking to her left up at Emily and Heather. They smiled at her, an attempt to get Katie to as well; it didn't work. "It's ah... it's kind of everything. Just hitting me all at once. Um... the never-ending teasing from the Needles and the fact that I can't rely on my friends..." she put "friends" in quotations, "...to make me feel better. You saw it, they don't know how to deal with it. And it sucks!" She yelled the last part, the pain evident as more tears sprung from her eyes.
"Katie, what did they do?" I know I should have waited but I'm a rather impatient person. Gently I pulled up one of her sleeves until it reached her elbow and immediately I felt tears in the corners on my eyes. Light yellow bruises, the size and shape of a grown man's hand, wrapped around her wrist. In some areas I could see purple starting to appear; these bruises weren't that old. I quickly rolled up the other sleeve to see the exact same bruises wrapped around her left wrist.
"They didn't do that." She said clearly, making sure I understood they didn't physically harm her (which would have meant expulsion). "They said really bad stuff about Andrew and the bruises though; it hurt more than usual," Katie sighed, making a move to stand up but then falling back down with a little laugh when all of us caught her. "I guess my legs fell asleep" she smiled, which made me smile.
I figured the problem ran a lot deeper than the Needles making a horrible connection between her father and these bruises; which would impose abuse and if that was the case, then school would not be the best place to talk. I decided to wait until we got to my house after school; I hoped she would open up. I really hoped.
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