Restless

Chapter 2

Days went by and whenever Emily saw me, she talked to me. It was something I didn't like because this meant others felt the need to talk to me too. For once, I was noticed and I really don't want any of it. What was worse was she considered us best friends. In just a matter of days, my whole world went from peaceful and nice to whatever you could call it now.

Every time I was on infirmary duty, she was there. Not only that, it was always the same story about the preps. Each time she repeated the story, I tutted in the same way but it only made her smile. It wasn't even meant to. Ever.
"I can come to you, right?" She'd say every time she told me the story. When she did, I wouldn't respond in any way. Like I said before, I couldn't.
"Take it slow. That cut there is deeper than the others." I pointed to a certain cut on her arm. By now, it seemed the preps had taken to using tools to harm her but I wasn't certain. After all, my dad was the detective, not me.

After school on a Tuesday, I'd placed all my textbooks in my bag but something else caught my attention before I could leave.
"Come on, Emily!"
"Yeah! Don't you think your boyfriend would love your little lovey-dovey song you wrote just for him?"
"If you sing it, I'll video it and send it to him. If you don't, I'll tell him it's over between you two."

I could easily identify each voice. Molly and Faye and another girl by the name of Georgia who'd only just transferred that month. I supposed she had replaced Emily. Each time one of the girls spoke, Emily would refuse to do what they say.
"Just break up with Matthew already!" Faye pleaded, making her huge crush on him even more obvious. At this point, I'd already walked over to the window and leaned out, watching it all happen beneath me. The right thing to do in a situation like that was to obey them. Relationships were a waste of time anyway but as I'd expected at that time, Emily refused once again. Even from up here I noticed Faye look to the ground and pick up a horribly huge mound of mud from the ground. With that mound, Faye walked over to Emily and smeared it all over her face without a single word. Georgia and Molly copied, smearing it all over her clothes and body. Emily did little to nothing to fight back so I sat there, watching.
"You let them do that." I uttered to myself at the time. They continue, shoving leaves in her mouth and taking pictures while the tears managed to clean small streaks from the mud on her face.

While the preps complained that all that was ruining their fresh manicures, I wandered over to the chalkboard to grab the rubber and I returned to the scene, making sure when I cleaned all the chalk dust off, it went over everyone below. All I could think to say to go with the act was a small, insincere "whoops, my bad."

All but Emily had a temper tantrum about their hair and how it would 'take forever' to get out so they stormed off to try I suppose. Emily stayed, looking up at me with her torn, muddy uniform before bursting into tears yet again.
"Bella~" She weeped, taking the leaves out of her mouth and spitting out all the excess dirt and other atrocities that might've taken refuge on those chosen leaves.
"Go to the toilets and get yourself cleaned up. You're filthy. Don't come up to me until you're spotless, filthy thing." I spat but she didn't seem to care. She did exactly as I said while I sat in the classroom, concerning myself with her issues. When did she ever get herself into a relationship with Matthew? More importantly: why? He bullied her and tormented her and yet she managed to find the courage to make him her boyfriend. At the time, I was sure she was aware about the way Faye felt about Matthew.

She was surprised I'd still tend to her wounds after I had seen something like that but I suppose I didn't have a choice. She'd seen me and there was no way I could have denied it was me.

Day slowly settled into night and on my way home, Emily wouldn't stop talking. Most of the stories she was telling me were questionable but I didn't interrupt. After all, it was a lot for me when she just blurted out that she was an orphan after her parents died in a car crash. I uncomfortably comforted her through that talk. For someone who did not like having friends, I sure did a lot for her. Needless to say I regretted it. More and more she'd hang around me; find me at lunch and eat with me. It was becoming unbearable.
"Let's walk home together tomorrow, too!" She exclaimed with a smile when she arrived at her bus stop. I didn't show any signs of answering. Instead, I made the decision to keep on walking. Even to this day I haven't decided whether that was a good or bad decision. Even so, it was certain it had an impact on her but that's how I answered every question she asked me so she should have been used to it by then. Of course, not being around people much had made it a lot harder to read expressions. Especially when Emily's expressions were so strong and I knew that she was doing her very best to hide what she was really feeling.

That was her mistake, though.

That had nothing to with me.

No one can deny I was a nice person to her as much as I tried to be. Obviously I didn't do enough.