Chapter 5

December skies rolled in with snowflakes as they hit my face.

I stuck my tongue out to catch them as I sat on the football field.

Wrapped in my giant red hoodie and sweat pants I watched everyone else in my gym class doing the exercises.

Gym is the most pointless class in school.

“Anabel, how about you stand up and do some of this with us?” My gym teacher Ms. Kunts smiled.

She’s pretty much the only teacher who is nice to me.

I think she can see that I’m lonely and sad, because I think she is too.

I stood up and waved my arms up and down attempting the jump jacks.

“That’s more like it.” She beamed. I smiled back at her.

While the rest of the class ran around the track I simply walked with Ms. Kunts.

“Where have you been?” She asked concerned messing with the pen on her clipboard.

I shrugged and looked up at the sky. “Nowhere.” I sighed.

“You missed two weeks, Anabel.” She said back.

I put my hands in my pockets and looked over at her. “I was lost.”

“Lost where?” She asked as we rounded the track.

“Lost in my own thoughts.” I answered. She looked over at me sadness in her eyes. “I was with Holly, Grace, and Hayden.” I said to relieve her.

“What were you guys doing?” She looked at her watch to check if class was almost over.

“Avoiding things.” I smiled. “We all have things were running from, but I’m not running from anything. I’m just waiting for something.”

“What are you waiting for?” She asked grabbing her whistle.

“My love.” I looked down as she blew the whistle.

“Let’s head inside!” She yelled to the class. She looked over at me and smiled. “I’m waiting for mine too.”

I think everyone wants to rush out and look for that person.

I know I tried to in almost every guy who came into my path.

Nobody ever loved me back though.

Finding him is the only thing that keeps me breathing.

He’s going to save me.

I can’t breath.

I can feel him inside me shoving harshly.

I can’t breath.

He’s bruising my arms and gripping harder.

I can’t breath.

Stop! I want to cry out.

Mom! Dad!

They didn’t come.

They didn’t hear me.

Am I dying?

My lungs collapse and darkness fills the room.

I shot up from the table unable to breath and I met Jarod’s eyes staring at me from the other table in the cafeteria.

I jumped up from the chair and ran down the hallway into the stairwell still unable to breath.

He’s pinning me down crushing my ribs.

My heart is going to burst.

“Stop it! Stop it!” I screamed grabbing hair as I sunk behind the steps.

I rocked back and forth slamming my head into the wall behind me.

Breathe Ananbel, he can’t hurt you now.

They are only scars now.

I ripped the tab off my pen and made two slices in my wrist over the scars.

Blood trickled down into my palms as I began to breathe again.

Where are you?

You have to come soon!

I can’t keep going on like this.

It’s killing me.