They teased and taunted her as she walked past them in the hallway. And as always, she looked at the ground and continued walking. “Stay strong,” she whispered to herself. A boy tripped her as she walked past his locker. Everyone around him laughed at her ruthlessly. Not me though. It was disgusting to look at. No, not her, she was beautiful. The scene enacted in front of me was ugly. I just stared at her as tears flowed down her rosy cheeks. And that’s when she ran towards the restroom, the horrifying laughter of her peers haunting her, following her.
We were on the same school bus. We had the same bus route home. She sat alone each day, resting her head against the window pane. I’d notice her looking around sometimes. Like she was waiting for someone to attack her. I could see the fear, the pain and the sadness in her eyes. I chose it ignore it. It’s not like she would do anything.
She had been through another bad day. Weren’t all days bad for her though? I saw her go through it all but; I didn’t do anything to stop them again. Maybe one day I will. It was raining that day. I stole a glance at her and saw her looking at the scene outside. She wasn’t looking outside from her own window this time but through another girls’. I noticed something… She wasn’t looking at the world outside but she was looking at something written on the window. The glass was fogged. “BRIANN SUCKS” was what was written there. A tear slid down her rosy cheeks just as the text faded away. Like it was never even there in the first place. The girls who wrote it were giggling, happy that she cried. I could make out her lips whispering, “Stay strong” again. I hope she does.
The next day they told us that she committed suicide. She hanged herself. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had lost my chance to save her. She wanted a hero and that hero could be me. I chose to stay silent and watch her break into a million pieces. They were saying that she was a beautiful girl. But... Why did they call her ugly then? They were blaming the society. But… Aren’t WE the society? The only thing that I can do now is sit and think, “Why didn’t I do anything?” She was cold; I wish I had given her a blanket. She was tired; I wish I was the one to keep her awake. She was hurt in the fight called life, I wish I was her much needed band-aid.
All that was left for me was her memories, and that too not the happy ones that I could have spent with her but, the ones that will haunt me and taunt me for the rest of my life.
And now I stand here. Shattered and alone.
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