I Belong to My Bully

2. The One and The Only

MIA’S POV:

PAST

It was a beautiful day, the sunlight was beaming at a bright yellow hue, the birds were chirping and there was a mystical soothing effect in the air, which I never felt before. For the first time, it was not the smell of a damp ceiling and rustic floor. It was not the disgusting stench of something I couldn’t interpret at that time, it was something Natalie always smelled of. Today it was the smell of tall greens trees and wet clay underneath. It was the smell of freedom.

Hand in hand as we stepped closer to a place where I had never been before, my heart swelled with exhilaration and excitement. Where there were tall green tree with trunks as old as time. As I stepped inside a setup, not so familiar, for a moment I halted to breath in the crisp air. It was my first time going out like this. It was playground where kids my age would have been to a thousand times but for me it was a luxury more than a facility. I was almost five years old. I was wearing a worn off fascia pink patterned jersey dress, which according to my mother was looking extraordinarily beautiful on my bubbly body. My hair were tied in pigtails and I was wearing matching pink shoes, which my mother got from a thrift shop by her savings.

The glint and the glimmer showed the true emotions, held deep in side us for as long as we could remember. My blue eyes had a spark to them as my lips twitched and grinned watching the coco bird sitting on the branch, murmuring a beautiful melody. This was the best day of my life as it was my first time I saw my mother smiling and laughing at my actions. Her blue eyes had pain but I could witness the effect of this environment on her early aged face.

“Mommy!!!! MOMMMYYY!!!?” I giggled pulling her finger. I wanted to let go off the reigns on rules and atrocity, to just let the fresh air do its magic. For as long as I remember we urged for a little stroke of liberty in our inky canvas and so I got it, my heart decided to play on it's own accord. “Yes baby what happened?” my mother asked with a worrisome face. “Can I take the swing pleaseeee, “I said blinking my puppy eyes and pouting my lips.

“Hahaha, honey. Yes, you can. You don’t have to ask before taking a swing. Go and do whatever you like, but stay in front of my eyes. I will be sitting on this very bench” my mother cupped my face as she peppered me with kisses.  “Yayyyy….I love you mommy…I love you!!!! I love you so much!!!” I said placing sloppy kisses on her cheeks and running down to the swing. 

I went near the swing and sat on it, but there was no one to push me forward. I didn’t know what to do as it was my first time out. I looked at my mother but she was busy talking to a lady sitting beside her on the bench. I wanted to call her out or to shout to make her listen to my need but then I saw her giggling and I didn’t want to ruin her moment. Those cheeks never had a pinkish tint to them and so I saw this very moment I wanted he to cherish it for a while, as long as it may last. There were very sparse moments when I saw her smiling. So I just had to figure out something by myself.

I was trying to paddle across the swing but nothing worked due to my height. So had to work up a smarter way to push it through. The disappointment of not being able to have a moment of fun was glistening in my eyes as tears. My head bowed down as tears slipped through the corners, no hope to this evening whatsoever it was. Until someone swayed the swing forward. I jerked up to find the source. I glanced back in wonder and there was he. The one and the only, swaying the swing forward slowly.

He was around my age and he had blue eyes just like me. But my eyes had a darker shade of blue while his eyes were crystal blue, like the ocean. His copper brown hair was swaying in the air, making him more beautiful.

The five years old me was dumbfounded.

He was the one.

PAST ENDS

My eyes fluttered and I slowly gazed out of my past. I didn’t want to get out of it as my past had the memories that I wanted to cherish. My present was full of hate and darkness, I just wanted to wander a little longer in the streets of my sweet memories.

My head was still spinning and it took me a while to make sense of my surroundings. I was in school infirmary and Mrs. Helen was sitting on the couch at the end of the couch.

My throat suddenly felt dry and I felt thirsty. “Ahh…wa…..wat…..water,” I said in broken sentences. I couldn’t muster up the energy to say a simple word.

He was right I was pathetic and weak. I should pay. Suddenly tears strolled down my eyes. “Ohh. You are awake honey. Do you need anything?” Mrs. Helen stood up from the couch and came towards me.

“I…..nee…neeed…wa….water” I said stammering.

“Here you go honey” She sat me up and gave me a glass of water from the side table.

I didn’t have the energy to hold the glass and it was just about to fall when she captured It and help me drink it.

“What have they done to you, Mia?” She said, with tears in her eyes.

She was a really gentle soul. Maybe the only person in the whole wide world except my mother who cared about me. She was a tall woman in her late 50’s with grey hair and wrinkles on her face. Her husband and daughter died in a car accident, after that she started teaching in this school and it has been almost 20 years since she has been teaching here.

“No...Nothing” I said, looking away. I couldn’t tell her the truth.

“You know that you can’t let them do it. Why are you letting them hurt you? You have never hurt a single soul and you are the quietest and peaceful child I have ever seen in this school. Then what is that you get punished for every day,” She said, with a worry engraved on her old face.

How could I tell her? What could I tell her? Maybe I could tell her that I am paying the price of my fate. Maybe it was my destiny to get humiliated. Maybe people like me should die before they are even born.

“Hush. Hush. Don't cry baby. I don’t know what grudge those boys have against you but I am not going to tolerate it any longer,” She said patting me on my back, I didn’t even know when I started crying.

“Now, I have put the medicines in your backpack and nurse had bandaged your head. You had a very bad head injury. Tomorrow the nurse will change your bandages again,” Mrs. Helen said, with all the love in her voice.

“Thank you, Mrs. Helen. I don’t know how am I going to repay you?” I said in a grateful manner, with tears rolling down my swollen eyes. “Oh stop honey. Now come with me so that I can drop you home,” she said and my face went pale. I didn’t want her to see my home. She will hate me. I don’t want to lose her too. I didn't had many people in my life who loved me for being me, all me nothing concealed or hidden. Maybe I only have two people in my life who loved me and if she sees where I live, she will definitely hate me. No no this can’t happen. I have to do something.

“Are you Okay Honey? Do you want me to call the nurse again?” she said in a worrisome tone seeing my pale face. “I am fine Mrs. Helen,” I said.

“You don’t have to drop me as you already have classes and I don’t want you to miss them just because of me. I can go home by myself,” I said trying to get down the couch, but suddenly I felt dizzy. But I managed somehow to stand up on my wobbly feet, just to show her that I was fine.

“Honey, you are not fine. See you can’t even walk properly. Let me drop you,” she said again seeing my condition.

But I can’t afford to lose her too. I want someone here to take care of me. Nobody has even talked to me with love here, she was the only one who even gave a damn about my existence. I can’t lose her. I was trying to stop her stubbornly “Mrs. Helen, I can manage. Please trust me,”.

“Okay honey. But you have to call me when you reach home. Now let me just drop you as I don’t want those rich brats to torture you again, “She agreed hesitatingly.

She gave me her hand and I put my backpack on my shoulder again. As I started to move my head was fuzzy again, but I had to manage for the sake of my respect.

She took me to the exit of the school through the back door. This was just because she didn’t want them to see me again and torture me again. Such an angel she was.

“Okay bye Mrs. Helen. Take care,” I said waving my hand and moving towards the side path. The ride home was very long and I had to go by my feet with all the injuries. Buses and taxies were always out of my budget.

“Goodbye Honey. Call me when you get home, “she said with a gentle smile on her angelic face. I nodded gently as I replied or almost whispered "I will, Mrs. Helen,"

As I walked past the gate and walked a few steps towards the place I so called my home, my guts churned and I felt light weight all of the sudden. My whole body was aching and I was feeling nauseous and dizzy. Another reason for being dizzy was that I haven’t eaten anything since morning. My mother gave me a few dollars to eat something on my way but I saved them so that I can use them for an emergency. Eating was not my forte, so I never bothered to waste my money on it.

As I took some steps forwards, my head started hurting really bad, but I still had to get going, as there was no other option. If they saw me outside the school boundary then there will be no Mrs. Helen to save me from their wrath. So I had to hurry up. I tried to take larger steps with my shaking legs, but my body was not helping me at all. This was all okay until I saw his car passing near me. I knew that it was his as nobody else had a vintage Austin Martin at school, all so distinguishable in a crowd, like him.  As he passed by like a gush of wild wind, his eyes darted to me and then he halted his car just feet away from me. My heart pounced back to my chest and I knew I was going to die today.

Every moment was like a period undesirable and unbearable, as his existence was the only thing that would make my breathing all so unbearable for me. I knew this was it as I heard a clack ad then a click as I knew his door was about to open but the unbounded wrath was going to unleash itself on me.

This was it.

My vision blurred and my gait was all unsteady and wobbly. His blue crystals were narrowing and the smell , his smell, all so unique of mint and summer morning was darting close. I vaguely saw him taking large steps towards me, but before he could reach me I felt dizzy again, maybe death would do us apart or so I thought before darkness hovered over me like a thick blanket . Before I could fall, someone captured me and I lost consciousness again.

I hope it was not him.