C9 Chapter 9

Elena Sergio.

It was finally time for me to get back on my feet. I needed to embrace the fact that this world was made for sad endings since nothing made me happy this morning. I sat in front of my mirror, all dressed in my hoodie and baggy jeans. I was so done wearing the makeup my sister suggested and the clothes she picked out for me. She wasn't here to dress me up and that gave me enough liberty.

With my head facing down, covering it with my hood like a stalker, I walked downstairs. I sensed my family's presence in the living room, all getting excited about how I was gonna look this morning. I wondered what pushed my big sister to tell mom about my supposed big change.

She couldn't stop talking about how "Elena" has decided to embrace feminine beauty. I wasn't a tomboy or anything. I just hated being in the spotlight since it was my skin color that spoke for me. Well, they sat there whispering amongst themselves as they heard my footsteps.

"Yay!" She all cheered out of excitement but it died down immediately as they saw what I put on. I decided not to say much since I owed no one an explanation for going back to my previous clothing. I reached out for my bag sitting on one of the couches. Without greeting anyone who seemed remorseless, I walked out of the house to get to school.

My bicycle was parked by the side of the house. I thought about getting to school by taking a walk but the consequences that might come with it may be unbearable. It could cost me getting to school late or getting me nauseous and tired, giving me pain all over my legs.

I got on my bicycle and took a ride on the road heading to school. I was pretty pumped with the words Anabel said to me. It kept playing in my head like a record on repeat. It pierced deep into my chest. Not like I cared when she teased me with her silly pranks but this time, her words were sharper than a knife. My mind was made up and I was going to get to school, march to class and give her the piece of my mind. Her actions were intolerable.

Reaching school in thirty minutes, I parked my bicycle at the bicycle parking area filled with different varieties of bikes in different sizes and colors. It was like a world on its own. I walked onto the school premises with a dirty look covered by my hood, preparing the words I was going to tell Anabel in my head.

"Elena!" Someone yelled my name behind my back, far from me. I was pretty sure this dress made me unrecognizable. I ignored it and continued walking.

"Elena!" The familiar voice sounded close before a being tapped me on my back. "Are you ignoring me?" That's when I realized it was Matthews.

"Nah. I'm not!" I answered calmly. Something I wasn't expecting.

"What's wrong?"

"You won't believe what happened last night," he'd have not believed. I was sure. "So I got a call from an unknown number and when I picked I sounded like KJ and I got all dreamy and stuff on the phone, not knowing it was a prank call from Anabel. Can you believe that?"

"Jeez! What the heck!" He knew what it felt like.

"She called me a loser. Why does she think she can treat people around anyhow she pleases? She doesn't run this school and she will never. She's gonna get the piece of my mind," I kept on ranting as we got to the corridor, heading towards our locker.

"Well here she comes," Matthews said looking behind me. My heart skipped a bit. She was coming from the school's main door. I guessed she was just getting to school. From anger, it turned to anxiety. I began to overreact. I had it within my feelings that it was going to be backlashed.

I retraced my steps backward, moving slowly away from Matthew and the coming devil. My eyes looked around for an empty class I could run into. My confidence dropped to zero and I knew I won't be able to tell Anabel in the eye that she was a fucking cunt. Banging the door open, I quickly got in and took a deep breath. I failed myself and Matthews.

The door opened and Matthews walked in trying to process what just happened. He saw me sitting on the floor with my legs folded, looking down so disappointed in myself.

"What just happened?" He laughed slightly, more like a giggle with his face all confused. He didn't see my actions coming.

"Well, I couldn't okay. I couldn't tell her how I felt about her stupid prank call."

"Out of the room now!" Matthews said rigidly. He opened the door wide expecting to be up on my feet to leave the room.

"I can't!" I resisted.

"Elena you're hiding."

"I don't want to run into her okay? I don't! Maybe I was bluffing," Maybe I was just too scared, I thought to myself.

"She pranked called you Elena!"

"Easy for you to say. Nothing seems to rattle you."

"Plenty of stuff rattles me. I just roll with it."

"Well this is how I want to roll with it," I pointed to myself sitting on the tiled floor with my legs folded into each other. "By the way, I love your outfit. It brings out your eyes." He put on a leather black jacket, covering his white shirt then a pair of blue jeans to match.

He smiled for about five seconds then his mood switched up. "Don't try to change the subject," he frowned while looking at me waiting for me to stand up.

"Okay best friend. Let's see what trouble you get into next so you won't get 'rattled'," I said closing the door to his face. He was already outside the room, just staring at what I had just done.

"One day Elena, one day you're not going to hide behind an empty class when they pick on you. You're going to stand up and let them know that you love yourself and what you looked like and there was nothing they could do about it. That's my wish for you. I just hope I'm there to see it," Matthews said behind the door. This was the part where he tried to motivate me and talk some sense but I wasn't ready to listen.

"La la la la la," I harmonized still sitting on the floor. My way of avoiding any further conversation.

"Elena are you seriously kidding–" I cut him off again, still harmonizing. He got quiet and that's when I realized that he had already left. I couldn't help it and now I felt bad. He was being honest about me learning to stand up for myself because he won't be there for me all the time. Maybe Elena isn't here yet.

I kept quiet while in the room, waiting for the commotion in the corridor to settle down so I could take my leave. And when I did, I got on my feet to open the door slightly. I looked at both sides of the corridor, checking if she was around the space. Closing the door not to be heard, I bumped into someone hard. I was caught up in my actions.

"I'm sorry, I'm really–" I stopped talking when I realized who it was. The one person I wasn't ready to meet today at all, KJ. I rubbed my head slowly regretting what I had done.

"It's not a problem. It seemed like you were hiding from something. Is everything alright?" He had to ask. I shook my head to the left and right, laughing so nervously because if my mouth opened to say something, I might just release the cat out of the bag.

"I'm sorry KJ, I got to go,' I didn't think twice before hurrying out of there, leaving him wondering what could be going on in my mind. At that moment I realized I didn't give him a chance to have a conversation with me again.

******

The day was over at last. I laid in my bed caught up in my feelings, staring up at the ceiling thinking about all possible things coming to my head. My parents were already worried and tried talking to me when I got back to school but I gave them the silent treatment and also ignored my sister all day.

My loss of appetite made me miss dinner. There was no point in me eating if my mind wasn't settled. Matthews words came back reflecting in my head. It was so hard to accept his words which were the truth and nothing more. He was right and it needed to sink in. I recalled the times in middle school when I was bullied because of my skin. I wasn't able to stand up for myself or talk back. I'd sit by the corner of the class, crying and regretting why I came to school today.

In other scenarios, I kept remembering them. They all had one similarity, I never stood up for myself. I never appreciated myself. I'd cover myself with my dress so as not to be noticed by anyone or anything. Being anonymous was better than being known for something you disliked.

My phone rang. I lifted myself from my bed to check who it was but it had no name on it. I remembered the last time I received a call from an unknown number. It was a prank call. I didn't care who it was but my thought was that it was Anabel. Perfect time to say my mind.

"Good evening," the voice said while I picked up the phone. With no remorse, I asked who it was.

"Sorry it's me KJ," it was Anabel playing another prank call on me.

You know Anabel you chose the wrong day to mess with me," I said fuming up to my assumption. "The next time I see you, I'm going to take my nails and shove them in your eyes. Do you understand me? I don't care if you call me a loser but the next time you try to body-shame me. I'll show you what pain feels like."

The voice became silent and all I could hear was someone breathing. It finally dawn on me when I realized it was truly KJ. I couldn't help but shout 'oh my god' after I just realized what I had done.