C2 The Incident

Trigger warning: self-harm and suicide

Abigail's POV

I remembered Linda and Beatrice's friendship. It was one I was envious of. They were the most bullied pair in the school owning to the fact that Beatrice stammered and Linda had been tagged a loser for being her only friend. The two girls had a bond that haunted me and made me smile at the same time. The bond was only possible between two people that mutually understood and cared for one another.

All the time the girls were bullied, pranked and maimed. From making them snack shuttles to pushing their heads into toilets. Candice made sure the boys in her group did even worst beating and even unwanted touching. One time they mixed urine into their drinks. They became laughing stocks. They even froze Beatrice's face when she was taking and gave the unfortunate nickname 'ugly betty'.

I came to bail them out but I couldn't everywhere. I realised that Beatrice started gaining confidence when she won a story writing competition and stood up to Candice one day. They went down on the bullying but no one was prepared for the incident that would occur on a seemingly regular Wednesday morning.

Author's POV

It was an early morning after the assembly had ended. Then shouting was heard from downstairs. The teacher soon gets a phone call and rushes downstairs and of course, the students follow.

At the scene, everyone was greeted with what stopped them in their tracks. It didn't stop most students from pulling out their phones and recording.

Linda was holding a knife to her neck. "You did this, you did this" she screamed no one dare come close in fear of what she would do to them or herself. "You could have stopped it you could have stopped everything"

"Calm down, please" our homeroom teacher begged

"Don't you tell me to calm down" she edged the knife closer to her neck. "I told you what they were doing to her to us but you being the lazy bitch that you are told us to shake hands, did it fix anything? Did it?"

"You are being rude young la..." The principal started

"I thought I said I didn't want to listen to what you have to say" she shut him down angrily. She started to laugh "why don't you tell us how much they paid you, huh? You knew what happened on Monday and now... now... now" she stammered off. She was losing it and wasn't listening to anyone. An unfamiliar voice came from the back.

Abigail's POV

It was replaying in front of me all over again. The last time I failed to stop her... Zara. This time had to be different. I made up my mind and stepped out.

"I know what they did to her, we saw everything, I understand but you have to tell me, what happened?" she just needed to vent if she said what was on her mind she would break down and drop the knife.

"She phoned... me" Linda stammered holding back her tears her but eyes were already puffy and red.

"Tris called, what did she say?" Tris was what Linda called Beatrice.

"She said she was sorry" she continued

"Yes, then what did you say?"

Linda looked around like she couldn't recognize the faces that surrounded her.

"Eyes on me, Linda tell me what happened" I pointed at my eyes to get her attention.

"I asked her why she was sorry but she ended the call oh Abigail but something didn't seem right" she clenched the knife tighter as she finally let the tears that had gathered In her eyes fall.

I almost panicked. "Then what did you do?" I asked my eyes darting from the knife to her face.

"I went to her house, It was opened and I went to her room" she stopped, gulped and closed her eyes tears slipping through her eyelids.

"Tell me what you saw in her room Linda, you have to tell me" I was scared myself to hear it.

"She, she... "

"She what?" I said my eyes pleading but my heart pounding

"She was dangling from her ceiling fan"

The crowd around us gasped while some students stopped filming on their phones. It was as if people had forgotten about the knife in her hand.

I managed to talk as I felt numb. " Then, what happened?"

"I got her down, called for help and put her on my lap"

Linda gulped and looked me in the eye "Abigail, she was breathing."

I couldn't talk when she continued.

"She opened her eyes and said" she turned to her left.

I looked in that direction and it was Candice and her group of bullies

'Tell them to stop' Linda quoted Beatrice. The tears in her eyes doubled as she finally said "she closed her eyes and I felt her leave" before she went down on her knees and became a sobbing mess.

I ran to her and pulled the knife stylishly from her hands and hugged her head to my chest so she could let it out. I heard her parent coming from a distance and let her go.

We were told to get to class but I went to the toilet to clean myself up.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was frustrated I was unable to stop it from happening again. I pushed people away from me, so if they ever left it wouldn't hurt but why did my heart ache so much. I pushed both the girls away but why... why?

I shed the tears I had been holding in. Beatrice was gone and Linda seeing her in that condition... She would never recover.

Linda seemed to know something. Something else had happened the Beatrice I had seen last time wouldn't have this and Linda knew something she came and blamed like... and what happened on Monday?

"Do you want to do it like last time?" Zara asked in the mirror her body covered with cuts and gunshot wounds.

"No, Zara," I said "different way this time" I assured.

Zara left again like she always did.

I took out my pills, swallowed one, washed my face and walked back to class.