"Nanananana! Can't catch me!" Veronica giggled, running away with my favorite stuffed animal. My eyes widened in terror, and I chased her across the blacktop, my sneakers slapping on the chalk covered asphalt. During recess, the playground was crowded and noisy. I hated it, but of course, Veronica loved it. Especially the attention that came from crowds of children that didn't know any better. I only brought my stuffed animal along so recess would go by faster. I didn't admit it to anyone, but I preferred to be inside school, where the children were mandatorily quiet, and the teachers kept them from becoming a chaotic mob. But recess? That was when the teacher's lounge was filled with tired and bitter adults, worn out from parenting kids when it wasn't their job to do so. "Give Kitten back, Veronica!" I cried, and she turned around, raising the plush bunny above her head, its floppy ears hanging precariously. For some reason, there was a printing mistake on the tag the stuffed animal came with, and it had the name Kitten instead of Hip-Hop. I liked the name, though, and kept it. "Why, Laura? Stuffed animals are for babies!" she laughed. I felt stinging tears spring to my eyes, and I attempted to adopt a strong bravado, looking her in the eyes despite wanting to burst into tears. "Says the one whose room is filled with them!" I retorted, and she blinked in surprise, the children laughing at my response. Veronica never liked to be made fun of. But she did plenty of it to others. Her bottom lip quivered into a pout, and she shoved the bunny into my arms, the force knocking me to the ground. "You can't take a joke!" she sniffed, running away, making the crowd follow her earnestly. Except for one. He gave me a look of worry, and approached, reaching his hand out to me. "Are you okay?" ~ "Laura? Laura?" "…!" I burst back to reality with a shock, seeing a pair of emerald green eyes peer into my own, with the same look of worry from fourth grade that I remembered so vividly. I was laying on the sidewalk, my backpack sprawled out next to me, and he had a secure hand on my shoulder. "Leon…?" I muttered, fighting back a headache. He sighed in relief, helping me to my feet. "You weren't at the street corner yet, and I got worried." The street corner. It was where plenty of people met if they walked to school together. Leon and I weren't an exception. He had a car too, but for my sake, he didn't use it around me. He ran a hand through his brown-blonde hair, and handed me my backpack. "So, any reason why you passed out?" he asked, as we began to walk again. "I didn't have breakfast?" At the thought, I took a bite of my granola bar, hitching my bag higher on my shoulder. There was a silence between us, and he gave me a look of understanding. He knew what I was truly talking about. The school came into view, and I groaned inwardly. Today was not going to be pleasant, I knew that much. If I had any flashbacks like that, I was more tense than usual for the rest of the day, and usually secluded myself from people. "Be careful, okay?" Leon said, walking with me through the front entrance, away from the parking lot. I nodded in response, and he suddenly hugged me. I didn't know what to do, and awkwardly stood there. Like an idiot. "Don't scare me like that again, Kitten." he said. I swallowed back tears that threatened to appear, memories of fourth grade rushing back. I never parted with that bunny, and as a joke, Leon called me Kitten. It was like an insider for him. It was more of a sick, twisted reminder of my sister. "Kitten? What a stupid name!" Her voice sounded, and I froze, releasing myself from the hug. Leon looked at me curiously. "Laura? What's wrong?" "I have to go…" I mumbled, quickly turning away, and rushing to class. I reached up and wiped the single tear that dared to escape my eyes. I had to be strong. Or at least attempt to be. --------------------------------------------------- Awh. Memories Bunnies named Kitten? I think that's the only happy thing about this update.
I sat at a desk, in the back row, as usual. Ever since Veronica's death, I gradually chose seats further away from everyone, until this year, I ended up in the very back. Nobody liked to sit back there, really, and I liked it. There was an odd sort of silence, I could hear the teacher's voice, but it was muffled, making it easy to zone out. It wasn't like my grades were dropping, or anything. To my parents, though, they were. I went from all A pluses to A minuses. Now, I had double the burden of being the model daughter. At least when I had my sister, the less exemplary one could be hidden, and the other would be shown off. "…modern technology today, and how it is different from its earlier counterpart." the History teacher said, walking down the aisles with a bowl of folded papers, stopping in front of a student so they could pick. She finally arrived at my desk, wiping her curly auburn hair from her eyes with a smile. I reached into the bowl, my nails making a sharp clack against the glass. There was only one choice left. I fumbled for a bit, trying to open the paper and finally succeeded. My heart stopped. The Automobile. I quickly dropped the paper, looking up to see everyone was working already. It was too late for me to trade with anyone. Ms. June paused, looking at me. "Do you need help?" More than you think… I thought bitterly, and slowly shook my head. She smiled once more at me, and walked back to my desk. I always put myself in these situations. Ms. June was a pleasant and understanding woman, she wouldn't make me write about this if I told her. In fact, she'd probably excuse me from class, and send me to the guidance counselor. I should have spoken up, at least said something. But instead, I sat there. I looked down at the desk, to see that it was covered in tiny shreds of paper. I had torn the slip apart, making it unrecognizable. And I didn't even know I was doing it. Clenching my hands, I rose up from my chair, shoving the desk back. I hastily grabbed my backpack, and rushed down the aisle, making Ms. June look up from her computer. "Laura?" "Can I be excused?" I asked, not bothering to give an explanation. I truly didn't need to; my hands were shaking, and every time somebody made the tiniest noise, I flinched. "…o-of course…" she nodded. The students glanced at me in curiosity as I left, wondering what the Winters girl was up to. As soon as I exited the classroom, I walked past my locker, and straight out of the front door, letting my feet take me wherever. I wished I could be excused from life, sometimes. --------------------------------------------------- Poor girl.
Walking along the sidewalk, I made sure to stay near fences and such, in case I passed out again. I truly just wanted to go home, but I couldn't. I had no idea when my parents would return from work; their schedules always changed. I ran my hands over trees I passed, attempting to get a feel for what metal wasn't. In a way, it calmed me down. Ignoring a splinter I got, I crossed the street, trying to seem like I had a place to go, so the nosy small-town adults wouldn't report me. As I made it to the other sidewalk, a light gust of wind blew at my neck. I curiously looked up, noticing the leaves on the trees didn't move. At all. Pausing, I glanced behind me, to see nobody there. I convinced myself it was my mind playing tricks on me, and I continued to walk, lightly kicking pebbles out of my way. The sudden sound of feet rushing down a sidewalk nearby jolted me out of my melancholy mood, and made me walk a bit faster, speed walking beside the family owned stores, before I rounded a corner. Crap… an alleyway. I had no choice but to venture further into the darkness, walking over crumbled concrete, and lithely avoiding questionable trash items. The smell was utterly disgusting. But I didn't want to be caught… for some reason, I thought I was being followed. Hearing footsteps threw me in a state of paranoia. I quickly turned around, and my eyes widened at the silhouette of a man at the entrance of the alleyway. He looked around, before carefully walking in, his breathing obviously labored. There was a strap over his shoulder, and I realized it was a purse. The guy was a mugger. He stole the purse from somebody and got away. I pressed myself against the wall, praying he wouldn't notice me. He opened the purse, and my suspicions were verified when he simply dumped the contents out, organizing two piles of the expensive and useless. I shifted my weight to my other leg, and a nearby gin bottle toppled over. I froze, as the man stood up, looking over in my direction. "Who's there?" he said, his burly voice echoing through the alley. He stepped closer, and I had no choice but to back away, out into the open. "Hey!" he shouted, lunging for me. "Pick up the bottle." I scrambled back, shocked at the sound of her voice. Out of all times, why would I hear her now? I quivered, my vision becoming blurred. What had she said? "I said, pick up the bottle!" I did as I was told, even though I knew it couldn't be possible somebody was ordering me, and clutched the gin bottle in my hand. I raised it up, and the man arched an eyebrow. "A bottle? Really? That won't take me down." he reached into his pocket, producing a knife. The blade glinted menacingly, and I gulped. "No! Don't throw the bottle, break it against the wall. Then scream." I paused, and struck the bottle against the wall, making the bottom end shatter. It left jagged glass behind, and I looked to the guy, who had a bewildered expression on his face. Before he could say anything, I let out a bloodcurdling scream, making him panic. He held out his hands as if trying to quiet me down, but I continued to scream. The man gave up, running out of the alley, and rushed away. I dropped the bottle at my side, shaking with fear. I just fended off a criminal… with the help of my sister? Wiping a few tears away, I quickly exited the alley, deciding to walk home anyways. --------------------------------------------------- What is this?!