Yes, these chapters are going to be short because it is a short story. Sorry!

Dedicated to SayThatAgain cause she's cool and I like her story :)

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I woke up the next day with stomach pains. When I got up, pain burst inside my head and my hand instinctively reached out to grab it. I breathed in and out and messaged my forehead to soothe the pounding.

"Rachel?" my step-mom asked from the doorway and I looked at her with tired eyes. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" The kindness and worry in her voice made me feel like crap, especially since I had treated her like crap for the last week.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, staying still for a few seconds until the dizziness faded. Then I stumbled past her to the bathroom, cutting in front of my eight-year-old half-brother, Stefan.

"Hey! I have to pee!" he cried, but I slammed the door in his face.

Looking at my reflection made me realize how horrible I looked. My brown hair was lying limply on my shoulders, a few locks tangled together to make little clumps. There were dark, prominent circles underneath my eyes which were puffy from all the crying I'd been doing. Dries tear tracks lingered on my cheeks and my usually tan face was pale and lacking color.

With a shake of my head, I did my daily morning routine. School started again today, now that Spring Break had ended and I didn't want to go back to school smelly and looking a mess. I couldn't let them see that how much Ben's actions had really affected me.

I put on eyeliner and mascara, then streaked my lips with pink gloss. I straightened by normal spirals and took a deep breath as I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked almost myself again. The only thing missing was the sparkle in my eyes.

I doubted I'd ever have that sparkle back.

-

Whispers surounded me as I walked into the high school. I held my head high, refusing to let them bring me down with their hurtful words. I kept trying to chant those familiar words in my head: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

But I knew it was bullshit. Cruel words hurt had the ability to hurt way more than a punch in the gut.

"Hey Rachel." Kate approached me tentatively and smiled. She was my best friend, but I didn't know where we stood now. I had been ignoring her calls, refusing to see her and deleting her texts for a week.

"Hi," I murmured, wrapping my arms around myself and gazing at her under hooded eyes.

"You alright?" she asked me, taking another step. I pursed my lips and just stared at her. She could see right through me. I didn't have to say anything. Without another word, Kate's arms closed around me and she hugged me tightly, right in the middle of the hallway.

I wanted to break down crying again, but I stopped myself and only struggled to breathe in and out properly. A few minutes of just standing there, we broke apart silently and she walked me to my locker. The whispers had stopped by now and I was grateful.

"I gotta get to homeroom, but I'll see you in second period," she told me, squeezing my shoulder. I nodded briefly and opened my locker, instantly freezing as I looked at the inside of the door.

Photos. So many of them. Memories that were caught in print forever. Memories that I could never replace or let go. Memories that used to bring so much happiness within me, but now only brought pain.

I didn't bother to look at pictures and knelt down to gather my books quietly. But then it felt like a cold draft had entered the school and I looked up towards the door. My gut was telling me to look away, that something big was going to happen. Something out of my control, something that could seriously hurt me.

I didn't follow my gut like I should've. And when he came in with her, it was like someone had just ran me over with an eighteen-wheeler.