The Self Harmed by Chalen D. (electric book reader TXT) 📕

“I had a lapse in judgment!”

He laughed, “What kind of judgment? He had his hands on you!”

“My Dad cheated on my Mom, I’d never cheat. Don’t you remember how I felt?”

“No I don’t!” He grabbed my arms. “You never tell me anything!”

“Let her go bro.” Alex grabbed Ryder’s arms.

We all stood still, until Alex grabbed One of Ryder’s hands and made him let my arm go. Ryder tossed his hands up and through his hair as he hurried down the hall, Alex and I watched him go.

Alex looked at me, “What are you doing Charlie?”

My mouth popped open as I held up both hands. Alex sighed, and jogged after Ryder.

“God!” I stomped back to my room.

I grabbed the Mirror off the wall and tossed it. It broke into little pieces. As If I was possessed my feet shuffled to the glass. I bent down and grabbed a piece of the glass. I slowly stood up, and someone grabbed me from behind and pinned my upper arms down.

“Drop it Charlie.” Caden whispered.

The piece of glass slipped from my hand, breaking into three pieces when it hit the floor.

“It’s okay.” He dragged me away from glass and to the door.

The door flew open and a male nurse stood there.

“What’s going on?” He demanded.

“Teenage girl drama. I’ll clean it up.” Caden explained.

The Nurse nodded once and then shut the door. I wasn’t crying this time or even shaking. I was just standing there frozen. Numb.

“Charlie?” Caden asked. He pulled back when I didn’t answer. “Charlie?”

He shook me and then smacked at my face a little. “Charlie, look at me.”

My eyes flashed to his, “What do you want?”

He sighed in relief and then pulled me into a hug. He picked me up and carried me to my bed.

“You stay here and I’ll take care of the glass.”

I turned on my side and watched him clean up the glass piece by piece. He grabbed the small trash can and tossed in the big pieces first.

Clara and Owen sat at a table in the food hall arguing back and forth at lunch. Alex, Ayelie and Ryder sat at another one, not too far away, probably listening in. I sat down at an empty table.

“Why where you holing her arms?” Clara hissed.

“I was helping her. You used to not care when I helped her.”

“You’re my boyfriend now. Things are different. You are supposed to help me and Ryder will most likely agree with me. You help me, he helps her.”

“Because you know Ryder so well.”

“What does that mean?”

“She’s my best friend, and if you two can’t understand that, then it’s because you two have your own issues. And if you really think for a second I would do that to You, let alone Ryder, then don’t ever talk to me again.”

He pushed his chair back and stood up, spotting me. I sat up taller, and then he hurried from the room. I sagged back down. Caden dropped two trays on the table and sat down. He slid a tray across to me.

“You have to eat Charlie.”

“They hate me.”

“Stop looking at them.” He said, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I leaned in, “I didn’t cheat on him.”

“I know that.”

“So why doesn’t he?”

“Because he’s a dumb ass?” Caden offered.

I gave him a half smile. Clara had her head down on the table. Ryder walked over to her, and bent down touching her arm. She looked down at him, and he said something to her. She nodded and wiped at her face. He gave her a hug, and then stood up. He patted her arm, and then looked at me. I quickly looked down at my tray.

“He’s looking at me."

“He’s coming over. You want me to say something?”

“Only if he insults me.”

Caden nodded once.

“Charlie, Can I talk to you?”

I nodded and stood up. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the food hall.

“Clara doesn’t think you two cheated together.” He said.

“Because we didn’t.” I told him. “And Like Owen said if you think we would then-“

He grabbed my face and kissed me.

“What are you doing?” I spat at him. “You accuse me of cheating and then kiss me?”

“You two where so close.”

“You should have asked!” I yelled at him. “Damn it Ryder, I love you! Not Owen. What do you not get? Clara is my best friend, I would never hurt her, and she should fucking know that!”

“Charlie, calm down.”

“Our relationship is toxic.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“All couples fight,”

“Not like us.”

“Other couples aren’t like us.” He hissed at me.

We both were quiet as we stared at each other.

“Don’t you think," I began, “That I actually love you enough to not cheat on you?”

“Charlie.” Someone hissed.

I opened an eye, and looked around my room.

“Charlie!” They hissed again.

Go away. I closed my eye.

“Charlie, wake the fuck up!” Someone shook me.

“What!” I hissed sitting up my hands held out ready to strangle the neck of whoever was trying to wake me up. “What?”

“Clara’s not in her room.” Owen flipped on the lamp by my bed.

“And you know this how?”

“Because I went to her room to talk to her.”

“What does this have to do with me?” I demanded. “I still have my own boyfriend to make up with.”

“Don’t you think It’s a little funny how we bother are fighting with them, they both start sneaking secrets and We All are left out of what they’re talking about?”

I looked at the door, to Owen, and then back at the door.

“Get up.” He tossed the blankets off of my legs.

I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. We snuck three doors down and I softly knocked on Ryder’s door. Owen sighed and pushed open the door. I looked at him and he held up his hands. I smacked him silently, and then pushed open the door all the way. Owen Hurried down the hall and I took a step into Ryder’s room. His bed was made without a wrinkle.

I left the room and ran after Owen. When I got close enough, he stuck his hand out behind him. I grabbed onto his hand and he pulled me down the hall. We made it to the lobby and in front of the attendance office.

“What are we doing here?” I asked him.

“Give me one of your pins.” He held out a hand.

I sighed and reached into my hair for a bobby pin. I handed it over and stood watch as he picked the lock.

“Don’t you think it’s a little creepy that there’s nobody in the front office?” I demanded, in a whisper.

He stood up, “I’m in.”

We hurried into the office. Owen hurried over to the computer, and I locked the door. I stood next to him.

“They missed last period and dinner.” He said, and then eyed me. “I didn’t see you at dinner either.”

“So you think I’m helping them?” I demanded, smacking him in the back of the head.  

He typed something into the computer, and I picked up a folder, and flipped through some pages.

“Look at this.” I held out the paper. “Someone sighed them out right before sixth period.”

“Who signed it?” He took the paper.

“No one signed it Owen, which means-“

“The hospital took them.”

We looked at each other.

Owen opened his mouth to say something, and then the door knob jiggled. I snatched the paper from Owen and set it back in place. Owen turned off the screen and we dove under the desk pulling the chair into place. Owen flipped a little switch on the back of the tower that shut down the whole thing. I reached up, and grabbed my pin by the key board.

“What are you doing?” He whispered.

I held up the pin and He sighed. The door opened and I looked at him wide eyed. He pulled me under his arm and held my mouth shut.  A pair of black shoes came into view, and I pushed deeper under the desk, and Owen stroked my face with his thumb.

“Where is it?” The male voice asked.

“It’s right on the desk.” A female said, “Do I have to do everything myself?”

Heels began to click and with ever click that got closer it was like death. If we got caught Owen would get off with a warning. But me however, this wouldn’t be my first time getting caught after curfew. Who knows what they’ll do to me. They’ll probably make me eat five hundred brownies in one sitting, or worse.

“Here.” Something rustled on the desk, and then the Woman smacked the man. “Let’s go.”

“People are going to start asking questions.” The male said.

“No they won’t.” The Woman’s heels were getting farther away. “Kids disappear all the time. Clara and Ryder are no different.”

I looked at Owen, who told me, Sh, with no noise. They said something from behind the closed door, and then walked away. We popped up from under the desk.

“They have them."

“Be quite.” He grabbed my face.

“What if they need help?”

He grabbed my hand and we went to the door. He slowly opened the door and looked around. He waved me out of the room into the lobby. He locked and shut the door before taking my hand. Dodging nurses we hurried back to my room.

“What do we do now?”

“Nothing we can do now.” He said. “Get some sleep.”

“I can’t,” I grabbed his arm. “My sleeping pill wore off, you made sure of that.”

“I’ll talk to you in the morning.” He hurried down the hall.

I heard a small sniff and my head jerked in that direction. Ayelie’s door quickly shut with a click, but not before I saw a pale cheek. I shut my door and hurried down a door, on my side of the hall. I reached for the knob, but the door swung open. I jumped, as Caden pulled me inside by my wrist. He looked around the hall and then shut the door. We sat down on his bed and I told him everything.

The door knob turned and we gasped. The door pushed open and Ayelie’s little head poked in followed by the rest of her.

“Shit!” Caden hissed.

“Damn!” I hissed.

“Fuck!” She hissed and jumped.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“I saw you sneaking around.” She grinned, “I hate being left out you know.”

“I thought you were staying out of this.” Caden said.

“I have to stay out of it but you get to know everything?” She demanded.

“He’s my brother.”

“He doesn’t know Clara like I do.” She said, crossing her arms. “By the way you and Owen are the schools gossip. Not a