Barely Breathing by my_mind_speak a.k.a R.G Teongson (reading a book .TXT) 📕

I haven't even got the chance to vote this story myself when he/she beats me to it. :D


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"Have you seen her . . .?"

"Oh my God! Is that Aislyn Woods . . .?"

"THE Aislyn Woods . . . ?"

"Shit, it really is Aislyn Woods . . . "

"What is she doing here . . . ?"

"Isn't she the one who killed her boyfriend . . . ?"

"Shut up, she's looking . . .!"


I stop dead on my tracks. I swallow the hard lump in my throat and calm myself, clenching my fist, I lower my head and tug my hoodie to hide my face. I ignore the students whispering and fleeting glances. I knew going back here is a bad idea. Hearing people talk about me since the day we moved back was draining my energy. Everytime I come out from the house people would always stare with cold expression on their faces and some people tried to be discreet about it.

Everywhere I go and everywhere I look people would look at me with judging eyes. It was degrading and when I'm on the edge I just want to shout at them, they didn't know what happened three years ago. It wasn't my fault that he died. I loved Luke and he was everything to me. One day he just changed. He became distant and always dosing off in the middle of the day. I would ask him if he was alright and he would nod and brush me off.

It was Cara's fifteenth birthday when it all happened. Everything started out as perfect but not for long. . .


"Happy birthday, Cee!" I shouted after I came out from where I was hiding, behind the living room's door.

"You bitch! I can totally see you in that mirror!" She laugh, pointing to the mirror that was facing the door.

She was right, you can totally see me. I mentally slap my forehead. I sigh and hand her my super cool present.

She was laughing while tearing the gift wrap in shreds, "Don't be too hard on yourself. I was surprised, really." I smile at my best friend, she always know how to make me smile, "I mean who wouldn't get surprise by your face?" She stuck out her tongue and holding two fingers doing the 'Peace' sign. It was our way to tell that it was a joke.

I knew she was joking, "Of course, who wouldn't be? They would be so awe with my beauty that I would left them wanting for more," I said in the most snobbish way as possible.

She snorted, "You are so full of yourself. You should get an ego check, Ya kno'?" She pulled out my present from the box and gasp, she excitedly said, "This is . . . A hamsters cage?" and finished dryly. "Really? Are you for real? I don't even have a hamster." She raised her eyebrow, "You are such a bitch."

"You call me bitch a lot. You know it's not really a term of endearment," I said. "And of course there's a hamster. Do you really think I would put it there and let it suffocate?"

"You have a point there," she muttered, "But where is it?!" She asked impatiently, holding both of my shoulder to violently shake me.

My vision started to get blurry, "Whoa there," I blinked a couple of times and sit in the sofa shaking my head.

"Where is it?!" She demanded.

"Okay! Okay!" I hold my hands in the air in surrender, "jeesh, if I didn't know you better I would think you're on crack." I get up and walk towards the closet underneath the stairs. I open the door and snatch the plastic cage. My eyes narrow in confusion. I tried weighing the plastic cage holding it up, down, up, down. Here's the cage . . . Now, where the hell is the stupid hamster!?

"I'm dying in here!" Cee shouted from the living room.

"I'll be right there!" I answer back weakly.

"You are so slow! I told you I'm dying. I'd be probably dead if it was true." She snap, "Now where is it?" She ask, beaming, bouncing off her seat.

"You see . . .The thing is." I take a sharp breath. "It's gone," I said, smiling sheepishly at her.

"What do you mean gone?" She ask, the smile was wiped off from her face.

"Gone, nada, no hamster-"

"Okay," She simply said, shrugging her shoulder.

"You are not upset?" I asked, making sure that she's not.

"A little," she admitted, "because it was from you," she said and quickly added, "Ok, honestly? No. It'll be dead in a week anyway." She wave her hand, dismissing the subject.

"Week? More like three days," I joke and we giggle.

"But!" She holds up her forefinger, "you're going with me." pointing her finger to herself, "Shannon and Drew is going to the old Everglot Mansion up the hill and I promised I'll go with them."

I groan. Not the Everglot Mansion! It was so creepy there, and there were a lot of ghost sightings reported at that mansion. I'm not saying I believed in them but the place just gives me the creeps and it's a private property so we could get in trouble just by going inside.

"C'mon! Ace! Puh-leeeeeese?" Her lower lips jutted out and her face form into a complete puppy dog face mode.

"Aww, Cee! Don't do that!" i scold her which makes her puppy dog face extends to full blast, "darn it! Ok! You know I'm a sucker for that face!" I grumble, "What time is it?"

"Eleven-ish?" She shrug, "I'll call your mom and tell her you're staying here because it's your best friend's birthday and I'm having a slumber party," she said in glee. Grinning at the idea, she started to pick up the phone and soon after it's decided, she's staying the night, not exactly here.


I realize that walking in the hallway is much more suffocating than walking outside. I can hear the whispering much louder in here. I don't know that it's possible walking with my hoodie practically covering my whole face and I still manage to dodge people bustling through the busy hallway.

I walk faster towards the cafeteria. I dodge a lot of human, sensing their heat waves but the only one who I didn't sense bump into me, hard.

The girl stumble and stick her left foot backwards, steadying herself. "What the hell, you freak?!" She sneer.

I know that voice. My head snap up staring straight into Cara's green eyes, my best friend. My mood lift up and all the negative vibes that I've been getting all week disapeared. She's here, my best friend is here. The only one who knows the truth and the only one who can understand me.

"Cee?" I need to hear her voice, to see that she's real. For the first time I smile genuinely not forced. Cee's eyes widened in fear. Wait, fear?

"Kay! We need to go now!" a barbie look a like whine, "Who the- Oh, it's you," she said, not hiding the distaste in her voice. She smirked, "Oooh, so you wan't some time catching up with your best friend?" She mock.

"What? Her?" She said pointing her pink manicured finger at me, "Best friend? Why would I be best friend with a psycho killer and a norm?" She and her cliques giggle, flipping their hair and each one of them bump me in the shoulder

I couldn't care less. My breathing stopped and so is my world. Why would she say that? Me? A psycho killer? She knows what happened that night. My smile turn into a frown. I tried processing every single word she said but my mind can't.

"Hey, don't mind them. They're just being theirself, you know? being a bitch. C'mon you can sit with us." She steered me towards their table.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"So, I guess you're a norm now, huh?" She asked, swallowing a big piece of her hamburger. I wrinkle my nose in amusement.

"Yeah, I guess so . . ." I trailed off.

"I'm Shannon Hale." She smile. "He's Drew Barr and Marine Clairn Tan- but you can call her Clairn." They wave at me and started to talk to me like we've been friends a long time ago. I remember Shannon and Drew, they invited Cara to the Everglot mansion.

"I'm Aislyn Woods," I said, putting one of those fake smile that I always use.

"We already know that," Clairn said. "Aislyn Woods, eighteen years old, eyes: green, hair: blonde but dyed it black then blonde again, cup siz-."

"Whoa, stop right there, chipper. We're fine from what we know, no need to be like that, okay?" He asked, Lexi nodded solemnly, Drew's smiled wider and pat her head like saying 'good dog!'

"Why are you talking to me? Aren't you afraid of Cara now she's one of the 'Cliques'." I said doing air qoutes. Just mentioning Cara's name brought unpleasant feelings, there was something off about her. I wonder what that is.

"Don't you know the saying 'keep your enemies friend closer?"

"No, isn't that supposed to be 'keep your enemies closer?" Drew countered Shannons saying.

From what I know Shannon and Drew are best friend since they were kids. Shannon is a goth/emo kind of girl, her hair was dyed with red on the other side and black on the other, her eyes was heavily painted with black eye liner and eye shadow. Drew- well, Drew is gay. That's all I know.

"Anyway! Friends?" Shannon said, sticking out her hand.

I hesitated first, "Friends." shaking her hands to end the deal but she yank me and hug me.

"Group hug!" Drew whailed and joined hugging me. Clairn patted my shoulder awkwardly.


**


"Cee, are you sure about this?" I pointed the flashlight at the big oak wood door. There was a wolf statue both at the end of the stairs and at the top of the door was a head of a wolf.

As we stood there gazing at the dilapidated house, I shivered, as though ice had replaced my spine. The cold air enveloped my entire body. The multiple layer of clothing could not protect against the deathly cold. The walkway leading up to house were cracked. Weeds and dandelions poked out from these cracks. Red roses grown wildly in thick