breaking glass by KLeena Girl (books to read in your 30s .txt) 📕

bashed the metallic tool away. A sudden jolt of pain rushed through her body and she held her left side. Whimpering softly, she turned off the light and lay herself down onto her bed. She blinked back her tears, she would not cry, she told herself. Serena didn’t know, if it was because of the pain or something else. She was just wondering, What the hell is wrong with me?

* * *


The next day, Serena woke up early. Thank goodness, her parents had to work today, it was Monday. After waking up her brother and making breakfast for him, the 13-year-old headed off to school. She had calmed down a bit after last night, but she still feared the confrontation in school. Knowing that the two boys visited the same school as her was not very comforting. However, she just had to stand the day, Serena told herself, since she didn’t want to appear suspicious. She already was to her friend Jenny, because she had left yesterday’s party without even saying goodbye. Serena hoped Jenny wouldn’t make a fuss about that fact. Desperately trying to act as casual as ever, she walked across the school yard. She recognized, that her hopes hadn’t been appreciated, when she saw Jenny coming towards her, along with her brother Lucas and David.
„Serena”, Jenny greeted her, „there you are. I was worried about you.” Serena was pulled into a quick hug. Oh no, did Jenny know?
„You left without saying anything, are you okay?” Apparently she did not know, but Serena couldn’t be sure. She met Lucas’ gaze, but his eyes didn’t betray him. Unsure of what to say, Serena answered, „I’m sorry, Jenny. I didn’t feel well. I’m sorry…”
„It’s okay”, Jenny said and smiled, “I’m glad you’re fine now. You are, right?”
„Yeah, I – I am”, Serena stuttered, relieved at seeing Jenny’s happy expression.
„Okay, then let’s go inside. See you later, brother.” When Jenny pulled her away with her, Serena dared to look back. David and Lucas stood there, unfazed, in silence. She was okay with their behaviour so far, yet it freaked her out. Their attitude wasn’t easy to look through and she certainly didn’t trust them.
The lessons went over without any remarkable incidents. Jenny hadn’t acted differently, either. After Serena had waved her goodbye, she made her way over to her bike. Unlocking the chain, she noticed someone approaching her.
„Jenny’s already headed to the bus station”, she commented.
„I didn’t look for her.” The brown-haired boy said. „I actually wanted to find you.”
Serena sighed. Her hands were wrapped around the bicycle. „Look - Lucas, right?”
He didn’t reply, but stepped forwards.
„I’m fine. What do you want?” Her voice poured down onto him like sugary-sweet syrup. Though, he didn’t let himself be affected by her ‘obvious welfare’.
„I want you to talk to somebody. It doesn’t have to be me. But do you think I haven’t noticed those bandages around your wrists?” His eyes gazed down on her gently, but firmly. He didn’t want her to think he was trying to tease her or making her look stupid.
„Oh come on. That’s nonsense!” Her voice turned dark, even malicious. All of her kind tone was gone. „I’m fine. And now I want to go home.” She tried to step up on her bike, but Lucas stopped her by holding her arm.
„Why do you keep saying that you’re fine?”
Serena wriggled and made some poor attempts to free herself. She was getting a little bit panicked now. His grip didn’t loose. „Let me go, idiot!”
„Is it because you’re afraid to let someone help you?” He yelled at her and instantly regretted it, as he saw tears welling up in her eyes. Deep down he knew he hadn’t any right to judge over the young girl.
„Why do you care? You don’t even know me! So leave me alone!” In a quick movement she pulled herself out of his grip and rode away.
Deep brown eyes stared at the girl’s slender form leaving the school area. Lucas definitely didn’t like where this was going. She was right, he didn’t even know her. Yet, he couldn’t just let this pass by. This wasn’t about not liking a person. This was about losing a person. Knowing her or not, it didn’t matter. Lucas wasn’t going to stand there and watch a 13-year-old girl commit suicide. Someone had to do something soon. Someone had to stop her before she could do more harm to her own body. Before she would take her own life. Kill herself.
Lucas was this someone.


* * *


Another day, another argument. Her parents had been fighting so hard today, that her mother had been taken to a psychiatric clinic, while her father just had driven away with the car. She was alone now, Steven was sleeping at the neighbours’. Sadly she looked around the house. There were splinters of glass everywhere. A broken vase and overturned chairs. She went upstairs to go into her room, the only place of shelter left. She sat down in front of the mirror watching her own image. Why had this jerk called Lucas looked for her today? Why did he pretend that he cares? Serena couldn’t explain it, but she was annoyed by it. Slowly she pulled out a knife, it was her usual cutter. She looked at her bandaged arms. Just a few cuts here and there and it would be all over. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She felt so small, so insignificant. No one ever bothered to care about her. They all went by watching. The trust in her parents she had lost a long while ago. They never appreciated anything she did and never talked to her. Most of the time they simply ignored her. So, what if she died on this warm, sunny afternoon? There was surely nobody who would miss her. Maybe this freaky boy might wonder what happened to her, but he would forget it just as quickly. She held the blade at the skin of her left underarm. She couldn’t understand why she had been so scared last night. Today the solution seemed so perfectly clear to her. And this time there would be no one to stop her.


* * *


Lucas rushed through the streets searching desperately for the house Serena lived in. When he finally came across it, he didn’t even bothered knocking or pressing the bell.
The door already stood open, so he wasted no time and went in. A jolt of shock ripped through him. The inside of the house looked like a hurricane has been all over it recently. Glass splinters, broken furniture, everywhere he looked. He ran through the rooms of the first floor, no trace of Serena. Maybe he was wrong, maybe she didn’t go here after school. Perhaps she wanted to lie herself down on the railroad or jump from a bridge. Or perhaps she was fine after all? Lucas shook his head. Now was the moment to find her, not to make such stupid assumptions. He found the stairs and hurried them up. A hushed noise came from the last room on the floor.
He pushed in it and came to see Serena kneeling in front of a mirror. In her hand she held a cutter ready to slice open her own veins. In the spur of the moment he ran to her, grabbing both wrists of hers in his hands.
„Stop”, Lucas shouted.
Shocked and full of fear, Serena let go of the knife. It fell onto the wooden ground. She looked at the intruder, expecting an angry reaction and words about how dumb she was. But those never came. Lucas wrapped his long and thin arms around her body and pulled her close. Serena couldn’t say if she was breathing at all. Time seemed to stop, while she waited for Lucas saying anything. When he finally opened his mouth, all he whispered was: „It’s all right. I’m here for you, Serena

.”
Her walls, built up over so many weeks living in agony, crashed down. Her eyes were filling with tears and she sobbed down into his chest. Her body had a complete breakdown. Her muscles gave in and she couldn’t hold herself up anymore. That’s why Lucas tried to support her by sitting down and letting her slump against his torso. The salty liquid kept coming, but Lucas made no attempt to stop her crying. Serena needed this now. He could feel all the tension and false expectations leaving her petite frame. After some time, Serena spoke up. Her voice was cracked with sobs, yet he managed to get what she was telling him.
„Please…please don’t tell my parents. I…I don’t want them… to know!”
Lucas’ hands stroked over her back, soothing her a little. „It’s okay. Nobody will tell them. But –“
Serena looked up at the boy. Fear blazed in her green eyes.
„We need to get you to another place. If you stay here, we can’t take care of you.”
Serena’s voice was more controlled now. „But where should I go? I have nobody to stay at…and who do you mean with ‘we’?” She sniffed and used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears.
„Don’t worry”, Lucas smiled honestly, „I have an idea. You’ll see.”


* * *


„You want me to what?” The exclamation was followed by furious head shaking.
„Oh come on, David. I’m not asking you to marry her”, Lucas groaned, „Just let her stay for some weeks or months…You have more than enough room for her!”
„How do you think this will work? What about her parents? And my father? Our house isn’t a hotel!” David walked around the column in the big living room.
„Newton, I beg you! Please don’t leave me hanging!” Lucas followed him.
Serena watched the scene and couldn’t help but feel a bit ignored. They were talking about her near future and they acted like she wasn’t even in the same room as them. „Hey”, she spoke up, „it’s okay, I’ll find another place to stay.”
Lucas gestured wildly. „Look. Look what you’ve done, Newton! Now she thinks you’re denying her a small place to stay for the time being. Yep, you’re really an emotionless, cold-hearted jerk. See this poor girl searching for a bed to sleep and you reject her and send her on the street!”
Serena couldn’t stand it anymore. She laughed. It was so funny how Lucas was making a drama out of everything and to see these boys fighting over something so simple. So she laughed with all her heart. The brunette didn’t notice them staring at her like she was some kind of alien. But when she did, she stopped. „What?”
David grinned. „Okay, she can stay, but only for a temporary period of time.”
„I’m fine with that, if you are Serena.” Lucas replied and turned towards her.
„I am, but what about your parents?” She asked shyly. What if David’s parents would tell hers?
„Don’t worry”, David explained, „my parents are divorced and my mum lives in England. And my father is never here. He is busy with work.”
„If that’s settled, then let’s pick up some of your stuff and get it over here, Serena.” Lucas suggested.
It didn’t take long for the three of them to fetch up Serena’s things and bring them to the Newton mansion. Nope, mansion wasn’t an exaggeration. David’s father was a diplomat, managing economic trade processes between Russia and Germany. So of course, he had a high salary, which was spent also on this beautiful villa. The house itself was great, had five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a sauna and a pool. But the room triggering Serena the most – she wasn’t used to magnificent