Tear Streaked Face

The police walked into the dark room to find a boy about sixteen years of age sprawled on the floor with blood pooled around him. The boy’s curly dark colored hair was covering his face from view of the officers. Lying on the floor not to far from his hand was a rusty pocket knife covered in blood. This should never have happened but it started two years ago when Jackson was fourteen.
It was the summer before Jackson would start the ninth grade and he had just celebrated his fourteenth birthday. Jackson was with his only friends Peter, and Taylor wreaking havoc to the local park’s pigeons. He was a very shy child and had trouble making friends as he was always one of the smallest kids in his classes and didn’t voice his opinion much. Jackson was approached by a few of the upperclassmen of his school; Rob, Kellan and Nikki. They were very popular and it seemed that everyone wanted to be their friend.
Kellan strolled up to them and was the first to speak.
“You go to our school right?” He questioned the timid teens’.
Kellan could be described as a giant compared to others. He was taller than most and very strong; he looked almost like a grizzly bear with his shaggy dark hair and large frame.
“Y-ye-yeah...” Jackson had managed to say. Not wanting to embarrass himself in the presence of the upperclassmen.
“We should hang out sometime. You seem like you could use some older, wiser people to help you around school.” Nikki was next to talk. Her brunette colored hair was cascading down her back, framing her gorgeous ivory colored skin and dark brown eyes. Jackson, Taylor, and Peter thought this was extremely nice of them since upperclassmen didn’t usually talk to younger students in their town. Rob had yet to speak but was looking very scary with his pilled high with an unruly mess of copper colored hair and bluish grey eyes.
From that day on Rob, Kellan, and Nikki would hang out with Jackson and His friends laughing, joking around and having fun. They would hang out on the playground, and just talk like many teenagers did. Jackson eventually got the courage to invite them over to his house with the permission of his parents.
That summer quickly came to an end and Jackson and his friends found themselves in their first class on their first day of high school. Jackson was in all advanced classes as he was a very gifted student. He walked into his chemistry class and looked around the cream colored room with poster on the walls and the red tiled floor. The room contained six large black lab tables that were cleaned and ready for the school year. He finally focused on the people in the room to find that Rob, Nikki, and Kellan were all in his class. They were having a conversation about a new movie that had recently come out. Rob was draped over the back of his chair while Nikki was draped over Kellan. Feeling less nervous he went up to them and asked to sit down. They glanced over at him and quickly turned back to a conversation they were having. Jackson asked again, but he was still ignored, so he decided to ask yet again.
“Come on guys can’t I sit here? We hung out all summer. You remember right?” Jackson voice was starting to sound as if he were begging. Rob decided to respond to him.
“Get out of here ya stupid kid. Go sit with someone else. No one at this table knows you.” With that said Jackson walked away from the table with his head down and a tear streaked face.
After that day Jackson steered clear of those three and all other upperclassmen for the fear of being told off again. It wasn’t until that summer that Jackson talked to Taylor, Nikki, and Rob again. He was at the park and was trying to ignore them but they wouldn’t leave him alone. Just being near them brought back the memories of when they had yelled at him, this had caused his eyes to start to water. He eventually got up and went to sit under a tree and started reading this book he heard of called Midnight Sun. The three older students walked up to Jackson and apologized for their actions that past year and explained it would be un-cool for them to be seen with him. He forgave them saying he understood although he really didn’t. All that summer Jackson would hangout with them telling each other stories about their lives. But what Jackson didn’t know is that the only reason they were talking to him is to find out his personal feelings that could be used against him. All summer Jackson trusted them with his feelings and personal thoughts about life his family and friends. One day on a sunny afternoon Jackson was with Nikki, Rob, and Kellan at a local pond.
“So Jackson who is it that you like the most in your family? I know most people say the like every person the same, but everyone favors someone.” Nikki was finally getting tired of the silence.
“Well, I’ve kid of always been a momma’s boy. But no one can know that okay?” Jackson thought of what could happen if someone else found out his secret.
“We wouldn’t think of it.” Nikki said while grinning to herself.
When they returned to school Jackson constantly heard whispering and people pointing and giggling at him as he would walk through the halls. One day Jackson couldn’t take it anymore and asked what they were laughing at. Most of the student body responded with “You, momma’s boy”. Jackson was truly horrified by being called this. He had told his best friend this in confidence and they said they wouldn’t tell anyone... or so he thought. When questioned Taylor and Peter both said they didn’t’ tell anyone. Jackson was quick to not believe them and abruptly gave them the cold shoulder. Jackson walked into his biology class and sat down with Nikki, Kellan and, Rob, telling them of his problems with his friends. Kellan was sitting there pretending to listen, but was really thinking of how well their plan was going. Throughout the year they told more and more students about Jackson. Until one day they started being extremely rude to him by spitting on his pushing him into walls and calling him horrible names to his face. Jackson was mortified by this and realized that he gave away his only friends and kept the ones that were talking about him behind his back.
This talk continued and the three students quickly made Jackson life a living hell. Everywhere he went he would be teased about his past and given cruel nicknames. One day Jackson finally couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t like what he was being reduced to; He didn’t want to turn to his parents as they would say it would stop and to get over it. No one understood him; he didn’t even understand himself anymore. Jackson didn’t know where all this hate was coming from; his hate for Kellan, Nikki and, Rob, his hate for his old friends Peter and Taylor for not standing up for him, his hate for his parents for not listening to him about how the other kids were bullying him. But mostly it was his hate for himself. He should’ve listened to his friends before it was too late and the bullying began. Jackson soon realized that if anyone truly cared for him they would’ve believed him about the bullying, even though it wasn’t physical someone should’ve been there, but no one ever was.
It was a warm sunny day and all the little kids were outside playing in the streets. Meanwhile, Jackson was sitting alone in his dark room, it was then he made a decision. He pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.
Who ever is holding this note, you probably know that by now I'm dead, lying somewhere in a pool of blood. I took my life to save the hurt and verbal beatings from Nikki, Taylor, and Rob bringing up my past that I trusted them with. I couldn't take the mental punching and bullying from them any longer and felt the need to lay 6 feet under. Being placed in a coffin, the smooth comforting walls of cushions surrounding me with the thumping of nails in the coffin was better than my blood pulsing through my head as I heard the snide comments. I’m truly sorry mom and dad but you didn’t listen to me or believe me. But I’m truly and most sorry to my best friends Taylor and Peter, for they were the only friends I ever had in this world and ever will. You guys tried to protect me but I never listened. Sorry to everyone else but this was the only way out for me.
Love dearly, Jackson.
With the note completed Jackson sealed the note and laid it on his desk, then took out his rusty pocket knife sat down on the floor and proceeded to end his life with tears in his eyes. He didn’t want this, but he saw no other way out of this horrible life with no one there for him.