Reduced To Tears.
Can You See What I See?
Caris stood up on long, weak, skinny legs and stretched. She opened her curtains to a bright, sunny morning.
“This is bullshit. Complete ,utter bullshit.” She muttered to herself.
She picked up her phone, and turned it on. Three new text messages. One from Andrew, one from Charity, and one from Hayden. Caris opened the text from Andrew, and it simply read:
‘Morning Amorcita. I hope you’re feeling alright. Call me later. Andrew x’
She smiled slightly, and fell back on her bed. She rubbed her eyes, loving how much Andrew cared for her. She then picked up her phone again ,and went to Charity’s text. Caris rolled her eyes, and deleted it, not really caring what Charity really had to say anymore. Charity had chosen Ella over Caris, and that wasn’t fair. Not when Ella had already taken so much else from her. Caris glanced out the window, then back at her shiny mobile phone. ‘One more.’ She thought. She gingerly clicked ‘open’ and Hayden’s words filled the screen.
‘Hi Caris. You’re looking really, really ill. And skeletal. Anorexia is serious. Please be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happy to you. Love, Hayden.’
Caris frowned at the message. “Like you’d care. Dickhead.”
Caris left her phone on her bed, and swept into her upstairs bathroom. She pulled out her long gingery coloured hair out of its high ponytail, and brushed it out until it was sleek and smooth. She tilted her head, so it fell down her back, then tossed it forward, so it fell over her eyes. Staring at her reflection, she realised what she had become. A living corpse. A zombie. She finally realised what she had to do. And it shocked her like icy metal. But it was the last option.
“CARIS? Caris, darling? Are you okay? Your being awfully quiet...” Mrs. Turner-Tyrin shouted up the stairs.
But when she still didn’t get an answer, she became worried. She knew how distant and strange her daughter had been acting for the past few months. A sick feeling welled up in her stomach. Clarissa Turner-Tyrin bounded up the stairs, two at a time. She ran down the hall to find the bathroom door closed and locked. So she used her fingernail to unlock it, to find her daughter lying pale and motionless on the floor. All she could do is scream. She noticed Caris’s mobile phone, snatched it up, and called 000,yelping that she needed an ambulance. She noticed two crisply folded letters lying next to her, each with a name on them.
Andrew Caughtier and Hayden Prince.
Plus an empty bottle of sleeping pills, and a bottle of vodka. “Caris. Not my baby... No, no. Not my little baby girl.” Clarissa sobbed, as she watched them carry her daughter down the stairs on a stretcher.
Andrew had came over, to escort Caris to school, and had been walked up the path towards Caris’s house when he saw the ambulance. He ran up the street, meeting her mother at the front door. He watched them carry Caris out on a stretcher, looking no different from when she fell asleep against him at the beach; except this time, she was a little more than asleep. Clarissa spotted him, and ran over to him, embracing him. He could feel her sobbing body against his. He was numb. Frozen. He was still in shock from what he was seeing, and hearing. Clarissa was saying something, but he was zoned out. He finally snapped back to attention when she handed him to pieces of lined paper, folded in half.
“Go to school. Grab this ‘Hayden’ boy, and both of you come to the hospital. I’ll ring the school and tell them what’s happened on the way. I’m so sorry.” At the last three words, Clarissa started bawling again. She got into the back of the ambulance, and the doors were shut behind her, and the ambulance was gone.
Andrew looked down at the two letters sitting in his hand. In Caris’s neat handwriting, she had written his name, and Hayden’s name on them. Slowly, he unfolded his, worrying about what she would say. Accuse him of.
Dear Andrew. Mi Amorcito..
My bestest friend ever. I am so sorry I could have ever done this to you. I’m sorry I would have ever needed to. But honestly, I just couldn’t deal with him anymore. and you exactly who ‘him’ is. For me, it felt like I knew him, but he never knew me. I suppose that’s just something I’d have to take to the grave. When I first started high school, something like this would seem stupid, and completely out of the picture. But see what can happen, what can change? Nobody can predict the future. Nobody can change what they don’t know. Your my best friend. Not Charity. She left me, ignored the signs. Not you. You made me eat when I was starving. I know you will never stop missing me, and you will find a great girl some day, who will love you forever.
Your forever and a day, Caris Turner-T. xxxxxx
Andrew felt the tears spring to his eyes, and he shook his head in disbelief.
“Oh, god. Caris. Caris. My Caris.” His uniform was crumpled as he ran to school, to find him. When he got there, he found him.
“Caris just tried to kill herself. Over you.” Andrew shouted at him.
“W...What??” Hayden’s face fell, and he felt sick.
He remembered noticing Caris looking off, and sick. He didn’t realise it was because of him.
“Yeah! She loved you. Since the beginning of term two. But you broke her heart. Over and over again. So she tried to kill herself. Oh yeah. She wrote this for you.” Andrew shoved the letter into Hayden’s shaking hands, and watched him. Hayden unfolded the note, afraid of what he would find written there.
Dear Hayden.
This would be the hardest letter to write. The letter to the person that would never care. But I loved you, Hayden. Why couldn’t you see it? I did everything possible, and you still choose others over me. I changed who I was for you, and now I gave my life. For you. I know that this will probably still not be enough, but I hope that you think about it, before you break some other poor girls heart.
Have a nice life, Hayden. Have a nice life with Ella. The girl of your dreams. Caris.
“Oh shit, Caris!” Hayden swore loudly. Ella walked leisurely over to Hayden, and bent over to kiss him, but Hayden pushed her away.
“Look, Ella. I think we should break up. I think I’ve known for a while now. But I really do love Caris. And I’ve just made a terrible mistake.” Ella’s face fell slightly ,but she didn’t cry.
“I think I knew it too. Probably knew it before you did, really. I just didn’t want to believe it. Where is Caris? You can go ask her out.” Ella smiled a bit. “She’s... Well. She tried killing herself this morning.” Ella’s face fell into a scared look.
“Good Lord! Not Caris!” Ella shook her head. “You’ve gotta go to the hospital! You guys were meant for each other! GO!” Ella gave him a little push towards the gate.
“Bye Ella. Thank you. For everything.” Hayden waved at her, but instead of running out the gate, he went to find Andrew, who had stalked off as soon as Ella had appeared. He needed to fix this.
“This is bullshit. Complete ,utter bullshit.” She muttered to herself.
She picked up her phone, and turned it on. Three new text messages. One from Andrew, one from Charity, and one from Hayden. Caris opened the text from Andrew, and it simply read:
‘Morning Amorcita. I hope you’re feeling alright. Call me later. Andrew x’
She smiled slightly, and fell back on her bed. She rubbed her eyes, loving how much Andrew cared for her. She then picked up her phone again ,and went to Charity’s text. Caris rolled her eyes, and deleted it, not really caring what Charity really had to say anymore. Charity had chosen Ella over Caris, and that wasn’t fair. Not when Ella had already taken so much else from her. Caris glanced out the window, then back at her shiny mobile phone. ‘One more.’ She thought. She gingerly clicked ‘open’ and Hayden’s words filled the screen.
‘Hi Caris. You’re looking really, really ill. And skeletal. Anorexia is serious. Please be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happy to you. Love, Hayden.’
Caris frowned at the message. “Like you’d care. Dickhead.”
Caris left her phone on her bed, and swept into her upstairs bathroom. She pulled out her long gingery coloured hair out of its high ponytail, and brushed it out until it was sleek and smooth. She tilted her head, so it fell down her back, then tossed it forward, so it fell over her eyes. Staring at her reflection, she realised what she had become. A living corpse. A zombie. She finally realised what she had to do. And it shocked her like icy metal. But it was the last option.
“CARIS? Caris, darling? Are you okay? Your being awfully quiet...” Mrs. Turner-Tyrin shouted up the stairs.
But when she still didn’t get an answer, she became worried. She knew how distant and strange her daughter had been acting for the past few months. A sick feeling welled up in her stomach. Clarissa Turner-Tyrin bounded up the stairs, two at a time. She ran down the hall to find the bathroom door closed and locked. So she used her fingernail to unlock it, to find her daughter lying pale and motionless on the floor. All she could do is scream. She noticed Caris’s mobile phone, snatched it up, and called 000,yelping that she needed an ambulance. She noticed two crisply folded letters lying next to her, each with a name on them.
Andrew Caughtier and Hayden Prince.
Plus an empty bottle of sleeping pills, and a bottle of vodka. “Caris. Not my baby... No, no. Not my little baby girl.” Clarissa sobbed, as she watched them carry her daughter down the stairs on a stretcher.
Andrew had came over, to escort Caris to school, and had been walked up the path towards Caris’s house when he saw the ambulance. He ran up the street, meeting her mother at the front door. He watched them carry Caris out on a stretcher, looking no different from when she fell asleep against him at the beach; except this time, she was a little more than asleep. Clarissa spotted him, and ran over to him, embracing him. He could feel her sobbing body against his. He was numb. Frozen. He was still in shock from what he was seeing, and hearing. Clarissa was saying something, but he was zoned out. He finally snapped back to attention when she handed him to pieces of lined paper, folded in half.
“Go to school. Grab this ‘Hayden’ boy, and both of you come to the hospital. I’ll ring the school and tell them what’s happened on the way. I’m so sorry.” At the last three words, Clarissa started bawling again. She got into the back of the ambulance, and the doors were shut behind her, and the ambulance was gone.
Andrew looked down at the two letters sitting in his hand. In Caris’s neat handwriting, she had written his name, and Hayden’s name on them. Slowly, he unfolded his, worrying about what she would say. Accuse him of.
Dear Andrew. Mi Amorcito..
My bestest friend ever. I am so sorry I could have ever done this to you. I’m sorry I would have ever needed to. But honestly, I just couldn’t deal with him anymore. and you exactly who ‘him’ is. For me, it felt like I knew him, but he never knew me. I suppose that’s just something I’d have to take to the grave. When I first started high school, something like this would seem stupid, and completely out of the picture. But see what can happen, what can change? Nobody can predict the future. Nobody can change what they don’t know. Your my best friend. Not Charity. She left me, ignored the signs. Not you. You made me eat when I was starving. I know you will never stop missing me, and you will find a great girl some day, who will love you forever.
Your forever and a day, Caris Turner-T. xxxxxx
Andrew felt the tears spring to his eyes, and he shook his head in disbelief.
“Oh, god. Caris. Caris. My Caris.” His uniform was crumpled as he ran to school, to find him. When he got there, he found him.
“Caris just tried to kill herself. Over you.” Andrew shouted at him.
“W...What??” Hayden’s face fell, and he felt sick.
He remembered noticing Caris looking off, and sick. He didn’t realise it was because of him.
“Yeah! She loved you. Since the beginning of term two. But you broke her heart. Over and over again. So she tried to kill herself. Oh yeah. She wrote this for you.” Andrew shoved the letter into Hayden’s shaking hands, and watched him. Hayden unfolded the note, afraid of what he would find written there.
Dear Hayden.
This would be the hardest letter to write. The letter to the person that would never care. But I loved you, Hayden. Why couldn’t you see it? I did everything possible, and you still choose others over me. I changed who I was for you, and now I gave my life. For you. I know that this will probably still not be enough, but I hope that you think about it, before you break some other poor girls heart.
Have a nice life, Hayden. Have a nice life with Ella. The girl of your dreams. Caris.
“Oh shit, Caris!” Hayden swore loudly. Ella walked leisurely over to Hayden, and bent over to kiss him, but Hayden pushed her away.
“Look, Ella. I think we should break up. I think I’ve known for a while now. But I really do love Caris. And I’ve just made a terrible mistake.” Ella’s face fell slightly ,but she didn’t cry.
“I think I knew it too. Probably knew it before you did, really. I just didn’t want to believe it. Where is Caris? You can go ask her out.” Ella smiled a bit. “She’s... Well. She tried killing herself this morning.” Ella’s face fell into a scared look.
“Good Lord! Not Caris!” Ella shook her head. “You’ve gotta go to the hospital! You guys were meant for each other! GO!” Ella gave him a little push towards the gate.
“Bye Ella. Thank you. For everything.” Hayden waved at her, but instead of running out the gate, he went to find Andrew, who had stalked off as soon as Ella had appeared. He needed to fix this.