I'm a Walking Travesty

The following weeks were hell for me. Every day at school things just seemed to get worse. People began calling me names like murderer, brat, emo, and psycho. I tried not to show emotion to these words but there were times where I just couldn’t help but cry. I felt weak when I cried in front of everyone around me, it only made things worse.
I just finished running my lap for gym class and was now changing back into my regular clothes. Everyone else was done and out of the locker room. I was used to this already. No one wanted to be around me. As I was tying my shoelaces, I saw three pairs of shoes stop right in front of me. I gulped and slowly looked up. That’s when I came face to face with the one of the meanest girls in school, Tiffany, and standing behind her were her friends Lindsey and Kelly. Tiffany used to be Martin’s girlfriend.
I tried to avoid eye contact with the head cheerleader. “Ti-Tiffany…”
“Shut up you good for nothing piece of shit.”
I tried to go around Tiffany and her friends but instead, I was slammed hard into the gym lockers by Kelly. Lindsey took a hold of my hair as tightly as she could as Tiffany took a hold of my chin.
“We all know you killed my Martin, Jasey.”
I tried to shake my head but couldn’t. “I didn’t kill him. I would never do that to him or anyone.”
“Then explain why your parents abandoned you. You took their pride and joy; they left you because they didn’t want to be left with their useless trash of a daughter.”
“Shut up!” I yelled as tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Awh look Tiff, she’s crying.” Lindsey teased.
“That is so pathetic!” Kelly laughed.
I fell to the ground after being slammed into the gym lockers again. Tiffany then knelt down and took a hold of my hand, placing a razorblade in my palm.
“Here, use this and drop dead Jasey Rae.”
Tiffany then stood up and walked out of the locker room, along with her posse, laughing. I sat up, sobbing, and put my back to the lockers to only cry harder. When I opened my hand, I looked at the razorblade that Tiffany had put in my palm. I looked at it for a good 10 minutes before quickly bolting to the locker room bathroom. I stood over the sink and looked into the mirror in front of me, then back at the razorblade. I took a deep breath as I pressed the razorblade to my left wrist. Just as I was about to slit my wrist, a girl with a pixie cut do, blue skinny jeans and white v-neck walked into the bathroom, and startled me.
“I’m sorry...”
Her sudden presence caused me to cut deeper than expected and drop the blade. Everything then went quiet. The girl looked at the blade on the ground then at me. I felt tears forming in the corners of eyes again so I bolted to the locker room exit.
“Don’t run away!”
I stopped half way to the door and turned around. The girl walked up to me, grabbed my left arm and examined my wrist. She sighed and led me to a nearby bench.
“Wait right here.”
I did as I was told without a word. The girl walked towards the coaches’ office, walked in for about 2 seconds, and came back out caring a first-aid kit. She sat next to me, placed the kit in between us, and opened it. She took a cloth wipe from the kit with one hand and took a hold of my arm with the other. She then began cleaning the wound as I just sat there and watched in complete silence.
“Why did you do this to yourself?”
I looked away from my wound and straight at the girl. “Why are you helping me, haven’t you heard the rumors about me?”
The girl nodded. “Yea you’re Jasey Rae, the girl people are accusing of killing her jock of a brother.”
I nodded. “Yup that’s me. So I see you have heard then.”
“You really shouldn’t let what people say get to you.”
I shook her head. “It’s not just that though.”
“Let me guess, your parents too?”
I nodded. “Guess you know about that too then.”
The girl sighed. “It’s kinda hard not to listen to shit like that when it’s being talked about everyday non-stop.”
Everything then went quiet, till she broke the silence.
“I’m Cassadee Pope, by the way.”
“Jasey Rae Johnson.”
She giggled and smiled at me. “Yea I know, nice to meet you Jasey.”
Soon after Cassadee wrapped up my wound, we both left the locker room and went our separate ways.
Weeks went on, rumors continued but a sudden friendship slowly began to form between me and Cassadee. I found out that Cassadee was a senior on the varsity choir and a straight A student. She was highly respected by teachers and peers do to the fact that she came from a pretty rich family. I had met The Pope’s once and they welcomed me with open arms. Her parents knew about the rumors going around about me but they didn’t acknowledge them. They believed every word that came out of my mouth, something that was new for me ever since the incident. They even asked me to move in with them after finding out that I was living on my own in the house my parents had left me in but I kindly declined, not wanting to be a burden on the family. They insisted many time but once Cassadee turned 18, both parents bought her a 2 bedroom apartment for both of us to live in. When Cassadee graduated, I was left to finish my last two years of high school alone, but not once did I cry.
Thanks to the love and support that I received from Cassadee and her family, I no longer felt alone. I was finally in a place where I was except for who I was. Even though my life had now changed for the best, not one day goes by that I don’t think of or pray to my older brother Martin.