Hotel California

All the eyes were upon me.

It was a pretty uncomfortable sensation, from being the girl no one noticed; to the girl everyone is staring at in the hallway.
Mikey held my hand tightly, tight enough for me to wake up from my daydream and come back to reality.

"its okay Alex" he whispered in my ear.
"I don’t know, I’m scared"
"Don’t worry, well get out of this alive."
We will, he was always by my side, and sometimes I didn’t know if wanted to mix him up in all my troubles. But he did say that ‘that’s what friends are for’.
I saw how they were walking towards us, that group of steroid-abusing-bullies that Tom called ‘friends’. I saw their cynical smiles, ready to smash my self-esteem.

"Good day, my dear Alexandra… how have you been? " said Bryan, one of them… obviously trying to mock me.
I ignored him and kept walking and by the corner of my eye, I saw how he followed alter me, and suddenly grabbed hold of my wrist making me stop and yell from the pain.
"Where do you think you’re going? Im taking to you" he said pissed off "what are you screaming about? Did you hurt yourself? Let me see…"

He lifted the sleeve of my sweater, letting everyone see my bandages, making me cover them up almost immediately, but it was already too late.
"Oh my god! You actually cut your veins? “He held my arm and smiled "you are a crazy suicide!” he looked up to my Face. And even if I was trying to let go of him I couldn’t. He was holding on too hard, and he was hurting me even more.

Mikey couldn’t do anything, the other four guys behind Bryan where holding his arms and didn’t let him get to me.

This was proving to be worse than I thought.
"Let. me go! "
"Did you see? Look at her wrist! “He was yelling for other people to run and see.
"Mikey, help" I yelled for him, but he couldn’t move.
"Alex! Alex! “He was yelling too "let go of me… Alex! "
I couldn’t handle it anymore; the pression was too much for me.
"Let her go, its enough" I heard someone say and take Bryan’s arm. It was Tom… defending me?
"What are you doing Tom? We are just having fun"
"I don’t think so. She and her friend are not that fun anymore. Let’s go"
"but Tom"
"Lets. Go. “He said almost yelling.

We walked away and when the other losers saw him, they followed. When Tom was walking away, he turned back and looking at me he mouthed ‘I’m sorry’.
Mikey ran back to me, and hugged me.
"I’m so sorry Alex"
"Its okay, you couldn’t do anything"
"Are you alright?" he softly took my wrist.
"He held me too tight" I wiped the couple of tears running down my face.
"Want to go get it checked?"
"No, leave it like that… we have class"

I knew it was a question of time before the whole class and of course the school figured out what had happened to me. And it would be even worse than what happened in the morning.
The classes were everlasting. And that pain from my wrist was getting worse. I felt weak and I really didn’t want to be there. When the last class was over, I was almost yelling thanks to god in the middle of the hallway.

"are you alright? " asked Mikey concerned over me.
"I think so… I need to go to the bathroom. "
I walk to the bathroom. And turned on the water, I washed my face. I felt the cold water and with that a great relief, just for a second.
From one moment to the other everything started spinning around me, and turn black. I felt my legs losing their strength and suddenly…
"Alex" I heard someone calling my name, but I couldn’t see anyone. "Alex" they called again.
I felt like the air wasn’t enough.
"Mikey" was the first word that left my mouth.
"Are you alright?" Mikey was in front of me , and I was lying down in a room, apparently unknown to me.
"Where are we?"
"In the infirmary; you passed out in the bathroom"
"I feel weird; I wanna get out of here"
"Okay"

I took my stuff and left the infirmary. We went to the parking lot and got inside his car. When he started driving, Mikey and I kept quiet. I didn’t know what to say. So I just backed my head into the headrest and closed my eyes.

"I’m so sorry about what happened today."
"it doesn’t matter Mikey, I kinda figured it would happen" I kept my eyes closed.
"What happened in the restroom?"
"Well, I was washing my face. And I started feeling weird. When I washed my face, I felt better but then it starting coming worse, then everything started spinning and then I blacked out… and I woke up in the infirmary. I have no idea how I got there"
"you wouldn’t even imagine what happened, when you went inside I was waiting for you, and a while later Greta started talking to me, telling me she was sorry about what had happened and other stuff, then she went inside the restroom, I heard her scream and I asked if everything was alright, then she yelled for me to come help her."
"you’re telling me that she’s is the one who helped me’" in that moment I opened my eyes and I looked at him surprised.
"Yeah, and she was desperate. I went inside and when I saw you I was just in shock. Then she yelled at me for not helping, then I ´woke up´ and picked you up and carried you to the infirmary"
"I can’t believe she helped me, I would have thought she wanted me dead"
"Well by the looks of it, it’s not like that"
"I think I can go against my instincts and thank her. If she hadn’t gone to the bathroom to retouch her makeup I would probably still be in the floor. "
"Besides, the nurse checked your bandages and Bryan almost tore up the wound"
"I hate him, him and his little bully friends. What I can’t believe is that Tom helped us"
"Maybe he is really sorry"
"Or just trying to get me to forgive him, like last time"
"What matters is that those idiots won’t be bothering you anymore."
"And you…" I smiled "that the only think we can thank Tom about."

When we were almost in his house.
"Ill make you something good to eat"
"I’m not hungry mikes, thank you anyway"
"You have to eat, you’re weak and pale"
"I’m always pale, but I think you’re right. Maybe a little food will make me good"

We laughed and Mikey swore he was going to make me French toast if I ate all he gave me. When we arrived to his house a while later. We couldn’t believe what we saw.

Waiting outside his house… was Tom.