Gotta Get Out
6
I was sitting in second period when I got a text from Lauren that made my heart plummet in fear.
Please come here. Alone. Need you.
Immediately, I stood up and asked quietly to be excused to the bathroom. Once outside in the hall, I ran as quickly as I could outside, trying to not get noticed by the teacher roaming the hall, looking for people to catch out of class. Once I successfully made it out the doors, I ran the block that it took to get to the middle school, knowing that something was wrong. I sent a text to Lauren, waiting for a reply.
Where are you?
I bit my lip anxiously waiting for an answer.
1st floor bathroom.
I sighed and made my way into the school, telling the receptionist that I was visiting to do a lecture for a class. She waved me inside and I made a beeline for the bathroom. Once I got inside, the sight broke my heart. Lauren was curled on the bathroom floor, tears running down her face.
I cautiously walked over and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“What happened, Laur?” I asked, softly rubbing her arm.
I wracked my brain to think of things that could’ve happened between now and 2 hours ago that she didn’t want Ashton to know about. I snapped out of my thoughts when her body started shaking with sobs.
“Hey, hey. Shh. It’s okay.” I mumbled, pulling the smaller girl tighter into my body. “Breathe, okay?”
Eventually, her sobs died down to sniffles.
“They’ve been bullying me for months.” She confessed softly.
“Who has?” I asked gently, ignoring the vibrating of my phone.
Lauren shrugged, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Everyone.”
My heart broke for the younger girl, and I sighed, kissing her hair.
“Why didn’t you tell your family?” I asked. “I mean, Ash, he…”
“I tried.” She said. “I tried, but I don’t want to burden him. I know he already feels responsible for us, I…”
“That’s exactly why you need to tell him, love.” I said. “He needs to know about what’s going on in your life, okay?”
I wiped the remaining tears from the girls face as she nodded.
“Thank you, Liv.” She said. “Thank you for being like my sister.”
My heart swelled as tears formed in my own eyes.
“Anytime, sugar. Now what do you say we call Ash to come pick us up and we go out for ice cream?”
She nodded, a smile now on her face. I grinned and pulled my phone out to see 3 missed calls from Ashton already there. I sighed and dialed his number. He picked up after the first ring.
“Liv, where are you? Are you okay? What happened?” He rushed out, his voice shaky.
“Hey, hey. Ash. Breathe. I’m okay.” I muttered, not wanting to alarm the girl next to me.
“Where are you?” He asked again. “You can’t just leave without telling me. I-“
“Ash, I’m at the middle school with Lauren.”
“What?!” He sounded even more panicked now, and I heard the sound of a door slamming. “Why? Is she okay? Is she sick?”
“Ashton, I need you to calm down.”
Lauren whimpered from beside me in fear of angering her brother, and I cringed, knowing he heard the sound from the sharp intake of his breath.
“I know.” He sighed. “I know. I’m on my way, okay?”
“Okay.”
I hung up and pulled Lauren up off the ground.
“Let’s go. It’s all going to be okay.”
We walked to the nurse’s office, and I checked Lauren out of school, saying I was her older sister and she was sick. We got out front of the school just as Ashton pulled up. He got out of the car and pulled his sister into his arms immediately, and she let out a strangled sob. Ashton shot me a concerned look over her shoulder, and I sighed.
“Laur, talk to me.” He muttered. “What happened today?”
That is when she opened up, and told him it had been an ongoing problem for months, that kids had been torturing her. That is when I saw Ashton break. I knew he was putting a brave face on for his sister, but I knew Ashton well enough to know he was breaking down inside. I put a hand lightly on his back.
“I told her we’d go out for ice cream.” I said softly.
Ashton nodded and I took his hand in mine as we got into the car, knowing that this was far from over.
Please come here. Alone. Need you.
Immediately, I stood up and asked quietly to be excused to the bathroom. Once outside in the hall, I ran as quickly as I could outside, trying to not get noticed by the teacher roaming the hall, looking for people to catch out of class. Once I successfully made it out the doors, I ran the block that it took to get to the middle school, knowing that something was wrong. I sent a text to Lauren, waiting for a reply.
Where are you?
I bit my lip anxiously waiting for an answer.
1st floor bathroom.
I sighed and made my way into the school, telling the receptionist that I was visiting to do a lecture for a class. She waved me inside and I made a beeline for the bathroom. Once I got inside, the sight broke my heart. Lauren was curled on the bathroom floor, tears running down her face.
I cautiously walked over and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“What happened, Laur?” I asked, softly rubbing her arm.
I wracked my brain to think of things that could’ve happened between now and 2 hours ago that she didn’t want Ashton to know about. I snapped out of my thoughts when her body started shaking with sobs.
“Hey, hey. Shh. It’s okay.” I mumbled, pulling the smaller girl tighter into my body. “Breathe, okay?”
Eventually, her sobs died down to sniffles.
“They’ve been bullying me for months.” She confessed softly.
“Who has?” I asked gently, ignoring the vibrating of my phone.
Lauren shrugged, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Everyone.”
My heart broke for the younger girl, and I sighed, kissing her hair.
“Why didn’t you tell your family?” I asked. “I mean, Ash, he…”
“I tried.” She said. “I tried, but I don’t want to burden him. I know he already feels responsible for us, I…”
“That’s exactly why you need to tell him, love.” I said. “He needs to know about what’s going on in your life, okay?”
I wiped the remaining tears from the girls face as she nodded.
“Thank you, Liv.” She said. “Thank you for being like my sister.”
My heart swelled as tears formed in my own eyes.
“Anytime, sugar. Now what do you say we call Ash to come pick us up and we go out for ice cream?”
She nodded, a smile now on her face. I grinned and pulled my phone out to see 3 missed calls from Ashton already there. I sighed and dialed his number. He picked up after the first ring.
“Liv, where are you? Are you okay? What happened?” He rushed out, his voice shaky.
“Hey, hey. Ash. Breathe. I’m okay.” I muttered, not wanting to alarm the girl next to me.
“Where are you?” He asked again. “You can’t just leave without telling me. I-“
“Ash, I’m at the middle school with Lauren.”
“What?!” He sounded even more panicked now, and I heard the sound of a door slamming. “Why? Is she okay? Is she sick?”
“Ashton, I need you to calm down.”
Lauren whimpered from beside me in fear of angering her brother, and I cringed, knowing he heard the sound from the sharp intake of his breath.
“I know.” He sighed. “I know. I’m on my way, okay?”
“Okay.”
I hung up and pulled Lauren up off the ground.
“Let’s go. It’s all going to be okay.”
We walked to the nurse’s office, and I checked Lauren out of school, saying I was her older sister and she was sick. We got out front of the school just as Ashton pulled up. He got out of the car and pulled his sister into his arms immediately, and she let out a strangled sob. Ashton shot me a concerned look over her shoulder, and I sighed.
“Laur, talk to me.” He muttered. “What happened today?”
That is when she opened up, and told him it had been an ongoing problem for months, that kids had been torturing her. That is when I saw Ashton break. I knew he was putting a brave face on for his sister, but I knew Ashton well enough to know he was breaking down inside. I put a hand lightly on his back.
“I told her we’d go out for ice cream.” I said softly.
Ashton nodded and I took his hand in mine as we got into the car, knowing that this was far from over.