[ Another day of memshare, another day of carefully trying to avoid people and failing. They're in the void unless you decide on a location because I'm lazy, but otherwise Marie is looking to Estelle with the utmost horror as stardust begins to settle around them.
She wants to mumble out an apology, but before it so much as leaves her lips does the memory begin:
“Who are you?” Your voice is frighteningly empty.
“…I’m sorry for keeping this quiet this whole time.”
“Answer the question.”
“I was in your class once, back in elementary school. I guess you don’t remember.”
You remain speechless.
“My mother was part of the regional officer’s board, so I’d heard rumors about Mizuguchi even before she’d transferred into my school. That her father had gotten caught by the police, that her mother had completely vanished, and that she’d temporarily been kept at an orphanage. Her grandfather was a local celebrity and took her in, but she transferred schools several times because something always kept happening. It wasn’t just me, everyone else in the neighborhood knew. My parents would tell me ‘Mizuguchi is a problem child, so don’t go near her.’ They said she’d transfer to another school even if we didn’t do anything, so we should just endure it until then.”
His voice oozed with pity, only vaguely looking in your direction. As if he was scared that his gaze would suddenly burn you.
(I knew that much.)
The children that insulted you, the parents that would criticize you; for years you had been ostracized until you had appeared perfect. Until finally you had gone far enough that they didn't know your name, background, or the fact that your life had been one fucked up mess to the next.
You are considered trash. You're the one person in the world that knows this best.
“So when I saw Mizuguchi transfer into our school and in your class, I couldn’t believe it. A high school kid wouldn’t look the same way they would in grade school, so I thought maybe she just happened to look like her, but…then I heard her name, and was really shocked. So I went straight to Sakura and told her not to go near her.”
“Stop it! Don’t say any more.” Sakura seemed pained, sorrowful, as if she had made the worst mistake of her life.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
“But no matter what I said…Sakura didn’t believe me. Even after bad things started happening to Sakura in class, she kept saying she wanted to trust Mizuguchi. But I couldn’t just stand for that, I had to do something…so I approached Mizuguchi, pretending I just wanted to get along, and tried to make sure she was the same person after all…”
Suou had a bitter expression on his face as he choked back his words. But then, and only then, did he dare to look up at you.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
“Just now, I sent you a message on WIRE, pretending I didn’t know anything about what was going on. And then you responded with a lie, without even hesitating…so I thought, ah, you haven’t changed at all. I was shocked. And that’s when I realized, I felt the same way as Sakura. At some point, somewhere deep in my heart…I wanted to believe that Mizuguchi was actually a good person. I really wanted to believe it.”
You had prepared your heart to take all the insults he could throw at you, and yet nothing could prepare you for this. It was different. It was scary. Your heart was racing in your chest, and you feel as if you can't breathe properly.
You reach out into the darkest part of your mind, holding desperately to that rage that had been growing for years.
"I'll kill you." You say, your voice cold and distant.
You impulsively pull yourself forward, even though Suou keeps a tight grip on your arm.
“Whoa!”
The two of you lose your balance.
“Watch out!”
A high-pitched scream rang out.
(Ah — )
The warmth of the sun brushes against your skin, the hair surrounding your face tickling your cheeks. You feel weightless, as if the wind were carrying you somewhere far away.
(I’m falling.)
You're falling.
At the same time you look up to see two people embracing each other, having chosen each other over you. And in those few seconds of clarity you come to the conclusion that this is how it always will be; the people around you are adored, loved and protected, whereas you are tossed aside. Over and over again.
And now you're falling.
The sun is bright, the air is warm, and when your back hits the concrete you can feel blood fill your mouth and nose. A sickening wet sound quickly accompanies it before your entire world goes black. ]
A little. They're one of the most difficult kinds of injuries to treat... even with healing magic, there's a high risk of permanent nerve damage, even paralysis...
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mustbepurged) wrote2022-06-06 11:14 am
w3 ( wednesday ) cw for mentions of bullying
She wants to mumble out an apology, but before it so much as leaves her lips does the memory begin:
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...!
Wh, what was that...? You fell...?
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Mm... I did.
I'm sorry if that frightened you.
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Do you know anything about spinal injuries?
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