It was like any other day. As usual, they got a break on the "regular" time (exactly 15 minutes later as compared to the scheduled time) and Leah came hopping out of the class with Hannah and Emma. She went to Amy and took her pouch from her.
"Don't worry, I took good care of your little piece of heart," Amy informed Leah as she watched her fondle her pouch.
"Oh, I missed you!" Leah said, looking at her pouch as if it was a cute little guinea pig. "Shit! The key-ring has broken!" she exclaimed and slumped down on a bench next to Emma who was having her breakfast.
"Let me try my hand at it," Emma said, taking the pouch from Leah's hand. She placed her lunch box on the bench and knelt down beside Leah, fumbling with the key-ring.
It's when she saw it.
Leah had been so busy with her oh-so-dear pouch that she didn't notice the drama Helen was creating. One of the infinitely many reasons why Leah hated Helen so much was her oh-I'm-crying-look-at-me dramas. "Like always!" Leah thought, looking at the red-faced Helen who was crying as if it was a funeral! "Disgusting! Is she ever going to change?" Leah thought, screwing up her expression. Amy and Hannah were also standing next to Helen, trying to quieten her up. It was pretty evident that they weren't doing this out of sheer concern, they just wanted to end the havoc. Tasha was standing in front of Helen, going on and on about the whole 'racket' (about which Leah was still completely and officially clueless). "God! She can be a good politician! Such a pest!" she thought, looking at the drama queen Tasha.
"What's the use of crying now, Helen? You can't do anything about it now, right? You should have been more careful." Amy said, trying her best to shut down the whole thing.
Boom!
Helen flung her arms around Amy and started crying. She had buried her head in Amy's chest and she was sobbing, shaking from head to toe. "Exactly the way she hugged me.....for the first time," and so Leah fixed her gaze on the tiny figure of Helen wrapped in Amy's arms. Leah suddenly felt her sight was becoming blurred, so she rubbed her eyes. They were wet. "S.H.I.T! I can't possible be...... I've got to get away from here. Now," Leah thought and she stood up with a start.
"See! I mended it!" Emma exclaimed, handing out the pouch to Leah with a wide grin.
"Wait, I'll be right back," Leah said, without looking at Emma, and shot off towards the washroom.
She shut the door and within a fraction of seconds, tears started trickling down her cheeks. She vigorously rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the nasty drops of saline water which didn't stop running down her big eyes. The tears seemed to be quite eager to escape, but Leah was a strong girl. She knew she was. She would never give in to stupid tears for stupid people. She calmed down, took two deep breaths, washed her face, wiped it on her scarf, put on a big smile and opened the door. She saw Helen still moaning helplessly and Amy and Hannah still carrying on with their futile attempts to put an end to the drama. She walked past them and saw Emma standing with Donna and Beth, laughing and chatting. The corridor was filled with happy people, laughing and talking. Leah knew somewhere that she didn't belong to this crowd and since nobody was noticing, she climbed down the stairs till she reached the entrance. She stood there watching the rain fall from the sky. The splashing of raindrops triggered the breaking of dam in her eyes. She felt the tears run down her face but she just stood there looking at the rain. All alone.
"Why the hell am I crying? That too for a bitch like her? She is hell not worth it!" said one part of Leah's heart. "However bad she has turned out to be, she was once my friend. And she trusted me. SHE CRIED ON MY SHOULDERS!" exclaimed the other part of her heart. It felt as if somebody had re winded the time in Leah's mind and played all the wonderful moments she had spent with Helen. But then, Leah reminded herself how strong she is. She knew how to hold back her tears. She was an expert at constructing dams to stop her eyes from flooding. She mustered strength and wiped her tears. Pulling herself away from the splashing rain, she climbed up the stairs.
"I belong to that happy crowd. Yes, I do," Leah told herself and forced herself up the stairs.
A part of her still wanted to run down the stairs and break the dam, but she kept climbing. She didn't want to break down. "Not because of a bitch," she thought.
For the second time, Leah curved her lips into a big smile and joined Amy, Hannah, Emma, Donna, Beth, Penny and Natalie. Things were smooth until-
"Hey! Your eyes are red!" Hannah exclaimed, pointing out to Leah.
"You were....crying?" Amy asked, now coming closer.
"Hell no! Why would I cry? D'uh!" Leah cried, while in her mind she was all "Oh no! Oh no!"
Emma came rushing.
"Leah, what's wrong?" she asked her shortly. Although Emma was evidently trying to hide it, Leah noticed her voice was trembling.
"Nothing," she hushed.
"That's not 'nothing', Leah. Tell me, what's going on?"
"Drop it, Emma... It's nothing--"
"You don't fool me with that!" Emma's voice was cold as ice.
"Leah, what's--"
"Just go away, will you? Leave me alone! I don't want a scene here, alright? Just leave!" Leah yelled.
Without another word, Emma backed off. She went and stood against a wall with her lunch box open in her hands but eyes fixed on Leah.
"You upset Emma because of Helen! What's wrong with you, Leah?!" Amy said with unmistakable disgust in her tone. She called out to Emma and went to talk to her.
Realization dawned on Leah and she slowly moved towards Emma. Amy quickly pulled her by Emma's side and said, "Come on, you ought to apologize for it!"
Emma was all "Oh, Amy, really now--"
Leah smiled as Emma looked at her.
"She doesn't need it. She's my bestie, I don't have to be formal with her! She can handle me at my worst, right Emma?" Leah said, looking back at Emma.
Emma smiled feebly and everything 'seemed' normal. As soon as Leah was ensured that nobody was looking at her, she caught hold of Emma's wrist and said, "Em, come with me. Please."
Emma didn't ask where or why, she just let Leah drag her wherever she was heading to. They started climbing down and they had just reached the first landing when Leah suddenly flung her arms around Emma's neck and the strong girl let the dam break.
"Why....why can't she forgive me?" she kept on saying between her muffled sobs.
Emma patted her and kept saying, "Shh... stop crying, Leah. She's not worth it."
Even her voice was breaking. Leah kept sobbing, lost in the embrace of her best friend.
Leah learned something that day. Sometimes, it's not easy to "give up" on someone just like that, how much ever they hurt you. You'll always shed a tear if you see them crying. But it's basically fundamentally completely entirely and officially up to you to decide who matters more - the one who makes you cry or the one who lends a shoulder.....
"Don't worry, I took good care of your little piece of heart," Amy informed Leah as she watched her fondle her pouch.
"Oh, I missed you!" Leah said, looking at her pouch as if it was a cute little guinea pig. "Shit! The key-ring has broken!" she exclaimed and slumped down on a bench next to Emma who was having her breakfast.
"Let me try my hand at it," Emma said, taking the pouch from Leah's hand. She placed her lunch box on the bench and knelt down beside Leah, fumbling with the key-ring.
It's when she saw it.
Leah had been so busy with her oh-so-dear pouch that she didn't notice the drama Helen was creating. One of the infinitely many reasons why Leah hated Helen so much was her oh-I'm-crying-look-at-me dramas. "Like always!" Leah thought, looking at the red-faced Helen who was crying as if it was a funeral! "Disgusting! Is she ever going to change?" Leah thought, screwing up her expression. Amy and Hannah were also standing next to Helen, trying to quieten her up. It was pretty evident that they weren't doing this out of sheer concern, they just wanted to end the havoc. Tasha was standing in front of Helen, going on and on about the whole 'racket' (about which Leah was still completely and officially clueless). "God! She can be a good politician! Such a pest!" she thought, looking at the drama queen Tasha.
"What's the use of crying now, Helen? You can't do anything about it now, right? You should have been more careful." Amy said, trying her best to shut down the whole thing.
Boom!
Helen flung her arms around Amy and started crying. She had buried her head in Amy's chest and she was sobbing, shaking from head to toe. "Exactly the way she hugged me.....for the first time," and so Leah fixed her gaze on the tiny figure of Helen wrapped in Amy's arms. Leah suddenly felt her sight was becoming blurred, so she rubbed her eyes. They were wet. "S.H.I.T! I can't possible be...... I've got to get away from here. Now," Leah thought and she stood up with a start.
"See! I mended it!" Emma exclaimed, handing out the pouch to Leah with a wide grin.
"Wait, I'll be right back," Leah said, without looking at Emma, and shot off towards the washroom.
She shut the door and within a fraction of seconds, tears started trickling down her cheeks. She vigorously rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the nasty drops of saline water which didn't stop running down her big eyes. The tears seemed to be quite eager to escape, but Leah was a strong girl. She knew she was. She would never give in to stupid tears for stupid people. She calmed down, took two deep breaths, washed her face, wiped it on her scarf, put on a big smile and opened the door. She saw Helen still moaning helplessly and Amy and Hannah still carrying on with their futile attempts to put an end to the drama. She walked past them and saw Emma standing with Donna and Beth, laughing and chatting. The corridor was filled with happy people, laughing and talking. Leah knew somewhere that she didn't belong to this crowd and since nobody was noticing, she climbed down the stairs till she reached the entrance. She stood there watching the rain fall from the sky. The splashing of raindrops triggered the breaking of dam in her eyes. She felt the tears run down her face but she just stood there looking at the rain. All alone.
"Why the hell am I crying? That too for a bitch like her? She is hell not worth it!" said one part of Leah's heart. "However bad she has turned out to be, she was once my friend. And she trusted me. SHE CRIED ON MY SHOULDERS!" exclaimed the other part of her heart. It felt as if somebody had re winded the time in Leah's mind and played all the wonderful moments she had spent with Helen. But then, Leah reminded herself how strong she is. She knew how to hold back her tears. She was an expert at constructing dams to stop her eyes from flooding. She mustered strength and wiped her tears. Pulling herself away from the splashing rain, she climbed up the stairs.
"I belong to that happy crowd. Yes, I do," Leah told herself and forced herself up the stairs.
A part of her still wanted to run down the stairs and break the dam, but she kept climbing. She didn't want to break down. "Not because of a bitch," she thought.
For the second time, Leah curved her lips into a big smile and joined Amy, Hannah, Emma, Donna, Beth, Penny and Natalie. Things were smooth until-
"Hey! Your eyes are red!" Hannah exclaimed, pointing out to Leah.
"You were....crying?" Amy asked, now coming closer.
"Hell no! Why would I cry? D'uh!" Leah cried, while in her mind she was all "Oh no! Oh no!"
Emma came rushing.
"Leah, what's wrong?" she asked her shortly. Although Emma was evidently trying to hide it, Leah noticed her voice was trembling.
"Nothing," she hushed.
"That's not 'nothing', Leah. Tell me, what's going on?"
"Drop it, Emma... It's nothing--"
"You don't fool me with that!" Emma's voice was cold as ice.
"Leah, what's--"
"Just go away, will you? Leave me alone! I don't want a scene here, alright? Just leave!" Leah yelled.
Without another word, Emma backed off. She went and stood against a wall with her lunch box open in her hands but eyes fixed on Leah.
"You upset Emma because of Helen! What's wrong with you, Leah?!" Amy said with unmistakable disgust in her tone. She called out to Emma and went to talk to her.
Realization dawned on Leah and she slowly moved towards Emma. Amy quickly pulled her by Emma's side and said, "Come on, you ought to apologize for it!"
Emma was all "Oh, Amy, really now--"
Leah smiled as Emma looked at her.
"She doesn't need it. She's my bestie, I don't have to be formal with her! She can handle me at my worst, right Emma?" Leah said, looking back at Emma.
Emma smiled feebly and everything 'seemed' normal. As soon as Leah was ensured that nobody was looking at her, she caught hold of Emma's wrist and said, "Em, come with me. Please."
Emma didn't ask where or why, she just let Leah drag her wherever she was heading to. They started climbing down and they had just reached the first landing when Leah suddenly flung her arms around Emma's neck and the strong girl let the dam break.
"Why....why can't she forgive me?" she kept on saying between her muffled sobs.
Emma patted her and kept saying, "Shh... stop crying, Leah. She's not worth it."
Even her voice was breaking. Leah kept sobbing, lost in the embrace of her best friend.
Leah learned something that day. Sometimes, it's not easy to "give up" on someone just like that, how much ever they hurt you. You'll always shed a tear if you see them crying. But it's basically fundamentally completely entirely and officially up to you to decide who matters more - the one who makes you cry or the one who lends a shoulder.....
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