Something You Want to Forget About
The Second Time
Niall drove back to his house, and as soon as he arrived, he went straight to his room.
He reached out for his backpack and took out a folder with a piece of paper saying HOMEWORK stuck on the edge of it. He opened it and started to work on a math assignment.
His phone rang. He grabbed it, and there was an unkown number across the screen. He answered it. “Hello?” he uttered. There was a short pause.
“Hi-hi. It’s… me.” A voice that sounded like Ameina’s spoke.
“’Meina?” Niall responded.
“Um… yeah.”
“How are you doing?”
“Fine. My mom hasn’t bothered me… yet.”
“Great.”
Ameina and Niall continued to talk for hours. Whether it was homework, swimming, problems – the conversation kept going.
At eleven o’ clock, Ameina said she had to go. She hung up.
Niall decided to check the fridge. His mother went grocery shopping the day before. He spotted a bar of Hershey’s and decided to eat it. After that, he went straight to sleep.
As soon as Ameina arrived at school, a girl ran towards her and banged Ameina against a locker. She was so quick, Ameina didn’t have the chance to see what the girl looked like. After that, the girl ran off and Ameina fell unconscious.
Three hours later, Ameina woke up, lying on a bed. She felt something cold on her head – it was a wet towel. Her vision was a little faint, but after a few seconds it turned back to normal.
Where am I? Ameina thought. The walls in the room were white, a clock located near the door, and in front of Ameina, there was a white desk with betadine, cotton and other medical stuff.
The nurse’s office? Ameina didn’t remember what caused her to end up here. All she remembered was being banged to a locker, and then everything turned black.
Ameina sensed someone else’s presence in the room. She felt a warm feeling on her right hand. There was another hand on top of hers.
Shocked, she jolted up. There he was. Niall was next to her, holding her hand, pleading for her to wake up. Did he bring me here? Ameina asked herself.
Niall pushed Ameina gently back down, so that she’s laying down on the bed again.
“Just lie down.” Niall insisted. “school ends in thirty minutes.”
“What happened to me?” Ameina asked anxiously.
“I don’t know… I just found you unconscious in front of a locker and then I carried you here..”
Ameina sighed. He carried me here? Niall was so sweet of doing that.
“That’s the second time you saved me,” Ameina said, laughing a little. But Niall didn’t even give the slightest smile. His face was worried.
Niall opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly the nurse came barging in. Niall quickly took his hand away from Ameina’s.
The nurse went over the telephone to make a call. She dialed numbers on it and put the phone over her ear.
“Hello?” she spoke, “yes, she’s fine. Um… You can’t pick her up? Oh, um, wait a second.” She turned to Niall.
“Can you drive her home?” The nurse asked. Niall nodded, and the nurse put the phone back over her ear again.
“Her friend can drive her home. Yes, thank you.”
She hung up and went back outside. Niall will be driving Ameina home again.
Ameina felt happy to hear that Niall will be bringing her home. If her mom came to pick her up, she would have been lectured to “fighting back bullies” and “being more cautious” or whatever.
Time passed, and Ameina was stuck in the awkwardness of Niall being next to her, muttering to himself, not loud enough for Ameina to hear. The only thing Ameina heard was her own name.
Finally, the bell rang, and Niall’s head jolted up. He reached out his hand for Ameina to take. She did so, and Niall helped to pull her up.
He accompanied her to her locker. Ameina still had cotton with a bandage over it on her head.
“Niall?” Ameina uttered, shutting the door of her locker and turning to him.
“Yes?” Niall responded. Ameina was lost in his worried eyes.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
There was a long, awkward pause. All Niall did was pat Ameina’s back and walked to the parking lot.
Ameina was still confused. Why is Niall helping her? Doesn’t everyone hate her? She doesn’t want to be alone, but at the same time she doesn’t want Niall’s help. She doesn’t understand why.
They stood silent. They both got in the car and drove off.
“Ameina,” Niall finally spoke, “you know why I’m trying to help you?”
Ameina shook her head.
“I see you alone everyday,” Niall told to her, “I hate seeing you be alone like that. Getting beaten up. No one deserves that.”
There was an awkward silence for a while. Niall opened his mouth to speak again.
“Just because you’re used to something – like, say, being bullied – doesn’t necessarily mean it’s supposed to be like that all the time.” Niall explained.
“But, Niall,” Ameina muttered, “I don’t get it. Why are you trying this hard to help me?”
Niall didn’t speak again until they arrived at Ameina’s house and got out of the car to say goodbye. And when he did, he answered her question.
“Because,” he uttered, looking at Ameina in the eyes, “I used to be exactly like you.”
He reached out for his backpack and took out a folder with a piece of paper saying HOMEWORK stuck on the edge of it. He opened it and started to work on a math assignment.
His phone rang. He grabbed it, and there was an unkown number across the screen. He answered it. “Hello?” he uttered. There was a short pause.
“Hi-hi. It’s… me.” A voice that sounded like Ameina’s spoke.
“’Meina?” Niall responded.
“Um… yeah.”
“How are you doing?”
“Fine. My mom hasn’t bothered me… yet.”
“Great.”
Ameina and Niall continued to talk for hours. Whether it was homework, swimming, problems – the conversation kept going.
At eleven o’ clock, Ameina said she had to go. She hung up.
Niall decided to check the fridge. His mother went grocery shopping the day before. He spotted a bar of Hershey’s and decided to eat it. After that, he went straight to sleep.
As soon as Ameina arrived at school, a girl ran towards her and banged Ameina against a locker. She was so quick, Ameina didn’t have the chance to see what the girl looked like. After that, the girl ran off and Ameina fell unconscious.
Three hours later, Ameina woke up, lying on a bed. She felt something cold on her head – it was a wet towel. Her vision was a little faint, but after a few seconds it turned back to normal.
Where am I? Ameina thought. The walls in the room were white, a clock located near the door, and in front of Ameina, there was a white desk with betadine, cotton and other medical stuff.
The nurse’s office? Ameina didn’t remember what caused her to end up here. All she remembered was being banged to a locker, and then everything turned black.
Ameina sensed someone else’s presence in the room. She felt a warm feeling on her right hand. There was another hand on top of hers.
Shocked, she jolted up. There he was. Niall was next to her, holding her hand, pleading for her to wake up. Did he bring me here? Ameina asked herself.
Niall pushed Ameina gently back down, so that she’s laying down on the bed again.
“Just lie down.” Niall insisted. “school ends in thirty minutes.”
“What happened to me?” Ameina asked anxiously.
“I don’t know… I just found you unconscious in front of a locker and then I carried you here..”
Ameina sighed. He carried me here? Niall was so sweet of doing that.
“That’s the second time you saved me,” Ameina said, laughing a little. But Niall didn’t even give the slightest smile. His face was worried.
Niall opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly the nurse came barging in. Niall quickly took his hand away from Ameina’s.
The nurse went over the telephone to make a call. She dialed numbers on it and put the phone over her ear.
“Hello?” she spoke, “yes, she’s fine. Um… You can’t pick her up? Oh, um, wait a second.” She turned to Niall.
“Can you drive her home?” The nurse asked. Niall nodded, and the nurse put the phone back over her ear again.
“Her friend can drive her home. Yes, thank you.”
She hung up and went back outside. Niall will be driving Ameina home again.
Ameina felt happy to hear that Niall will be bringing her home. If her mom came to pick her up, she would have been lectured to “fighting back bullies” and “being more cautious” or whatever.
Time passed, and Ameina was stuck in the awkwardness of Niall being next to her, muttering to himself, not loud enough for Ameina to hear. The only thing Ameina heard was her own name.
Finally, the bell rang, and Niall’s head jolted up. He reached out his hand for Ameina to take. She did so, and Niall helped to pull her up.
He accompanied her to her locker. Ameina still had cotton with a bandage over it on her head.
“Niall?” Ameina uttered, shutting the door of her locker and turning to him.
“Yes?” Niall responded. Ameina was lost in his worried eyes.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
There was a long, awkward pause. All Niall did was pat Ameina’s back and walked to the parking lot.
Ameina was still confused. Why is Niall helping her? Doesn’t everyone hate her? She doesn’t want to be alone, but at the same time she doesn’t want Niall’s help. She doesn’t understand why.
They stood silent. They both got in the car and drove off.
“Ameina,” Niall finally spoke, “you know why I’m trying to help you?”
Ameina shook her head.
“I see you alone everyday,” Niall told to her, “I hate seeing you be alone like that. Getting beaten up. No one deserves that.”
There was an awkward silence for a while. Niall opened his mouth to speak again.
“Just because you’re used to something – like, say, being bullied – doesn’t necessarily mean it’s supposed to be like that all the time.” Niall explained.
“But, Niall,” Ameina muttered, “I don’t get it. Why are you trying this hard to help me?”
Niall didn’t speak again until they arrived at Ameina’s house and got out of the car to say goodbye. And when he did, he answered her question.
“Because,” he uttered, looking at Ameina in the eyes, “I used to be exactly like you.”
11/18/13