School Story - Part Four

Warning! This chapter is going to be rated higher than the others because of certain situations in the story.  If you get triggered easily by blood and death, don't read this.

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Middle of Sophomore Year...

Ever since the new school year begun, Miranda had been avoiding Hayden. Of course, since they shared a few classes, it was impossible to completely ignore him, but she tried her best to. Hayden had been trying to talk to her all through summer break, and his attempts continued into the school year. Miranda still ignored him. She went on with her everyday life, the same boring one she’s had for a long time. Wake up. Go to school. Go home. Do homework. Go to bed. Repeat. It got repetitive. It got redundant. So, Miranda joined a few clubs. She became student body president. She got herself hobbies to keep herself busy. She didn’t mind constantly working. In fact, she quite enjoyed it. Though, every now and then, she would think about Hayden. A few questions were always on her mind. Why did he always avoid talking about his past? Why did he never introduce her to his parents? What caused him to suddenly stop loving her? She wanted answers to these questions, but she didn’t want anything to do with Hayden. It was a mixed feeling.

As for Hayden, he never forgot about how Miranda responded to the break-up.  The boy couldn't get over her, and he fell into depression.  He eventually stopped bugging Miranda, knowing the girl wouldn't ever talk to him again.

As time passed, Miranda saw Hayden become quieter and quieter. It even got to the point where she was worried about him. He looked much skinnier than she remembered him, and he constantly had bags under his eyes. He only wore loose, baggy clothing. He still tried to talk to her. She still refused. It was when Miranda was heading to her next class when she heard commotion in the hallways. She peered around the corner to find Hayden in front of his locker. There was a boy that was much bigger than him towering over him. The boy took Hayden and slammed him into the locker before laughing. He kneed Hayden in the groin, watching as he fell to the floor. Miranda was confused. Why was Hayden being hit? More importantly, why was he just taking it? She watched as the male kicked and punched Hayden to a bruised mess. The male then spit on Hayden and laughed before walking off. Hayden sighed. He stood slowly and shakily. He trembled horribly. He put his school bag on his bag, wincing when he did, then limped off to class. Miranda decided that she’d talk to Hayden about this at his house later that day.

When Miranda got to Hayden’s house after school, she hesitated. She knocked on the door. No answer. However, the door was left opened slightly. Miranda went in. She was shocked. It was a mess; items thrown across the room; glass objects broken on the floor; a hole punched into the television screen. When she walked to the kitchen, it was also a mess. Food items were thrown everywhere, nothing remaining in the fridge and pantry. There wasn’t much food on the floor, even with the fridge and pantry empty. The silverware was everywhere. The plates and glasses were all shattered. The kitchen didn’t smell bad, indicating that the food wasn’t rotten or old. She went to the bedroom. This room was worse than the other two. The light fixture in the ceiling was broken. The blanket was tossed on the other side of the room along with the pillows, and the mattress had been cut open. There was cotton stuffing everywhere because of it. There were what looked like razor blades scattered here and there. The windows were boarded up, small chunks of wood scattered on the floor. The mirror was broken, and the shards were scattered beneath it. There was a picture on the desk; it was torn in half. There were words carved into the wall messily. Shocked, Miranda looked around more. She couldn’t find Hayden in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, closet, or even attic. She decided to check the bathroom, and inside, it was a mess.

The contents inside the cabinet under the sink were scattered on the floor. The mirror was also broken, and there were several drops of blood found here and there. Though, the thing that caught Miranda’s eye was the body lying on the floor in front of the tub. The body was only in underwear, and all over its chest, arms, shoulders, legs, sides, hips, and angles were cuts - deep wounds. There were a few razor blades clenched in the body’s hand. The body seemed barely alive. Its eyes were black, only one or two splotches of deep blue being visible. The body was Hayden. Hayden looked over slowly through half closed eyelids. He saw feet. Using a very quiet and weak voice, he asked-

“Wh…Who…?”

He coughed weakly and shifted. His body was extremely skinny, as if he hadn’t eaten for days. His ribs were visible, and his body was so frail and scrawny. He closed his eyes slowly. Miranda called the police immediately and told them the situation. She rushed over to Hayden and lifted his upper half into her arms.

“Hayden?!”

Hayden’s eyes opened halfway, and he looked around very slowly. He saw Miranda’s worried face staring down at him. Hayden smiled ever so slightly and mumbled very quietly.

“Miranda…?”

“It’ll be alright, Hayden, I’ll save you. The ambulance is on the way!”

She was speechless. What was there to say? She simply held on tightly and cried to herself. Hayden closed his eyes again, and soon, he stopped breathing.

“No! No, no, no, keep breathing!”

When Hayden’s heart stopped, Miranda began to panic. She laid him on the floor and began to perform CPR, though it was a rather useless attempt. She felt her heart drop when his body began to go cold. She shook her head and screamed, holding onto Hayden tightly. She cried. When the paramedics arrived; they had Miranda step away. They checked for Hayden’s vitals. They slowly shook her head.

”He’s dead.”