Forget Me Not
Luna sat impatiently, tears welting up in her eyes as the other teenagers in the high-school sat around her, sniggering. They grinned, a look of the devil. Some of the teens had been considered Luna's friends at one point. That had all changed, months ago.
Luna was alone now. She had no friends, she felt abandoned. The others teased her, called her every name in the book. It was all from a mistake that was so simple, a mistake anybody could make. Nobody even knew the truth, only Luna, David, and a few of David's friends knew the truth.
It had been late when the event occured. Luna had been on her date with David Kessner, a football player in her highschool. She was so happy that he'd asked her. Luna had a crush on David since third grade, here they were, tenth grade, and her dreams were coming true. They sat in the Drive-In, Luna shyly smiling to the boy who was supposebly interested in her. David did the oldest trick in the book, yawning as he slid his hand behind her.
"You know, I've liked you for a long time, Luna." His lips lifted into a slight playful smirk. There was a tinge of teasing to his voice that Luna didn't catch.
"Really? Oh my Gosh.. I've liked you since.. like.. third grade!" Her cheeks were burning, a birght red tint to them. This was her first date, and it was with the most popular guy in school. Things had escalated rather quickly after she spoke. David's lips smoldering hers with nothing more than lust. It was strange for Luna, her first kiss. She didn't know the difference between passion and lust.
Things only kept escalating, David's hands clamping all over Luna's breasts, aggresively. She pulled away and he scowled at her.
"What's the matter, Lu', I thought you liked me?"
"I do. I'm just not ready for all that." David leaned over again, once more pawing lustfully all over her body, trying to get his hand in her skirt. "Stop it!" She demanded. He seemed angry but Luna wasn't about to give in just because she'd hurt his feelings.
"Alright, you know what. I'll just take you home." He shook his head, texting a few people on his phone.
"I think that's a good idea." Luna replied, staring angrily out the window. What did David take her for? One of the normal Highschool whores?
She continued to stare out the window, not really watching. So much was going through her head. Did David not really like her? Was he just trying to get into her pants? What would her parents say if they found out what he had tried? She was still thinking when they pulled through the woods. The trees flew past, Luna giving no mind to the unusual route.
She snapped out of her little thought-bubble when the car screeched to a stop. They were somewhere sheltered by trees, a place she wasn't familiar with. "David?" She turned her vision to his innocent expression.
"I've got something I wanted to show you. I'm sorry for how I acted." He gave a light smile. It didn't feel right to Luna, but what choice did she have? She didn't know where she was. "Fine." was all she said. When she got out of the car with David, she heard the locks click behind her. She became nervous. She turned around, ready to start running, but only found a tall and buff kid from her school. He was grinning down at her. She became more scared than she'd ever been.
"Alright, boys. Little Lulu here thinks she's better than all of us. What you guys think?" David smirked as a few more of his friends filed into vision. She felt sick. The knot in her stomach only tied tighter as they eyed her up and down. She did try to make a run for it but ended up getting hit in the head by... who knows what.
The next thing she remembered was waking up sometime in the afternoon the next day, sprawled out on the leaves and sticks in the woods, nude. She was sore all over. She knew instantly from the blood spotting her thighs that she'd been raped. Everywhere hurt. She lie there for hours until the pain subsided. She'd gotten her clothes and gone home like nothing had happened.
She went to school the next morning, met by dirty looks and the taunting of other kids. David and his friends had told everyone Luna had agreed to a 'gangbang' and even had pictures. She was so disgusted! How could they do that to her? She felt too disgusted with herself and with them to admit what had really happened. After time passed, Luna's friends joined in the taunting. When her family found out, things changed, too. They all gave her dirty looks, made sly comments, disowned her, and resented her. Life seemed to fall apart in less than a year.
Now, Luna sat in her class as the kids laughed. The teachers did nothing, the counselors didn't care, they all gave her dirty looks, too. As far as anyone knew, Luna was a little slut. Day after day, she endured the harsh treatment. Even now, months later, the pictures were still circulating. She was alone in her battle for happiness.
The school bell finally rang. Luna was the first out of the class. She could hear the whispering of students behind her, escalating into shouts to Luna. They didn't care how bad they hurt her. It didn't matter. Luna was worthless. They all wanted her gone.
A foot stuck out infront of Luna. She tripped, her papers flying everywhere. She was down on her knees, in tears. She screamed at all of them, the tears flowing freely.
"I hate you! I fucking hate you!" She kept shrieking over and over, ripping her papers up. "I fucking hate you all!" She kept screaming. Everyone remained silent. They'd never seen Luna even cry, let alone break-down. She got up, no longer caring about the shredded papers.
Luna ran all the way home. Her parents made no comment as she came in crying. They merely watched her run up the stairs. They looked at eachother, concerned. They hadn't seen their daughter cry since the whole ordeal began.
"Should we just let her...?"
"Leave her, Emma. She'll be fine. She got herself into this mess."
The kids still stood stunned at school. They never thought Luna really cared about the teasing, the taunting. They never knew it hurt her like that. David's little brother (younger by a year), stood against his locker, shaking his head. He'd always liked Luna, had never said anything mean to her, even after.
"You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You want to judge her, but look at all of you -- most of you have had sex countless times, probably even had a few STDs. Hell, Jessica, you've got a kid!" He glared at Jessica, one of Luna's main tormentors. He only walked away, finally going to talk to Luna. It was time somebody showed that they cared.
He arrived at Luna's house, knocking faintly on the door. A man, tall with graying hair, answered the door. "Is Luna here?"
"Yeah, she is. Who are you?"
"I'm Kyle. I was wondering if I could talk to her. She left school a little upset." Kyle only smiled, running his hand through his slicked back jet black hair. Luna's father only nodded, pointing towards the stairs.
Kyle found his way to Luna's room. He knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again.
No answer.
"Luna?" Kyle pressed his ear against the door.
Still no reply.
He tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened it a little, and once again called out for her. She still didn't reply, so he went ahead and entered. He was met by the horrific sight of Luna laying on the floor, a knife to the side, long cuts etched deep into her skin, up both wrists. So much blood. There were multiple empty pill bottles spewed over the ground.
"Oh my God.. Luna?!" Kyle ran forwards, shaking her limp body. He called out for help. When Luna's mother, Emma, came up to see her daughter sprawled out on the floor, she busted out into tears. An ambulance was called but it was already clear. Luna Kings was gone.
Kyle picked up the multiple pages from her desk. They were letters. Or more so, multiple letter combined in one.
Dear Mother and Father,
By the time you read these, I'm already gone. That's okay, you wont miss me much. Your mourning over your lost daughter was done, even before my death. I don't want you to cry. You don't deserve to shed the tears that don't contain our memories together, the wish that I was still here. I came home day after day, my head lowered. You never cared. You saw the cuts on my wrists and never asked why. You never asked if I was doing okay, even though you knew I wasn't. It didn't matter to either of you. I was no longer your beloved only child. I was some whore who'd taken over the innocence of your sweet one. It no longer mattered if I came home or not. It didn't matter if I spoke, if I smiled anymore. You just didn't care.
Dear Teachers and Counselors,
Things changed after the pictures were spread. You stopped caring about how they treated me. Yes, it still mattered what they said to others. But to me, you just laughed under your breath. You all gave me dirty looks when you thought I wasn't looking. You all called me a hoe when you thought you were alone. It never mattered how I felt on the inside. You had better things to do. Oh, do mourn. Do not mourn for the loss of a student, but the loss of reputation for your school. I am only another statistic now. Do not dedicate anything to me, do not have an assembly about me, I'm worth so much more than that. No one cared, especially the people who's jobs were to help me.
Dear Tormentors,
You made my life a living hell. It didn't matter how much you hurt me. To you, this was just a game. The truth never hit your virgin ears. You only heard what they said, you only believed what you wanted. The pain in my heart, the tears hidden in my eyes, those things... those things were nonexistent to you. You judged me, but look at you all! Look at how you treat people! If anyone should be dead, it's you guys -- I hope you all burn in hell, feel the pain of how my life has been. I'm not worth any tears to you. Do not mourn your fellow class-mates death.
Dear Ex-Friends,
You all neglected me. Never once did you ask what really happened. I don't think you ever really cared. At one point I trusted you all, loved you all. Now I resent each and every one of you, more than people like Jessica, more than my parents, more than David, more than his friends.. You never wondered if I was okay. You just joined the taunting, the laughing, the evil glints in your eyes. My existance no longer mattered to you.
Dear David and friends,
You're all sick. No one will cry over me, all because of you. You took the innocence of a young girl, you are the reason I am not here, the reason that I will be buried and forgotten. The reason I will not birth children. The reason I no longer smiled, not even bothered to fake one. You are the reason for the tears I shed at night, knowing I'd never be normal again. You're all the reason I hurt so much. Do not let a single tear or peaceful word escape your lips about me! You betray me. I was no whore. You raped me and spread pictures. You ruined my life and for this.. I hope you meet the same ends as me. I hope you feel the same pain I have felt since that night. I hope you have the constant burden of knowing you're the reason I'm gone is on your mind. Please, don't even try to pretend you care.
Dear Kyle,
You were the only one... The only one who tried not to watch. The only one who didn't join in. For this, I thank you. It wasn't enough, though. You never stood up for me, never spoke to me, never asked if I was doing okay. You never bothered to give me the support I needed. I watched you walk by as the other kids pushed me and yelled at me. I saw the hurt on your face. I knew you could feel some of the pain, the burden in my heart. You, and you alone may mourn.. You were my only friend, even if you weren't really there.
Dear everyone,
I will no longer be there to be given those sly looks. The nasty words can no longer hurt me. I will never shed another tear for the tauntings, the teasings. I am free of the pain you all caused me. I will never see any of your faces again, I will be free forever.
Forget Me Not,
Luna Kings.
AFTER LUNA'S DEATH
The school seemed quiet. The letter had been read on the intercom a few weeks after Luna had died. David and most of his friends had been arrested, having confessed to the rape. The normal friend groups altered, everyone mixing with eachother. Luna wasn't often spoke of. Despite what Luna had said, a monument had been placed in front of the school. All it had written on it was:
"Forgive Us Not -- R.I.P Luna Kings."
Luna had been freed from the pain caused by all of these people. They'd never seen how bad it hurt her. Kyle was the one most effected, he resented his brother. He resented those who hurt Luna the most. He'd been the first to see her with-out her sweet innocent soul still living in her body. Now, she was gone. He blamed himself partially, too. She had been right in her letter, he hadn't stood up for her. He hadn't asked her if she was okay.
Kyle had started a fund-raiser to help other kids that had been bullied, to help them see therapists. He'd already raised over five thousand dollars for the "Forget You Not" foundation.
The school now had four guidance counselors working, all at once. There wasn't ever a time that any of them simply ignores a child. They took what any of them said very seriously.
Emma Kings and Luna's father, Patrick Kings, divorced. Patrick moved to New York, Emma stayed to help Kyle with the fundraiser. Emma was now re-married to a man by the name of Richard Moore, and had her second child on the way. His name would be Luno, to honor his older sister who was no longer with them.
Luna would not be forgotten, nor would her letter of resentment. She would be remembered through-out their small town. Her name was everywhere now, flyers all over, donation boxes, and pictures.
Things in Luna's town had changed for the better, after-all.
Bleh, I hate the politics of guilt!
They suck.
Very emotional here, hooking, sad, and provoking.
Your grammar is exquisite, and your style is good.
The only minus I can find on this story is how it doesn't seem to be on it's way to anywhere, it doesn't really seem all that original . . .
I mean, if you want to write a really good story, you write it about a single person, maybe two or three at most. But kind of putting the entire school, her family, and the town into the picture messes it up a bit.
That's probably what gives me that feeling.
But I liked this, it was interesting, and it takes a good writer to provoke emotion in a reader.
Good job.
Thanks! It wasn't really meant to be a true pull-you in story.. More of a cause/effect story.. Showing some of the pain in every day life.. A glimpse into not only Luna's world, but so many other boys and girls' worlds.
This was quite a nice read. Kept me captivated the whole time. It was quite sad however. I find it quite amusing how people really don't care. You only ever teach what you've been taught though.
This story reminds me of the recent suicides lately. It's sad how no one really gives a crap until you lay lying in a grave. The world is a cruel place.
Besides that, i like the usage of imagery and i like how you kept somewhat of a realistic feel to the story. I also like the choice of words you choose. You didn't stick with the generic stuff but brought about words that aren't used as often to the table.
Nice write and well done.
Thanks! I avoided being too descriptive in my short-story because I prefer to leave it to the imagination. My chapter stories are completely different, however. Thank you for the review. It was quickly written but scenarios just like this happen all the time.. And they don't realize how bad it really hurt her till it was too late.