Heart Made Of Glass, Mind Of Stone

(Author's Note: I got the title from a sentence in the song “lovely” by Billie Ellish. Enjoy!)The aroma of bacon and eggs filled the crisp morning air. The sun shone through my new white curtains.

My bed now had pizza grease on it from staying up all night with a friend.

A different friend. Not Kalia. Here's her story.

Twelve year old me sat in the front of the room next to the teachers chair. I was a noughty kid back then, chewing gum in class, anything bad.

I always had the urge to break something(I bet you know how good that feels).

I liked to crush things, smash things, throw the neighbors garden gnomes, really anything that breaks something.

I tied the gum around my finger and watched as the other kids did their work.

Ms. Thornhart turned, and I shoved the gum under the old rusty desk. 

“What were you just doing?!” Ms. Thronhart yelled at me.

I didn’t answer. I just sat there. There was no need to answer her. 

I didn’t care. Who cares?

Twenty minutes later the bell rang and we all got up from the fifth grade room.

I was pretty old to be in fifth grade, but I was in one grade, twice.

You see how I’m a bad kid?

***

On the walk home, I happened to pass the worst person in the school. Lucy. (As you may remember from the other story, Walking And Stalking, I mentioned Lucy.)

“Hey Naomi. What are you looking at?”

“A mistake that your parents made.” I said, a grin growing on my face.

“Oh my gosh. That was a great comeback.”

“I know right. I have been practicing for years.” I announced to Lucy.

“Wow! Who's your master?” She asked.

“Master? I have no trainer. I’m self taught.” I chimed in, feeling proud of myself.

“Did you just look it up?” She questioned.

“Yeah.” 

“Haha.” She chuckled.

“Did we just become friends?” I asked her.

“I think so.” She said, a little laugh coming from her.

As we walked home we came up with some truth or dare.

“I dare you to jump off that boulder!” I dared Lucy.

“Ok!”

She climbed onto the rock, and jumped. She looked like a squirrel, but surprisingly landed on her feet like a cat.

“Ok. My turn.” She suggested.

“I dare you to go ding dong ditch your neighbor!” She exclaimed.

“Ok!” I exclaimed as I ran over to their door.

I pushed thor nest doorbell, and we ran away. We hid behind their blue little audi and watched.

The door was pushed open and out came my teacher, Mr.Higgins.

“What the heck!?” I screamed,seeing him turn his head toward me.

He stepped out a bit farther and saw me.

“Hello!” He screamed over to me, waving his hand as he was saying hi.

“Hey, Mr.Higgins.” I said shyly, looking down at my feet.

There was a long spurt of silence, then we walked off.

“Hey lucy.” I asked.

“Yeah?” She replied.

“Do you want to come over to my house?” I asked, curling my hair in my finger.

“Yeah! Can we break some stuff?” 

“Oh you know it!

As we were on our way, we saw many of my friends and the buses.

“I dare you to run after the bus!” I exclaimed.

“Ok.” Lucy replied.

We didn’t even take the buses so it would be pretty weird.

She ran up to the bus and soon it slowly rolled to a stop, little putters of smoke came out, and there was that annoying squeak.

The doors opened, followed by another loud squeak.

The bus driver, tom, yelled:

“Hey! “ He yelled.

“What do you want?!” Lucy yelled back.

“Get on!” He exclaimed, in his raspy old man voice.

“Never!” Lucy yelled.

“Ugh you kids!” Tom blarted.

He closed the bus doors and Lucy came back and we shared a long, contagious laugh.

“For the next dare, I dare you to pick up that piece of smashed glass that the bus smooshed and swallow it!” I exclaimed.

Lucy was a big daredevil, so of course, she did it.

I mean, what could go wrong?

“Ok. Just make sure no cars come.”

“I will.”

I watched for cars as she made her way across the street. She picked up a hunk of broken glass and brought it over to me.

“Ready?” She exclaimed.

“On the count of three.” I explained.

“Ok. 3...2...1…-”

She swallowed it but there were no words. She stood there, her face frozen in time, as she fell.

There was blood. Blood. That's all I remembered. There were coughs. Coughs. That's all I remembered.

She was falling. Falling. That's all I remembered.

The silence. Silence. That's all I remembered.

She awoke in the hospital while I was sitting in the waiting room.

The doctor came out and told me that Lucy had awakened from the long surgery.

I ran into the room and gave her a big hug. 

“Lucy! You're alive!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah.” Her voice was now raspy, like the old mans.

“Why has your voice changed?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” She answered, in the same raspy tone.

We locked eyes, and both smiled, a small little one.

“I missed you.” Lucy said.

“I did too.” I answered back at her.

Silence filled the room, until the doctor came in and said that she was going to be ok.

“Yay!” We both exclaimed.

“Don’t get too excited now, girls, she still has to stay in the hospital for another week. 

“Aww.” We said in unison.

I walked back to the ruffed up blue chair and sat in it, grabbing the latest newspaper off the desk.

All there was was Lucy. Lucy, Lucy, and more Lucy.

They were also talking about me. How I was the one who dared her.

They showed photos of people protesting with signs that read: She belongs in jail!

But that wasn’t what I was worried about.

She was okay. Okay. That's all I remembered.