Just An Illusion-Chapter Two-Throwing Stones

"Serena..."
"Five more minutes" You moaned and pulled your blankets over your head.
"You have to get ready for school though" Your dad said.
"I don't want to go to school"
"Why not?"
"I'm not feeling well"
"You're not feeling well?"
"No"
Your dad pulled your blanket down and felt your forehead. "You feel fine to me"
"My tummy hurts"
"Why? Is something upsetting you?"
"No. Can't I just stay home today? Please?"
"Sweetie, you need to go to school"
"Fine" You sighed and sat up.
"That's my girl"
You pouted as your dad walked out of your room.

"Do you want breakfast?" Your dad asked as you came out of the bathroom after brushing your teeth.
"No thanks"
"Do you want me to look for some change so you can get a lunch today?"
"No, it's ok. You keep your money"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes"
"Ok"
You smiled and grabbed your books off of the coffee table. You kissed your dad on the cheek.
"See you later, daddy" You said.
"Bye, sweetie. Have a good day, ok?"
"I will"
You slipped on your shoes and walked out of the house.

You shivered as the cold morning air hit your skin. The sound of skateboards suddenly came up behind you. You started walking faster.
"Don't Bam!" You heard the guy that tried to help you yesterday, yell. Bam stopped his skateboard and looked back at his friend, who was looking at the back of you.
"Since when do you care, Novak?" He shouted.
"Since you started being a total jerk"
You looked over your shoulder. Novak looked at you and motioned his head forward. You started running towards the school while Bam was distracted by yelling at Novak.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Mr. Makkonen asked as you ran into the counselor's area.
"Sorry. Can I stay in here until the bell rings?" You panted.
"Sure"
You flopped down in one of the chairs, "Thanks"
"No problem and good morning, by the way"
"Good morning"
"How are you?"
"Ok. You?"
"I'm good. I'm getting ready to take a trip back home"
"Cool. Say hello to the erm...You know, Finns"
Mr. Makkonen laughed, "Will do"
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow. Well, tonight actually. Today is my last day"
"When do you get back?"
"Two weeks from tomorrow"
"Oh"
"If you need to talk to someone Serena, you can still come in here. You can talk to anyone-"
"I know"
"Good. Do you want breakfast?"
"No thanks. I'll get a stomachache"
"You get stomachaches a lot, don't you?"
You nodded. Mr. Makkonen sat down in the chair beside you.
"Why?" He asked.
"I don't know. Nerves I guess"
Mr. Makkonen pulled out a card from his pocket and held it out to you. "If you ever need to talk to someone, call this number ok?
You took the card and sighed, "The Kids Help Phone?"
"Yeah. They're really good to talk to, hun. You don't even have to use your real name or anything"
"Ok"
"Maybe your stomachaches will go away if you have someone to talk to 24/7"
"I talk to you though"
"But only when you're at school. This helpline is open everyday, all day and all night"
You nodded and put your head down.
"I wish you'd tell me what was bothering you" Mr. Makkonen whispered.
You just shrugged.
"Maybe when I get back you'll be able to tell me?"
"Maybe"
"Ok"
The warning bell rang. You squinted as you stood up from your chair.
"Are you alright?" Mr. Makkonen asked.
"Yeah, I just skinned my knee yesterday"
"Is it ok?"
"Yes, it's fine"
Mr. Makkonen stood up and put his arms out to you. "Hug?"
You smiled and hugged him.
"I'll bring you back something from my trip, ok?"
"Ok"
Mr. Makkonen broke the hug. "Better get to class, hun. I'll see you in two weeks"
You nodded, "I'll see you in two weeks. Have fun"
"I will"
You smiled and walked out of the room, into the hallway. You began walking to your history class.

When the lunch bell rang, you went into the library. The librarian smiled at you. You smiled back and took a seat at one of the tables.
"I found the book you were looking for. I don't know why it was so hard to find" The librarian said, coming up to you. She placed Dracula in front of you.
You smiled widely. "Thank you so much"
"Sure, hun"
You opened the book and began reading. A second later, someone sat down across from you.
"Hi" A familiar voice said.
You peeked up from your book to see the guy who tried to help you yesterday.
"Hi" You whispered.
"I'm Brandon. Or Novak. Whichever"
"I know who you are"
"Listen, I just wanted to find you today to apologize for Bam. He's a jackass"
The librarian cleared her throat and looked at Brandon. He mouthed the word 'sorry' to her.
"It's ok" You sighed and went back to reading.
Brandon leaned back in his chair. "You're Serena, right?"
You nodded.
"Cool name"
"Thanks"
"How's your knee?"
You looked up at Brandon and said, "It's ok"
"Good"
"Yeah"
"I've seen you around school before. You're always alone. Why?"
You gave a shrug. "I don't know"
"I'm sure you can find friends"
You shook your head. "No one likes me at this school. Have you seen my locker?"
"Yeah," Brandon sighed. "But still. There's got to be someone here that you can be friends with"
You shook your head again.
"I'll be your friend, if you want"
"You can't"
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to be my friend"
"Why?"
"Bam doesn't want you to be my friend"
"What makes you think that?"
You looked at Brandon and just gave him a blank stare. He nodded, knowing what you meant. You put your head down and pretended to be reading again when Bam and Ryan came wandering into the library. Brandon stood up from the table.
"What are you doing, Novak?" Bam quietly hissed.
"Nothing. Let's just go outside" Brandon sighed.
"Are you friends with her now?" Ryan snickered. Brandon looked at you and then looked up at Ryan.
"No" He replied.
"What were you so busily talking to her about?"
"I was telling her to watch it"
"Good. Come on"
Brandon glanced at you again quickly before following his friends out of the library.
English class was calm and uneventful, due to Bam skipping. After class, it was the end of school. You gathered your things and began the walk home. Just as you were walking down the street that you skinned your knee on, something sharp hit you in the back of the head. Laughs that belonged to Bam and his friends filled your ears. You put your hand on the back of your head and then looked at it. There was blood.
"Bam!" You heard Brandon shout.
"What? She's fine..." Bam laughed. You started running towards your home.
You ran into the house and dropped your books on the floor. You went into the bathroom and washed the blood off of your hand, hoping your dad wouldn't see.
"Serena?" You heard your dad say. He appeared in the doorway of the bathroom.
"Hi daddy" You casually replied, turning off the water.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah"
"Are you sure?"
You nodded but then started shaking your head. Your dad put his arms around you, hugging you tightly.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"I hate school"
"Every kid does"
"I don't want to go back"
Your dad put his hand on the back of your head, like he always did when he hugged you. This was just something that stuck from when you were a baby. You let out a whimper. Your dad pulled his hand away and looked at it.
"Oh my god...Serena, what happened?" He gasped.
You pulled away from him and said, "I hit my head"
"On..."
"I dropped my pencil under my desk and when I went to pick it up, I hit my head"
"Sweetie, I want you to go into the living room and sit on the couch"
"Ok" You sniffled and walked out of the bathroom. You went into the living room and sat down. Your dad came out of the bathroom after a couple of minutes. He sat down next to you. You hugged a throw pillow as he turned your head so the back of it was facing him slightly. He separated your hair, revealing the cut that Bam's rock had made.
"Love, did someone do this to you?"
"No"
"You would tell me if someone was picking on you, right?"
"Yes"
Your dad put a wet cloth on the back of your head, making you flinch.
"Serena, this is pretty bad hunny"
"So? Stick a Band-Aid on it and send me to my room to lie down with some ice. I'll be fine"
Your dad took the cloth away and then quickly put it back on. "Hold this on your head while I try to find my keys"
"Why?"
"We have to go to the hospital"
"Dad, I'm fine"
"You're not fine, sweetie"
"You can't afford to take me to the hospital. You don't have your insurance anymore"
Your dad sighed and remained on the couch.
"I'll be fine, daddy. Really. It's just a cut" You said, knowing your dad felt bad.
"Lay down on your stomach"
You slowly laid down on the couch. Your dad moved onto the floor and held the cloth on your cut again.
"I'm going to make a call, ok?" He asked.
"Ok"
Your dad stood up and went into his bedroom. You closed your eyes and began to fall asleep.
"Serena?"
"Hmm?"
"Ok, I was just making sure you were ok"
"Yeah. I'm just resting"
"Do you want your teddy?"
"...Yes, please"
Your dad went into your bedroom. He came back with your raggedy brown plain teddy bear.
Your dad placed the bear in your hand. "Here you go"
"Thanks" You mumbled and hugged the teddy bear. Your dad sat back down on the floor and put his hand on the cloth that was still on your head.

"Serena, love?"
You opened your eyes and turned your head slightly to see Mr. Makkonen smiling at you.
"Mr.Makkonen? Aren't you supposed to be halfway around the world by now?"
"I was supposed to be. But you won't let me leave"
"...Sorry"
"It's ok. Don't be sorry. Serena, I need you to tell me what happened today at school"
"I hit my head"
"No you didn't. I know you didn't. Someone did this. Someone threw something at your head and made you bleed. Who was it?"
"It wasn't anyone"
"Was is Brandon? Bam, I mean"
"No"
"Than who was it?"
You put your head back in the pillow and didn't answer Mr. Makkonen question.
"Sweetheart, can you please just tell me who it is? I know you're scared that if you tell, someone is going to get mad at you and hurt you. But I promise that that's not going to happen"
"No one is doing anything to me. I just hit my head today, that's all"
"Who wrote those things on your locker than? A ghost?"
"Me. I wrote those things"
Mr. Makkonen shook his head, "No you didn't. Please Serena, I'm begging you, just tell me who threw the rock or whatever it was"
"No one threw anything"
"Please Serena, just tell Mr.Makkonen who hurt you. He wants to help you" Your dad said, pacing at your feet.
"No one hurt me!"
Mr. Makkonen sighed and stood up from the floor. He went into the kitchen with your dad. You began to cry again.
"Don't cry, Serena. I just came here because your dad's very worried about you. He loves you so much and he doesn't want to see you hurt" Mr. Makkonen said, coming back into the living room.
"No one hurt me" You cried.
"What if you were just to write down the person's name?"
"No"
"Are you scared that someone will know that you told me?"
You nodded, knowing that Mr. Makkonen was getting mad at you.
"I understand your fear, love. But you need to tell me. If the person gets mad, I'll find a way to protect you from that person. But you NEED to tell me"
"I can't tell you. I'm sorry, Mr. Makkonen. I really am. Please don't hate me"
"I don't hate you. I'm just sad that you can't tell me because I can't help you if you can't tell me"
"I'll be fine"
Mr. Makkonen lifted off the cloth that was on your head and sighed.
"Did it stop bleeding?" You asked.
"It's starting to clot"
"Good. So going to the hospital would have been a waste of money anyways"
"You can't afford healthcare?"
"Look around, Mr. Makkonen. We have nothing. I mean, I'm sure there are people way worse off. But God, my dad can barely afford his medicine anymore. He'll get really sick if he doesn't have it. I can heal from a cut or a bump but my dad can't heal without his medicine"
"When I get back from my trip, I'm going to look into what can be done to help you and your dad ok?"
"We don't want charity"
"It won't be charity"
Your dad walked into the living room, "How's your head, sweetheart?"
"Better, thanks" You replied.
"Good"
Mr. Makkonen looked at his watch. "Well hun, I have a plane to catch"
"Ok. Thanks for coming to see me, I guess" You said. Mr. Makkonen smiled at your. Your dad led him over to the door and shook his hand. You slowly sat up on the couch.
"Sweetie, lay back down" Your dad said, coming back into the living room.
"I'm going to go in my room and do my homework"
"Skip homework tonight. You're staying home from school tomorrow. If you're feeling better, you can do it then"
"Ok" Your dad stood up when you stood up. He followed you closely as you went into your tiny bedroom. You laid down in your bed and hugged your teddy bear. Your dad tucked your blankets around you.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we have 'cuddle time'?"
Your dad smiled and laid down next to you. He put his arm around you. You put your head on his chest and closed your eyes. Your dad started running his fingers through your bangs, making you yawn.
"I love you, sweetheart" He whispered.
"I love you too"
"You and your brother mean everything to me. My heart breaks when one of you is hurt. Sweetie, please tell me who hurt you"
"I can't"
"...So someone did hurt you?"
"It was a rock"
"Serena, I know you're scared about telling Mr. Makkonen and I who did throw the rock, but you must tell us"
"Daddy, can we please just drop this? I already told you that I couldn't tell you"
"Ok. We can drop it. How does your head feel?"
"Fine"
"Good"
"How was your day?"
"It was fine. Your brother called. He says hi"
"Really? How is he?"
"He's fine. Lonely but fine. He wants to see you"
"Where is he?"
"Berlin"
"Cool"
"Yeah, he hopes that one day you'll see him. Maybe even stay with him for a few months. I think it's a great idea"
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" You chuckled.
"No, not at all. I just think it's neat that your brother wants you to move in with him"
"He's desperate. He just wants someone to hangout with"
"I think he wants to hangout with YOU. He's your brother. He misses you"
"If he misses me, why doesn't he call me?"
Your dad laughed, "...You know your brother, hun. He's funny like that"
"Well, it was nice of him to say that he wanted me to come live with him but there's no way I'd leave you here alone"
"What about you wanting to live with your mother?"
"That was just me talking. I didn't mean it. I was just mad at you"
"Why?"
"I think you yelled at me because I didn't want to do my homework"
"Right. I remember."
You yawned again. Your dad smiled and brushed his hand along your forehead.
"You know your mom's problems aren't your fault, right?" He said.
"I know"
"They're not your brother's fault either"
"Sadly, I don't think he knows that. That's why he left"
"I know. I tell him all the time; every single time he calls...I tell him that it's not his fault. He just doesn't listen to me"
"He doesn't listen to anybody"
"Very true, my love" Your dad chuckled, making you smile. You yawned again and nuzzled your head into your dad's chest.
"Sleep, Serena" You dad whispered.
"Do you promise not to leave?"
"I'll never leave you"

...Novak, Novak, Novak...You're going to get yourself into trouble...<333 Click!

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