Please Look Away

The teacher stood in front of the room. He wouldn't shut up about something about health. Or was it science? But it gave me time to think. I knew I would get an A on his test, so why listen to worthless correction?

She sat next to me. Her hair fell in her face as she did not pay attention. She was to busy staring at the F on her hand-back papers. She did not look sad, shocked or even upset about the bad grades. She only looked neutral. Like a lake that was drying up in the sun.

Movement. Everyone in the class was still, even me. I was staring at the wall behind the teacher, but the girl next to me was moving. Opening up her binder, she pulled out a pair of sharp scissors. I gritted my teeth together and looked sharply at her.

"What?" she whispered as she stabbed the blades down on her wrist. The skin burst open and started to bleed slowly. I winced. There wasn't enough blood left in her for to bleed.

I noticed a boy turned around to look at us. His eyes were wide and his face was disgusted. I felt the need to protect her. To make the boy stop looking.

"Turn around." I whispered to him, but he didn't listen. Still staring at her.

What happened, I was not sure. In the principle's office, I was told that I hit the boy in the face four times. I could not remember. But he looked away from her. She was safe. From everyone else that wanted to put her away. She was safe. But now I could not be there to protect her from herself.