Fragmented Truth

Ellie wished she could reach out and comfort the girl. Her hazel eyes were red from crying but nonetheless, she held an emotionless gaze. Ellie thought about all the torment this girl had faced in high school. Ellie could almost see the cracks the kids at school caused in the girl’s fragile frame. Her pale skin, thin hair, and scattered breathing were telltale signs of how broken she had become.

                “People are just stupid,” Ellie tried, “They are immature. Things will get better. They’ll grow up.”

                The girl knew that these were empty words that were only meant to soothe her mind; they held no truth. Ellie could see in the girl’s eyes that she did not believe these words. Ellie tried to break through her barrier again.

                “I know it feels like no one cares. So what if they don’t? You’re a strong girl,” Ellie tried again “I know it hurts. The words and the glares burn terribly when you walk down the hallway. And you constantly wonder what you ever did to be put under their harsh spotlight.”

                Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie could see the porcelain toilet and the oval, violet rug placed in front of it. Ellie took inventory of the items on the sink as she awaited a response: four toothbrushes, one nearly empty tube of mint toothpaste, a Dixie cup dispenser stocked with disposable cups that matched the lavender walls, one brush, one comb, a can of hairspray, a container of liquid soap with a pump dispenser, and a small, black makeup  bag. When Ellie didn’t get a response from the girl, she continued her approach of attempting to relate to her.

“You struggle to understand what made them choose you to be the organism they make squirm under their judgmental microscope. You never find out. But you don’t need to because they don’t matter. ”

If she looked carefully, Ellie could see faint black and blue spots on various parts of the girl’s body. The girl’s typically bracelet filled wrists were bare, exposing line after red line. Ellie raked her mind to find some way, any way to help the girl reach a better place. Ellie wanted the girl to have a normal, healthy life. But as she saw the blood from a fresh cut trickling down the girl’s arm, Ellie knew it was too late; this girl was already gone.

                Ellie took one last look in the mirror and stared into her own hazel eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek before she swallowed the handful of pills.