• tab A few weeks later, I sat my mechanical pencil off to the side, glaring at the homework that I knew would be the death of me. Sighing hopelessly, I closed the book and slid it into my backpack. I’d ask the class brainiac tomorrow before school started.
    tab Plopping onto my bed and closing my eyes, I started thinking about Payne. I don’t know why I seemed to like him so much, or why he seemed attracted to me. I wasn’t cool, or fun, or even that pretty.
    tab I started to drift off to sleep, but groaned loudly and scowled as the phone beside my bedside screeched. I had to yell as loud as possible to tell my mother that I would answer it. She yelled back an, “OK!”
    tab I grumbled before answering the phone, “Hello?”
    tab I had to wait a moment, and just as I was about the hang up, I heard a familiar male voice respond, “I.. I did it again .. ”
    tab I blinked, “Did what ..?”
    tab I heard a sigh, followed by the loud screaming of a woman who most likely was his mother. He ignored it, “I cut myself. It feels .. different. I’ve .. I’ve never cut this deep before. Blood is everywhere.”
    tab “W-why? Why did you?” I was shaking. I had remembered when I had done that once. I almost bled to death from it, and I have the scars to prove it.
    tab “.. I’m coming over. I saw where you live. I need to talk with you in person. Mom’s gotten my arm wrapped up ... It hurts.”
    tab “Wait-” Click. He was gone. I leaned against the wall, staring down at the floor. I continued to shake. I could already see the image in my mind. His mutilated arm, blood dripping from it and onto the floor. I could imagine the bloodstained floor. Those thoughts mixed with my memories of when I had done what he just had. I shuddered.
    tab I really don’t know how long I stood there, frozen. But I heard my mom yell up to me from the kitchen, “Keimune! Some boy from school wants to speak with you!”
    tab My voice shook as I yelled back, “Send him up here!”
    tab I sat on the bed, waiting for him. Soon enough, my bedroom door opened and Payne appeared. He nervously glanced at me, while my gaze went to his arm, which was wrapped up in gauze. Blood had started to soak through.
    tab He sat down beside me, “Hey ... ”
    tab I gazed at him with a worried expression, “Hey. You alright ..? ”
    tab He nodded.
    tab “And why did you do that?”
    tab “Well .. My mom found out. She started screaming at me, calling me ‘an idiot’, ‘worthless’, ‘retarded’, and saying that ‘I never should have been born’ ... ”
    tab I frowned, feeling sorry for the guy, “Thats terrible!”
    tab I suddenly thought of something, "I can help you.." I murmured, taking his hand.
    tab “How..?”
    tab “Just Trust me.”