An Untold Tragedy

PROLOUGE
She was just a young girl, just entering middle school. She Lived a normal life, a mom, and a dad. A few siblings, and even a dog. She was shy, but she had friends. A few. That was just fine with her. She had grown up that way. Two, sometimes three friends. That was fine for her. She didn’t much care for socializing, only speaking when spoke to. Never raising her hand in class because, she grew up that way. She grew up knowing that kids are cruel, and that it was better for her to just sit in the shadows and wait for it to be over. That being noticed was bad, because if they knew you, that meant they knew your weaknesses. So, She walked into the middle school for her first day, with her head down, never making eye contact. She stood up and held her hand on her heart as she recited the Pledge of Allegiance. She whispered her name when the teacher asked. She said, “what? I’m sorry we couldn’t hear you. Please say that again.” So the girl said it a little louder this time, but t
he teacher held her hand up to hear ear to show that she still couldn’t hear. So she said a little louder, she said “Rosalyn.” The teacher nodded and called on the next child. But the girl, Rosalyn, held her head still, pretending to pay attention. But that simple request, just saying her name out loud, had terrified her. Used all her energy, and she was exhausted. Yet, it was only the first period of the first day.


1
Rosalyn walked into the school building, like she did every day, with her head down. She walked into her first class and set her things on her desk. She arrived at school every morning at 7:00, and had to somehow kill 20 minutes of time before the bell rang letting students into the classroom. So she would grab her book and find a nice quite spot to read. Today Rosalyn found an unoccupied corner by an old, unused classroom. She settled down and began to read. Before even 5 minutes had passed she felt a slight tap on her shoulder. She yelped in surprise. Had she really been that absorbed in her book?
She was greeted by a friendly face, one she had never seen before. He was crouched down next to her, his smile wide and his blue eyes kind. He had dark black hair, almost covering his eyes and a ring clung to his lower lip. He wore a deep blue beanie over his head, dark jeans, and a hoodie with the words, ‘Black Veil Brides ARMY’ written on it, even though it was September, and the cold air had not yet replaced to warm summerlike breeze. His shoes were worn and scribbled on, with tape covering holes. He smelled of crisp autumn air, and when he spoke she looked him in the eyes.
“Excuse me, I know you’re kind of busy there, but would you mind if I sat here until the bell rings?” His voice was deep yet light and he spoke in a cheery tune. Rosalyn shook her head and gestured to the spot next to her. He smiled happily and plopped down next to her. “Thanks, my name is Joey by the way, My brother and I just moved here.” He said extending his hand. Rosalyn opened her mouth and softly responded “I’m Rosalyn.” And shook his hand. They spent the rest of the morning chatting quietly until the bell rang. They both stood up and before she could walk away, Joey smiled and said “same time tomorrow?” Rosalyn nodded her head and walked to her math class, keeping her head down as usual, but this time, she smiled.

Math class was uneventful, as were her next two classes. As the bell rang, Rosalyn gathered her things and headed to English. She sat at her desk and begun to take out what she needed when she heard the teacher speak. She looked up and saw her talking to another student. Right as she was about to put her head back down, the teacher pointed to her desk. The student walked back and took a seat next to her without saying a word. More students began to trickle in and the boy stayed silent. Which was fine with her. The bell to signify the start of class rang and everyone took their seats. Rosalyn’s English teacher was a middle aged women with fading blonde hair. She was tiny, but loud. Every day she wore a blouse with white or black capris shorts. She was strict, but nice, which made her the perfect sixth grade English teacher. Her name was Mrs.Ballwood.
She took roll and clapped her hands, meaning be quite, now. “Alright guys, I know you’re all excited to meet the new kid, but let’s calm down and introduce ourselves.” She boomed. “I’ll start, and you guys follow my lead. My name is Mrs.Ballwood, and I like teaching.” Each of the students took their turns in sharing their name and a fact. When it came time for Rosalyn to speak she stood up and whispered “My name is Rosalyn, I like to play guitar.” Mrs. Ballwood didn’t press her to speak louder. Instead she called on the new boy. He walked to the front of the class and wrote on the board. It said ‘Hi, I’m Evan, and I like to write’. He gave a small smile and then walked head down to his desk.

“Evan has a disorder that causes him to be unable to speak for long periods of time. He just moved here from North Carolina, and was homeschooled until now, right Evan?” Mrs. Ballwood asked. Evan nodded his head. Rosalyn offered a small smile before turning her attention to the teacher. She tried to focus on the lesson but couldn’t stop thinking about him. Dark, shaggy hair hanging over his face as he read, his tiny body making the desk look huge. Every once and awhile he would look up, and Rosalyn would catch a glimpse of bright, sparkling green eyes. He wore a dark blue t-shirt, with a piano spread across it, and dark jeans that hugged his body just right. He wore a pair of gray tennis shoes stained with dirt.
She spent the rest of the day in a haze, barley noticing he was in her last class and lunch. She walked with her head down out of the building and onto the bus. The whole time looking out the window, thinking about all that had happened that day. When her stop came she picked up her bag and walked off the bus into her house, and laid down on her bed. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep, deep sleep.