THORNS

Miguel POV:I didn't realize when I zoned out until I felt someone tap my shoulder.Without turning to look at the person, I knew who it was. Shirley, my father's best friend's daughter, the only girl I exchanged few words with. It was her father who always find a way to treat me secretly after being beaten up. He knew all too well about the way I was treated and secretly helped me without my family's notice.“Miguel, what are you up to after school?” I heard Shirley asked, and I shook my finger at her, not willing to talk. She seemed to understand what I meant because she immediately cheered and ranted away.“Yay! That's good. My father gave me few dollars for us to buy snacks after school. Wanna come along?” Without blinking an eye, I immediately shook my head in refusal. It wasn't that I feared going out, it was all because I would rather not be tortured after having so many fractured bones and bruises yesterday.“Wow! This is the first time you're agreeing to my request. Miguel,

Miguel POV:As I walked to school, memories from last night kept hunting me! I could never get the image of that face out of my head. It was like they were haunting me. After checking the mirror this morning, there were obvious eye bags below my eyes.Today, I've chosen to wear my hoodie down. I was so sick of hiding and protecting myself from the world when no one really cared about me!I thought back to Shirley who also witnessed the same thing as I did last night and wondered if her mind was at rest. This was the little affection I could show towards her, since she seemed to care about me. Trusting people was no longer my thing after what happened with the boy I thought loved me.As I walked through the gates of school, a bad feeling suddenly arose in me. I tried shaking it off, but the more I did, the more it came. “What's going on?” I mumbled to myself.“Wow, you're gorgeous despite the panda eyes you're possessing,” I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard Shirley say this behind

MIGUEL POV:“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked calmly, but his voice carried hints of anger. I gulped loudly, and it was then I registered the sight before me. On his table laid a naked woman who looked so lost in the euphoria she was getting. Then and there, I knew I had come at the wrong time, but it was too late to go back in time. Deep down, I felt a pang of pain in me knowing what was happening few minutes ago in this room. I immediately shook the thoughts brewing in my head and turned to look everywhere but at the naked people.“ERM…ERM…,” I stammered out, unable to form coherent words. I was so lost in thinking of what brought me here that I didn't realize I was being glared at. It was until I heard a loud bang in the table that I snapped out of my thoughts.“What the fuck do you want?” Mr. red eye yelled at me with so much anger, making me shiver in fright. I had almost run out of his study room when I remembered the main purpose of my untimely 'visit'.'No, I wasn't go

Miguel POV:School? If I was told three days ago that I was going to be allowed to go to school, I would have beaten that person to a pulp but here I was, with my backpack, standing before my school gates. Of course, I was getting the weird stares but who cares? This is me and I felt really unbothered because I have passed through hell three days ago. I had no idea what caused the devil to change his mind about letting me go to school. I almost thought it was Sebastian but not until I saw them trying to pull their heads off did I realize there was no way that devil, Devon, was going to listen to him.I took a deep breath in, ready to start school. I have never been so happy to start school than I was today. I guess Devon's beatings did one on me."Miguel!" And there, I had to hear my name being called by the rat who made my first encounter with the devil disastrous. I didn't blame her because I knew if it was fate, I was definitely going to meet Devon sooner or later.Before I had tim