Todos los capítulos de My FaCiAl Disorder : Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 7

"I'm not going, Mom! I told you a hundred times- I'm not going back to school." My voice cracked, caught somewhere between rage and fear, both of which I'd gotten too good at bottling up. I stood at the top of the staircase, arms crossed tight across my chest like I could shield myself from her words- maybe from the world. Every nerve in my body felt exposed, raw, like skin rubbed too thin. "You have to try, baby. You can't hide forever. I know it's hard but staying locked in your room won't bring your life back." My mom said from the bottom of the stairs. She held my old backpack in her hand- the one I used to cover with pins and glittery nonsense like 'Smile more' and 'Live Loud'. Now it just looked like a memory that didn't belong to me anymore. "You think just because I walk into that school, everything will be okay," I snapped. "They're going to stare at me, Mom! They're going to laugh or pity me, or wor

As I walked throught the school gates, it felt like the world pressed pause- like the air itself was thickened and every breath took twice my effort. Everyone stopped what they were doing just to stare at me. Was I too noticeable that it's my first day, that am new after a long time. My footsteps slowed against the pavement and for a moment, I swear even the birds stopped chirping. My heartbeat thundered in my ears like an alarm I couldn't shut off. I couldn't tell if it was fear, or shame, or something in between- but it gripped me so tightly I almost turned back. But then I pictured my mother. The way she smiled when I said I'd try. The way she folded my scarf carefully the night before, like it was armor. I couldn't disappoint her. Not now. The scarf hugged my face gently. Wrapping around my face only revealing my eyes, they are one of my body parts that's still intact and the same. I adjusted it over and over again making sure that only my eyes showed. The part I

The last bell rang. And I couldn't wait any longer than I have today. I texted my mom three times to wait for me near the school gate. I shoved my books into my bag with the kind of fury only teenage girls and lightning storms could manage. I went out the classroom and went down the back dark hallway- quiet, empty, shadowed. Quicker exist. I turned the corner sharply- and slammed right into someone. "Agh-!" I gasped, stunning back. The person barely moved.I looked up. It's a guy- he was tall. Automatically, my eyes traveled from his feet up to chest, up to his jaw, then to his face- and that's when I froze. My breath caught in my throat. To my absolute suprise... It was him.JADE VALE. Well known as TJ.The same guy that me and my previous best friend used to blab about. The boy I'd dreamed about,written about, secretly obsessed over- the guy I was in love with since primary. The one I never got to talk too. The guy I would watch from distant. Now th

By lunch, I was exhausted from pretending I didn't care. I sat on the bench, that me and my best friend used to sit. The one beneath the crooked tree where hardly anyone ever sat. I liked it, even now. It was tucked away just enough that I didn't feel entirely exposed, but not isolated that I'd draw more attention. I sat down carefully, scarf snug and hands in my lap. I had a lunchbox in my bag. Packed carefully this morning. A sandwich, cut diagonally the way Mom always did. Apple slices. A small packet of crisps. Nothing unusual. Nothing loud. And yet... It stayed in my bag. I was hungry. My stomach twisted around itself. Still... I didn't reach for the lunchbox. Because eating meant removing the scarf. And removing the scarf meant being seen. I imagined it- fumbling with the fabric, people walking by, someone catching a glimpse- someone like Melissa or Tasha. Or worse- Jade. What if someone