Broken

• Angelina-Jade Cousin , Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2019

Billowing storm clouds overcast London, thunder roared and lightning cascaded down from the sky and caused a rampage on the city. The streets ran wild with the heavy downpour of rain flooding them; windows racketed and shook violently every time lightning struck, people locked themselves inside their home trying to wait out the looming storm that ceased to disperse. However despite the raging storm happening outside there was a bigger storm occurring inside the mind of young Vera Bloom. Vera sat lonesome in the courtyard of her school, despite her teachers’ wishes for her to come inside where it was safe from the vigorous storm. But she couldn’t hear them over the blaring thoughts within her mind.
Her fingers wound through her rain drenched hair, tugging harshly at the strands she had grasped. Her figure was curled into a ball where her knees were close against her chest and her back was against a nearby brick wall. Her lungs were tight and her heart was racing what seemed like a million miles per second, she felt like she couldn’t breathe, her breath was hitched inside her throat. This wasn’t the first time she had been in a situation like this, she had been in many but this was the first time out of the confinements of her bedroom. The smallest of things can set her off on this spiral downward into a pool filled with anxious and terrified thoughts that consumed her mind. You’re not good enough for anyone, you’re too ugly, they don’t like you, you’re not special, you’re meaningless, you’re worthless, you’re a burden, you ruin everything, you’re not important. These are just some of the continuous thoughts that flooded every inch of her mind, which made her body ache with misery every single day she woke up.
Her body shook violently from the icy cold wind burning against her skin and from the thousands of bitter raindrops that fell upon her body and soaked through her school clothes.
“Vera please come inside, it’s not safe out here, we can talk about this inside.” A teacher’s voice shouted desperately over the booming roars of thunder.
Vera’s glassy eyes shot over towards the teacher, tears still ferociously slid down her cheeks, mixing with the raindrops. A suffering broken look was evident within young Vera’s eyes, her bottom lip quivered as she shook her head.
“No you don’t understand! I’m miserable, can’t you see that?! Everyone leaves me in the end because they can’t handle me, because all I am is a burden to them! I may have ‘friends’ but in the end all I am is alone! And what do you and the counsellors do?! You do nothing but treat me like everyone else does! You may think you’re helping me but you’re not! You have no idea what it’s like to have these overwhelming thoughts! To have such severe anxiety! You brush it off as if it’s nothing! I can’t do this anymore!”