“The Dark Cloud”: A Creative Writing Piece

Why does the cloud always follow me? When everyone else is having fun in the sunshine, I am over here getting soaked in rain. I used to love the rain. I would go out with my little sister and I would go jump in puddles. It was so fun. So perfect. Why can’t life go back to the way it was?

Being shoved into lockers is a common everyday thing for me. When did people think that that had to be included? Walking home in the rain, a car goes by and someone shouts loser, and people laugh. The feeling. Why can’t I describe this feeling? It’s like a searing pain surging within me and an urge, an urge to do what? Weeks go by like seconds in a minute. I have a fascination with black and for long sleeves in summer. Nobody warned me that the world could be so cruel. My dad…

He hits my mom, just like a wrestler to a punching bag. But why doesn’t she stop him? Why doesn’t she run away? Call the police? Wait.. oh nevermind what everyone says is true. Loser, ugly, nerd, gay, emo. It’s all the same it’s all true. Up into the bathroom. Drawing a bath. Pen hits paper as words of anger, sadness and hurt are written down. Stopping the water now. Getting in the ice cold water. Then as the sharp cold water touches the arm, I am let free into the darkness I have become so familiar too. But I am in a hospital. Wait… is that… me? My mother kneels in prayer, tears streaming black streaks down her face. I hear a faint beeping. As my mother looks up she screams, a nurse comes in and ushers her out of the room. The nurse looks at the clock and puts the sheet over my head. The cloud is gone now, now all I see is sunshine. But down there I see my mother with a cloud over her head. Oh. No! My sister… She is walking upstairs. Into the bathroom. Drawing a bath. I wake up in a pool of sweat.

My parents don’t pay attention enough to me to put food on the table. My father hits me and my mom laughs at it. I can barely escape to go to school. Not to mention, I am failing three classes and there is no one to help me.

I saw a girl shoving Lela into a locker today. I just stood there, watching like a deer in headlights. Then someone hit play and the girl and Lela was gone. I have to get to class, I don’t want to fail. This happens everyday. And I just stand there. Caught in a daze. Is it even real?

I have to call an assembly. It has dawned on me that we have a bullying problem at the school. Yesterday someone reported someone shoving a person into a locker. They requested to not be mentioned in the assembly. Don’t these children know the pledge the have been saying since kindergarten? I have chosen Lela Carr to be the speaker. She wrote me a story. I want her to read it again.

*After the assembly*

Everyone in the gym, they come out with tear streaked faces. They didn’t even know who read the poem. We put Lela over the loudspeaker.

Walking out of the office, people stop and stare. The world was in slow motion as the realization came on their faces. It all stopped that year. No more getting shoved into the lockers any more. We all have each others back in this fight. Why shouldn’t we?

I continue to walk down the hallway and someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around and it is some kid from my math class. Liam, I think his name is.

“Hey, what’s up. My name is Liam and I don’t know if you have noticed me but I’m in your math class.”

“Yeah, I have noticed you, what do you need?”

“I was wondering’ if you wanted to go see the new horror movie on Friday.”