All Chapters of Beautiful & Battered: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“What you did back there with that boy, Robin, was very stupid." Ryder, my fri- acquaintance, tells me as I do the walk of honor to our principal’s office. I give him a blank stare but he shrugs and walks away.  These grey walls of the corridor to Chuck’s office remind me of the juvenile detention center, where I spent the entire summer last year. This office has a wooden theme with a trophy showcase on an entire wall. The students who are opposite of me win such grand materialistic objects for the school and make them proud. I wonder where that honor takes them once they reach their practical life. I ended up in the detention center because of a boy who had said something which he shouldn’t have. Being the impulsive asshole I am, I confidently beat him to a pulp. Some student

"Sixty degrees from your right!" The chirpy voice of Logan booms through the microphone in my ear and I grit my teeth. He gets this excited every Thursday night when it's time to play the midnight game and honestly, it is exasperating.  But then who wouldn't be excited when you are buying weeds. I go over the faces of the people on my right that is being illuminated by the blue and green lights of the club. It is difficult to recognize someone and the club's atmosphere is completely different on a Thursday night too.  People are actually talking in light whispers instead of loud discussions and arguments. Slow electronic music is playing in the background instead of blaring rap songs. There isn't any hot and sexy and almost naked woman dancing in the middle, but, w

"I'm tired of reminding you to work on your grades, Nio." I look at Mr. B.M Harrison's wide and dark face and he surely looks tired. He lets out an exasperated sigh and his small brown ears, which sticks out rather oddly, drop with hopelessness for me. I wonder why he even cares for my grades so much in the first place. But then being a teacher, he got to care about his students. "I've come upon a decision," his tone turns grave suddenly with a rekindled spark of hope this time. "There's a student, Celeste James, she's a bright student with well-maintained grades but recently she has shown a significant decline in algebra. And Mr. Harper tells me you've quite a skill in that subject." The way his almond eyes are shining, looking at me all the while, oozing positivity, I instantly feel queasy as if my insides were

Plinio's POV:"I am so sorry, honey. This won't happen again. I swear."These were the exact words my Dad, Carlos Murray, beseeched to Mom with his hands folded. His fingertips had turned almost white.Mom was sitting on the couch, rubbing ice over her swollen cheek and wiping away her tears like bird shit on the windscreen. Dad was kneeling in front of her on the floor, apologizing repeatedly. With each assurance he gave, my heart became confident that this miserable incident won't occur again. Because that ten-year-old Plinio believed that you don't hurt whom you love. I saw the scene unfold in front of my eyes as my mother forgave him. I was sitting on the cold wooden floor inside my room, peeking from the slightly ajar door. The cold sensation on my bare legs i

Celeste's POV "You are late," And not just late. Plinio is fifteen minutes late. He may be the one to not care about it but I do. I cared for Kevin when he told me to be careful around Plinio because we don't know what may be going on in his execrable mind. I care for my time that is undoubtedly money. I could have listened to more of Kevin's stories about the visit of his Aunt for Christmas. Judging by the things he has told, he's enjoying the company of her and her eight-year-old twins. Well, except the cat they brought along. Kevin is not fond of cats. He's almost allergic to them, without the appearance of symptoms of course. He hates how they are always in the mood o