RQ: Completely Priceless. EnglandxBullied!Reader

The only sounds that could be heard in her bedroom were hushed sobs of sorrow and anguish. There were shards of glass everywhere; some pieces reflected sunlight from the window.   ________ sat in huddled in the corner, cradling her injured fist to her chest.  Her choked sobs subsiding as she slowly recovered from her breakdown.  _________ didn’t know if she could continue living anymore. What was the point?  Everything around her said that she wasn’t good enough.

She was tired of trying to reach the impossible goal of being perfect by societal standards.  She was tired of trying to be something she wasn’t in order to gain the approval of others. She became weary of the taunts and jeers of her classmates.  ______ didn’t want to go to school anymore.  It became too much. The mocking laughter of her tormentors echoed in her mind. Their voices filled with spite and hatred resounded in her ears.


“You’re ugly.”


“No one likes you.”


“Stupid freak.”


“Go kill yourself.”


_________’s heart began to pound in anxiety.  Each beat slammed against her ribs slightly jolting her.  “I can’t…” She whimpered. “I can’t go back there…”  She brought her knees closer to her chest as she felt another wave of panic  wash over her.  Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she fought back another fit of sobs. “Why does this always have to happen to me? Why isn’t there anyone who loves me? How come I’m not good enough?”

_____________


Arthur ran as fast as he could.  His rhythmic steps were in time with his panting as he turned sharply down her street. ”Something’s wrong…something’s wrong…” There was an unsettling feeling that churned in the pit of his stomach.   “Something’s wrong….very wrong…”


_______was not one to lash at others, even when it was at her own expense.  She always kept her composure, but that could only last but so long.   “Anything that harbors too much stress will explode…”.  He had to find her before the anguish and pain inside her detonated.  


He flew up the stairs of ______’s front porch and flipped over the welcome mat to retrieve the spare key.  Arthur quickly undid the lock and slammed it shut and relocked it. He hurriedly ran upstairs to ________’s room while tripping over a cream rug in the process.  “_________?!”  He called out breathlessly.  Faint sobbing could be heard from down the hall.  Trying to catch his breath, Arthur listened intently to figure out where ________ was.  



“I’m worthless….” her cries grew louder. ”I’m...completely worthless.” She felt her voice raise an octave.   “No one cares….no one cares…” The last thought reverberated in her mind. Her heart began to race. Adrenaline shot through her veins, giving her a new burst of energy. ________’s mind went black and her emotions happily took over. The first thing she grabbed was framed picture of herself and her family.



Without a thought, _______ hurled it at the wall hearing a satisfying crack of the plastic and shattering of the glass.  She felt her lips twist into a manic smirk.  Not minding the broken shards of glass pressing into her stocking feet, she continued on her rampage. CRASH!</b>   “There goes the floor length mirror…” she thought bitterly.  ________ was so engulfed in her rage, she didn’t hear the bedroom door slam into the mahogany bookcase.  She couldn’t feel her best friend picking her up and pulling away from the mess.  She didn’t even feel herself thrashing about in his arms.



“Shh… There, there love.  Calm down, please. I’m here…”  Fragments of his soothing voice entered her mind, slowly bringing her back to focus.  “Come, now. You’ve scratched yourself up quite a bit… Let’s get you cleaned up…” _________’s hysteric crying became soft whimpering.  Now she could feel all those cuts and bruises in her hands and feet.  Her head was pounding. Her eyes stung badly and her cheeks and throat were raw from all the sobbing.


Arthur sat ___________ on the edge of the tub.  He began pulling antiseptics, ointments, and bandages from the medicine cabinet.  “I was worried about you. I asked our homeroom teacher if you were out sick.  He said he hadn’t a clue as to why you were out.” ________ took her gaze off the floor and looked at the young man. They were sophomores in high school, only 15 and 16 years old.  However, Arthur had the demeanor and wisdom of someone twice his age.  Though he could be quick tempered and very blunt, this side of him tended to show up at times like this.

And _________ was grateful for that.  


“Something in me knew that it was due to all those idiots who’ve been terrorizing you.  So, I made it my business to tell them to go and jump off a cliff and to leave you alone.” He turned to her with an arm-full of first aid items.  It was then that ________ noticed a slight bruise on his left cheek.  “…Wha-“  “I punched one of them. This is going to sting a little.”  Gingerly, Arthur cleaned her cuts and bruises and began to bandage them.

“A little?!” she hissed.  

“Sorry.  Listen; don’t even mind what anyone says about you.  They’re not important enough for them to even have that much room in your life. You need to divorce yourself from people’s opinions…” He looked her straight in her (e/c) eyes making sure that she understood.  “But….” Her voice a small whisper, “It’s true.  You’re my only friend.  No one else understands me.  Not even my own parents.”  _________ gave a small cynical chuckle. “They’re not even around enough to…”  


“Doesn’t matter.  I care about you… I understand you… I…love you.”  He turned his head a bit to hide the reddening of his cheeks.  “Besides, your worth is that beyond rubies. No one can depreciate your worth… So, learn to love yourself, ok?”  He placed small kiss on her cheek. Stunned, _______ jumped up and nearly tackled the Brit.  “I love you, too...thanks…for everything.”  


Arthur just smiled and hugged her back. “Never a problem…you’re completely priceless.”