The Sewer

The Sewer

My name is Alea. My mother was obsessed with rare names. This is how I got my name. I am not a normal person. Actually, I’m not really a person anymore. I wasn’t always like the way I am now. I’ll tell you my story.

It was a normal school day just like any other. Except this day was different, like totally different. I am the typical normal girl that the mean girls pick on. This day started out like any other day. Wake up, get ready, head to school, and wait for the bullies. I’m only sixteen, and everyone else in my class is sixteen or seventeen.

I get to school and see the girls waiting for me. I walk past them, but of course they follow me. I go to my locker to get my Calculus book. I try ignoring them, but they shove me into my locker and walk away. They like to spread rumors about me. They message me online telling me to kill myself. I learned to just ignore the whole thing, but they don’t stop. Everyday they walk pass me and shove me into my locker or into the wall.

Today there was an early out because the weather was suppose to get bad. I was walking to the stop sign to call my mom. I heard a snicker suddenly and then I felt someone shove me into the sign. My nose started to bleed, so I just walked away. I called my mom and the phone started to ring. Then there was an answer, nevermind it was just her voicemail. I left her a voicemail and headed back to the school to the nurse’s office.

When I reached the door, Melissa was waiting for me. Melissa is one of my bullies. She stopped me dead in my tracks and glared at me. She pushed me around and then grabbed my arm and threw me. Melissa threw me straight into the sewer, and I went tumbling down.

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All I could see was a bright light. Then there was nothing. I heard voices, but I couldn’t speak. I felt my heartbeat slowing down. My mind was racing. Am I dying? I thought that over and over again. When the light disappeared, I saw my mother crying. She was hunched over something, it was my body covered in blood. I stood there perplexed. How can I see myself? Am I dead?

I had so many questions that wouldn’t go answered. My mom got up and started to walk towards the school, I followed her. She was walking towards Melissa who was being put into a cop car. What was going on? I heard my mom talking to the officer, and he told her the story that he got from Melissa and the teacher.

The teacher was Mr. Johnsen, he saw Melissa throw me into the sewer, and he called 911 right away. Melissa told the cops that she was just messing around and didn’t mean to throw me into the sewer. Melissa was crying in the back of the car.

“Why was there no lid on the sewer?” Sharon, my mom, questioned.

“Today is the day we clean out the sewers,” Mr. Johnsen told my mom.

The cop cars sped off after my mom was done talking to them. The paramedics walked over to my mom and apologized saying that they couldn’t do anything. The paramedics said that I suffered from a broken neck, and serious bleeding injuries. My mom started to cry even more and started to shout.

My mom got in her car and sped straight to our house. She got out and ran into the house. I followed her straight into my room. I watched as my mom sat on my bed and grabbed my baby picture. She ran her finger down the side of the picture and started to talk to herself.

“I wish I was there to get you before you school was out. I wish I would have answered your call. I wish I could have been there for you. Why wasn’t I there?” I heard my mom say through the sniffles. “Oh how I wish I could turn back the clock and save my only baby. I lost your father to a drunk driver and now I lose you to a person who thought it would be funny to hurt you.”

I stood there wishing I could hug her and comfort her, but all I could do was sit down next to her. She looked up off the picture and set it down. I wanted to say something, tell her everything was going to be ok, tell her that I’m here, but I can’t. I walked to the police station to see Melissa in her jail cell looking at the floor. The floor was covered in blood from a jail fight, I hope.

I decided to say something knowing they won’t hear me, but I had to get this off my chest.

“Melissa, I can’t believe you did this. What made you think it was funny to pick on me? What made you decide to throw me? Can you tell me please?”

Melissa looked over in my direction. “Alea, is that you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I only picked on you because I was scared that you were going to steal my friends. You were so pretty that I thought everyone would like you more, so I felt that I needed you to feel that you shouldn’t talk to my friends. I didn’t think it was funny, but when I started to pick on you the first time, I couldn’t stop. I’m so sorry. I wish I could rewind and become friends with you.”

I started to cry. I looked at her, and I saw the real Melissa for the first time. I walked over to where she was sitting and patted her back.

“I forgive you. I wanted to be your friend, but I didn’t think you did either.”

She smiled. The officer came and told her it was time to eat. She got up and looked at me. I smiled hoping she would see me. This was weird. My mother couldn’t see me, nor could she hear me. Melissa could, she could hear me, and probably see me. After awhile I decided to head home and see my mother. She was standing in our basement, looking at all of our old photos together. The picture of my father, my mother, and me stood out. I didn’t want to die, not like this anyway.

I decided it was best not to see my mom in pain, so I left to go to my room. As I was walking to my room, I saw that my mom left the t.v. on, and the news was beginning. I sat on the couch and stared at the news. While I was sitting there, I felt my heartbeat come back. It was beating again; this can’t be happening. I thought I died from the fall.

My mom must have heard the news because she was running up the steps. We would always watch the news together. When she reached the top step the phone went off.