3.

Leia didn't know how long she stayed on the floor. The only comfort she had was the promise of death. There was determination in her mind. She would end it all. She would.

Eventually, she got out of the cubicle. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she was walking out of the toilet. Her brown hair damp from the water, and her sweater and long skirt looked heavy as it clung onto her skin. Her brown eyes looked back from the mirror. Gone were the sparks of life in them. All traces of life were replaced with dullness and pain.

She dragged her feet as she made her way out of the toilet. She didn't want to return to class. She walked towards the back gate where she knew she could leave the school before dismissal time. She should have been scared at the prospect of missing class, but she knew that it wouldn't matter anymore.

As she walked towards the gate, she passed by a group of people at the back of the school. They were smoking and laughing. She tried to pass them by, but it was too late. Their gaze landed on her. She quickened her pace.

"What's the hurry?" One of them asked, and the rest laughed in response. She closed her eyes before taking a stronger stride. A hand grabbed her wrist with force, causing her to hiss in pain.

"Why don't we have some fun?" It was the person who had called her out just now. She looked up. It was Ethan Lee, an infamous guy in school known for his short temper and violent outbursts.

"Please let go of me." She whispered.

He laughed in response. "She asked me to let go of her! What do you think, guys?" He turned around to ask his group of friends, who only laughed in response. Some of them were saying crude words in mockery. She closed her eyes, letting a stray tear escape.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with a crude smirk from Ethan. He dragged her to where his friends were and pushed her down to the ground. She tried to sit up only to be pushed again. She heard them laughing as she struggled on the ground. She realised then that no matter how much she struggled, she wouldn't be able to get out of this. She kneeled in resignation, not fighting anymore. There was no emotion left in her. They could do anything they wanted to her, and she wouldn't fight it anymore.

She gave a glance at his group of friends. She knew all of their names from repeated encounters in the past. Andy who had records of juvenile activities, Alice who had more piercings than her two hands could count, Gabe who was the equivalent to a manslut. All of them were grinning alongside Ethan. Then she looked at the last person in the group, Colin Harries. He had a cigarette in his mouth and looked at her expressionless, but he was always expressionless.

He was notorious and no one dared to cross him. Everyone knows that Colin came from a very affluent background. They see it in the watch he wears and the car he drives. Why he chose to transfer to a public school in an unknown neighbourhood, no one knows. Rumour has it that he got into a fist fight in his previous school and had to transfer. Another rumour said that he has connections with the principal. No one knows the truth, but one thing was for sure. Everyone treated him like a greek god.

Under normal circumstances, Leia would find him attractive. Who could resist that dirty blonde hair and piercing grey eyes? But his friends were among the groups that picked on her. Although Colin never laid a hand on her directly, his silence was participation enough in the bullying she endured.

She didn't have to wait long enough before the first kick. Ethan kicked her on the stomach, and when Leia shielded her stomach while grunting in pain, he kicked her back. He continued kicking with all his strength. When he saw that Leia was not reacting, Ethan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You're not fun. Colin, give me your cigarette."

Leia opened her eyes to see Colin handing Ethan the bud that he had been smoking. Ethan turned to her, smirking. He grabbed her right wrist and turned it around so that her palm was wide open. He grinned as he pressed the bud onto her palm. Leia felt a burning pain and cried out in pain, but that only served for Ethan to press the burning bud onto her skin further.

"That's what I'm talking about." He grinned. He tossed the cigarette, then slapped her burnt palm with a lot of force. Leia cried out in pain.

"Now go." He ushered her out.

Leia continued to lie down on the ground, absorbing all the pain until she felt another kick. This time, it was on her shoulder.

"Are you deaf? I said go!" Ethan said.

She didn't bother to gather her things. She stood up, and as if her life depended on it, she ran.

-----

Leia stared at the traffic for a very long time.

Her mind and thoughts were everywhere. They never linger on anything specific, but a string of memories she had for the past 18 years flashed before her eyes. The happy moments she shared with her mother, when her mother let her lick the batter for the cookie batter, when her mother brought donuts home, or when her dog Rocky licked her face, desperate for her attention as she read her book on the bed.

But the memories refused to remain happy. It went on to the first time she heard rumours about her. To the time when she heard whispers when she walked on the hallway. The first time she was hit, the first time she locked herself in the bedroom while her mother knocked on the door asking her what was wrong. The time when Rocky licked her hands as she cried against her pillow. Her chest clenched in pain. This time, she welcomed the pain. It consumed her and fuelled her determination to end this once and for all.

Leia looked at the busy street. The flashes of cars passing her by, the sound of the beeping traffic, people crossing the roads, passing her by, the sensation of living overwhelmed her until she was rendered into nothingness, rooted to the spot.

The traffic light indicated a green light for the upcoming cars, while the pedestrian crossing indicated a red man, not allowing people to cross. She held her breath and took a step on the road. They would deem it as an accident. That would be good. She didn't want people to know of her suicidal tendencies or thoughts. She didn't want her mother nor the bullies to think they held that much power over her. She wanted to retain whatever pride she had left. No matter how little it is. She also didn't want to break her mother's heart.

Before Leia could take a step further, she heard a scream. She looked up and saw a little girl running across the road from the opposite direction, her blonde hair sweeping against the wind as she ran across the road. There was the sound of honking. As if in reflex, Leial ran towards the girl and pulled her by the wrist. Once the girl was behind Leia, she used all her strength to push her away from the oncoming car. The little girl landed on her butt, slightly in front of the pedestrian. Some passerby pulled her further to the sidewalk, safe from any upcoming vehicles.

Leia stared at the girl in relief. But before she could relax, she heard the sound of a screeching tire. She didn't feel it when the car hit her. Her body was flying through the air with her back parallel to the ground. It wasn't long before gravity did its work. The first thing she felt was her head hitting the ground. Then, she felt a burning sensation as her skin rubbed against the cement on the road.

It was as if the world was moving in slow motion. She heard nothing but ringing in her ears. The cars around the area came into a halt. The people on the sidewalk started to walk closer to her until they surrounded her body. She heard someone screaming for an ambulance, and another person screaming for her to stay awake. But she couldn't because she started to see black spots. The spots started to fill her sight until everything turned black.