Chains - Writing Contest Entry - Round 1

Instructions

“Hey, Julia!” Freddie called. Julia stared at him for a moment. He was the cute boy from class, the one who sat just across from her. He was kind to her. She wanted so desperately to be his friend, just his friend. She wanted to wave, to smile, to show some recognition. But she could not lift a finger. Her worn-out face could not bear another smile. The weight of her chains were too great. To simply raise her hand and wave would steal all of her energy. Her mind screamed at her to say hello, to do something, but she didn’t have the strength to fight against her chains. She succumbed, lowering her gaze to her feet and shuffling past him without a word. The look on his face made her heart sink. She felt his eyes burning into the back of her head as she scurried past silently. Gravity tugged at her wrists, and she knew immediately another link had been added. She trudged down the hall, each step growing more difficult. Julia wanted so badly to simply turn around, run after Freddie, and beg for forgiveness. But her hands were tied. Her chains dragged behind her, clinking together as she walked. They were always heavy, but eventually she had grown almost used to the weight. The chains were longer than her, and if she were to lift her arms, they would still reach all the way to the ground. She remembered the first time they appeared clearly. Usually only one link appeared at a time, but that first time had created two cuffs and four links. It was in fifth grade. Julia had always been a target, bullied by the kids in her class because she was different. But she was an extroverted, confident young girl who didn’t care what others thought of her. She didn’t care about their opinions. They were nobodies, strangers who had no right to judge her. There was only one person in her class whose opinion she truly valued, and that was her best friend, Nick. They had been friends since the day they were born. He was handsome, with olive green eyes and floppy black hair. He had a kind smile, a charming grin, which Julia had always loved. Where she was outgoing, he was more quiet and introverted, though he wouldn’t hesitate to stand up to the bullies who tormented Julia. But that didn’t last long. When it was just Julia being bullied, Nick would stick by her side. But when they started to target him for staying with her, he started to change. He began to harden, to distance himself from Julia. She begged him to stay, that they could work through it together, if only he would give her the chance. Nick agreed, but only on the condition that she would make herself the sole target. Julia agreed. She would have done anything for him, to keep him by her side. She did everything she could to draw attention away from Nick and onto her. Julia allowed them to take her lunch money, to taunt her endlessly, and even to kick her down to the ground. She didn’t retaliate in the slightest. All of it was for him. However, it was to no avail. Nick was still bullied. He was growing desperate. He lashed out, willing to do anything to put an end to the torment. So he turned on Julia. He became a bully to get them off of his own back. Of course, Julia was devastated. Her heart shattered inside her chest. Not only had she lost her only friend, but she had gained a ruthless tormentor. That was when they first appeared on her wrist. After that, she avoided school like the plague. Julia used every excuse in the book. She stopped going to her extracurricular activities, and instead kept herself locked up in her house. She separated herself from reality. Every time she refused a party or turned away a potential friend, a new link in the chain was added. Eventually it added up to the chains she wore now, the chains that kept her isolated. (Cont)