The New Kid

Perry laid on her back, staring at her room ceiling. Today was a horrible day, Frank found out about her secret and her mom had came back a few minutes earlier and gave Perry a lecture about coming home on time. The clock on the wall was ticking and the sound made her mad. Perry ran her fingers along the scars on her wrist. She was 8 weeks clean and was pretty proud of it but the pressure was overwhelming. Perry opened her clothes drawer and picked up the blade she had kept under her pyjamas. She stared at the blade, then her wrist, then put it down.
"You can't do it! Idiot," she muttered as she walked into the bathroom and flushed the blade down the toilet bowl. Then, she crawled into bed and turned her iPod to the highest volume and fell asleep almost immediately.
---
"Hey, Perry!," Frank smiled, sitting next to her during lunch. Perry almost jumped up and spilled a little of her Diet Coke on her skirt. "Oh, hey, Frank," she said, remembering yesterday's incident. "What's up, Frankie?," Bobbie smiled. "Seriously? FRANKIE?," Perry asked, wiping her skirt. "Hey, its not offensive," she drawled. "I think we should get more chips," Zach shouted, throwing the empty chip bag at George. George, Tessa and Bobbie followed Zach into the cafeteria.
"So," Frank said, playing with the shoelaces on his sneakers.
"So," Perry replied, dropping the crushed can into the drain.
"Why did you do it?"
"Because," Perry sighed. "When my mom was still with my dad, they fought a shitload. They divorced, I moved with my mom here and then mom started nagging and pressuring me about my grades. A few years ago, I found out that Dad had married and I had a stepbrother, Alex. That's why I did it," Perry shrugged.
"Please don't do it again," Frank said, taking her hand. "Promise?"
"Yeah, I promise," Perry smiled. Frank put his head on Perry's shoulder and whispered, "I love you."
Perry should've been taken aback, but instead she whispered back calmly, "I love you too."

Notes