Read Online The Life and Afterlife of Charlie Brackwood (The Brackwood Series Book 1) by Stacey Field - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stacey Field
Ads: Link
miserable and her confidence would be shattered.
As I watched her long eyelashes flutter softly while she slept, I realised that I was about to shatter her hopes and dreams into a million tiny shards.
Chapter Five
I still sat loyally by her side when Lucy woke up. Her peaceful expression was replaced by a look of confusion and eventual devastation when I told her what had happened.
I watched the friend I had known and cared about for so long crumble in front of me, while feeling helpless in the face of her misery. I held Lucy close and told her everything would work out.
Eventually she accepted the missed exam as a mishap, but even though she knew she had the option to re-sit the following year, her anxiety worsened and her medication was increased.
Russ and I, now both eighteen, were about to leave school. In fact, I didn’t see him for a while after he’d told me he was about to chase up his girlfriend and find out what had happened just before the biology exam. Though I tried not to show it in front of Lucy, I was still angry with Russ and blamed him for Amy’s actions.
I hated the fact that I was the one who had to break the news to Lucy that day, and comfort her as her hopes were crushed. All because Russ couldn’t resist playing games with Amy by using Lucy to make her jealous. For the first time in my life I was ashamed of him.
In the days that followed I watched Lucy closely. I was worried about my friend, and my inclination to protect her grew stronger. From her nursing job my mother knew about the long-lasting effects severe bullying had on the victim, often changing their personality and causing them to become untrusting, paranoid, and subject to feelings of suppressed anger that could corrode even the sweetest of souls.
Amy was a clergyman’s daughter; her father was vicar of our parish and a very strict and strait-laced man. His children were expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and, so far as he knew, they did. In fact, her deluded father believed Amy to be as blameless as any angel residing in Heaven.
Amy was, however, a mistress of manipulation. She had enough intelligence to analyse people and find out what they cared about so that she could use that in order to hurt them. In most cases she would befriend someone, lead them into a false sense of security, get them to give up their secrets, and then humiliate them by telling the whole school.
I realised, albeit too late, that Amy had spent every lunch hour that she shared with the three of us analysing Lucy in order to find out what motivated her and to use whatever that was to destroy her. Lucy had high hopes for her future. She wanted a career, independence, and to break the ties and restrictions imposed on her so far. Her parents weren’t well off and she had experienced disappointment and sorrow in her childhood.
She had decided at an early age that she would take charge of her own future happiness and work as hard as possible to reach her educational goals. Determination was one of Lucy’s many fine qualities and it was one I greatly admired. She was truly unstoppable at times.
Now her dreams had been dashed by a selfish, spiteful bully, the worst part of it being that Amy had shown no remorse for her actions. Not so much as a sympathetic glance was thrown Lucy’s way.
The weekend after the disastrous biology exam the village’s annual Summer Fair was held. This yearly event involved a bouncy castle, coconut shy, dog show, helter-skelter, beer tent, and many more activities. But Russ and I mainly went along for the beer. There was always a great atmosphere at the village fair when the whole community came together. Most of the villagers took part and the committee members were greatly admired for giving up their free time to organise such a popular event.
The sun was high and the crowd was noisy as I pushed my way through in the search of Lucy. I felt a rush of anticipation at the
As I watched her long eyelashes flutter softly while she slept, I realised that I was about to shatter her hopes and dreams into a million tiny shards.
Chapter Five
I still sat loyally by her side when Lucy woke up. Her peaceful expression was replaced by a look of confusion and eventual devastation when I told her what had happened.
I watched the friend I had known and cared about for so long crumble in front of me, while feeling helpless in the face of her misery. I held Lucy close and told her everything would work out.
Eventually she accepted the missed exam as a mishap, but even though she knew she had the option to re-sit the following year, her anxiety worsened and her medication was increased.
Russ and I, now both eighteen, were about to leave school. In fact, I didn’t see him for a while after he’d told me he was about to chase up his girlfriend and find out what had happened just before the biology exam. Though I tried not to show it in front of Lucy, I was still angry with Russ and blamed him for Amy’s actions.
I hated the fact that I was the one who had to break the news to Lucy that day, and comfort her as her hopes were crushed. All because Russ couldn’t resist playing games with Amy by using Lucy to make her jealous. For the first time in my life I was ashamed of him.
In the days that followed I watched Lucy closely. I was worried about my friend, and my inclination to protect her grew stronger. From her nursing job my mother knew about the long-lasting effects severe bullying had on the victim, often changing their personality and causing them to become untrusting, paranoid, and subject to feelings of suppressed anger that could corrode even the sweetest of souls.
Amy was a clergyman’s daughter; her father was vicar of our parish and a very strict and strait-laced man. His children were expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and, so far as he knew, they did. In fact, her deluded father believed Amy to be as blameless as any angel residing in Heaven.
Amy was, however, a mistress of manipulation. She had enough intelligence to analyse people and find out what they cared about so that she could use that in order to hurt them. In most cases she would befriend someone, lead them into a false sense of security, get them to give up their secrets, and then humiliate them by telling the whole school.
I realised, albeit too late, that Amy had spent every lunch hour that she shared with the three of us analysing Lucy in order to find out what motivated her and to use whatever that was to destroy her. Lucy had high hopes for her future. She wanted a career, independence, and to break the ties and restrictions imposed on her so far. Her parents weren’t well off and she had experienced disappointment and sorrow in her childhood.
She had decided at an early age that she would take charge of her own future happiness and work as hard as possible to reach her educational goals. Determination was one of Lucy’s many fine qualities and it was one I greatly admired. She was truly unstoppable at times.
Now her dreams had been dashed by a selfish, spiteful bully, the worst part of it being that Amy had shown no remorse for her actions. Not so much as a sympathetic glance was thrown Lucy’s way.
The weekend after the disastrous biology exam the village’s annual Summer Fair was held. This yearly event involved a bouncy castle, coconut shy, dog show, helter-skelter, beer tent, and many more activities. But Russ and I mainly went along for the beer. There was always a great atmosphere at the village fair when the whole community came together. Most of the villagers took part and the committee members were greatly admired for giving up their free time to organise such a popular event.
The sun was high and the crowd was noisy as I pushed my way through in the search of Lucy. I felt a rush of anticipation at the
Similar Books
