Amanda’s Comments (group member since May 22, 2011)

Amanda’s comments from the Creative Writing group.

Current User Name: puppip
Name of Entry: Her beautiful bleeding tree
Entry:#1
Word Count:893


Janice would sit under that tree from sunrise till sunset. The tree was old and tall, and it was wider than five people put together. The sagging branches would protect her from the sun, from the rain, from everything. She was afraid of everything, and her reasons were completely reasonable.

Her father was gone, and her mother was trying to support the family so she was gone all the time. She didn’t talk to her brother, the drug addict that he was. And her boyfriend, that hot, muscular guy that everyone loved.
Except Janice. She didn’t love him.

When they were all alone, he would do horrible things. He would get angry and smack her, even if she didn’t do anything. He would always say sorry the next day, but she never believed him. The bruises were getting too big to hide anymore, so she let everyone see them. She tried to leave him so many times, but it never worked. Somehow, he would always twist it around so she would come back to him.

So Janice would hide under her tree, the tree where no one could find her. She would sit there and stare at the forest, playing with the fallen bark of her old tree. Then she would cry for everything she’s going through. She knew she didn’t deserve this, she didn’t do anything. “I can’t take it anymore!” Janice cried, “I just want something good to happen in my life, something happy.”

The next day she went into school with her friend by her side. She glared at the crowd in front of her, dodging bodies and other moving objects. “I’m telling you, Janie, it will work. You gotta get away from him, so you might as well try.” Her friend Ariel told her.

“I already tried that, but I have another idea.” Then Janice saw him coming towards her, and her heart sunk with fear. “Ariel, um, do you mind if I talk to him alone?”

“I’m going to watch what happens, whether you like it or not. But I’ll stay out of earshot.” Winking, the red head turned away from her friend and walked down the hall.

“Hey, baby, I’m totally sorry about last night.” Her boyfriend flexed his muscles and shined his white teeth at her.

“You always are, Ash. But I don’t get it, why are you always sorry? If you continue doing it, then you’re obviously not. What’s going on in your life that makes you do these things, no normal guy hurts their girlfriend.” Her heart wrenched with fear, but relief also flooded over her body. If she found out why he does those things, then maybe she could understand. Then maybe he would stop of he knew she understood. Then maybe her life would get better.

“There’s nothing going on, babe. I just get…angry sometimes.” He shuffled his hands through his pockets and looked at the grounds.

Nodding, Janice walked away from him. She was going to his house tonight and watch him, she wanted to know. She had to know.

____________________________

When she arrived at the house that night, she peered through the window of his living room. That’s when she heard the screaming. The crying. And eventually she couldn’t take it anymore. Janice hated him, but she didn’t hate him that much, she still had a heart.
Running to her tree, she brought a knife with her. The images she had seen were worse than any horror movie, and she couldn’t get them out of her head. She knew what he went through now. She had never seen the bruises, the cuts on him before. But she knew they were there know.

The tears were coming so hard now she collapsed next to her tree, yelling in fear. Janice didn’t understand how one person could go through so much, but that’s the same thing she went through, only worse. “Does everyone go through that, is it not only me? Do we all go through the same pain?” She grabbed her head, it was throbbing with so much pain she could barely think. “What’s the point, if everyone goes through the same thing? If everyone gets hurt?”

Grabbing the knife, she held the blade to her wrist and stared. A million thoughts ran through her head at once, she could barely comprehend them. Will life get better? Is anyone happy with themselves? How have people gone so long dealing with this? Crying and screaming, she pushed the blade down into her wrist and yanked it out with brutal force. Janice watched as her blood escaped her body, then she saw the paper. The pen. And she smiled.

_________________________________

They found her body a couple days later. She was still under that big, beautiful tree. Janice’s black hair was behind her head, and her mouth was up in a smile. Blood covered the ground, and next to her was a note. It was hard to read, with the blood covering it, and it was given to Ash the next day.

“I saw what happened last night. I understand why you beat me now.
I forgive you for what you’ve done to me.
-Janice.”

Ash cried for hours. He knew what he had done, and that he shouldn’t have. But someone had finally understood him. Even if was only for a few minutes.