TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE [RE-WRITING]

Only human

"You see, your friend here is a liar. She said that you're mean to most of the girls at your school, and you know what, I don't believe her," Tom said.

Erica's eyes shifted to Nina who stood a few steps behind Tom, equally shocked.

Her jaw had fallen in bewilderment, she couldn't believe what had just happened. What the hell is he saying? "Erica, there must be some kind if misunderstanding, I've said no such thing."

"You see what I told you Eri. She's now calling me the liar," Tom commented.

"Why are you saying all this Tom? You very well know that I cannot say something like that about Erica. She's.... "

"Stop it Nina," Erica shouted. She stepped closer to Nina and looked her in the eye.

"Is it true," she asked.

"Erica I can never say something like that about you. Don't you believe me?"

"Oh! So now my brother is lying?" she snapped.

Tom cut in. "Eri, she's not worth it. Let's go. Let her be."

The tears that had long formed at the corners of Nina's eyes fell down her cheeks. She rubbed them away with the back of her hand amidst sniffles. Tom pulled Erica away and up the stairs they went.

Nina was left there alone, embarrassed and confused. Why did Tom say that about me? What did I do wrong to deserve his hatred? I thought we were good but then this?

Nina had hoped that she would handle this in a mature way, but with all the thoughts that kept flooding her mind, the drops of tears turned into a river that wouldn't stop flowing. Unaware of who to turn to, she ran upstairs to her room, locking the door behind her.

She sat right there in front of the door and let her tears flow. She knew that it was the only way to let out the anger she was feeling at that moment. She thought of phoning her mother to tell her about what had just happened but she didn't want her to see how weak her daughter was. I can't call her. If I tell her she'll demand that I go back home immediately. I wish I had someone to talk to.

She turned to the one thing that calmed her when she was afraid and lifted her when she was down, music.

I can hold my breath, I can bite my tongue
I can stay awake for days if that's what you ask, give you all I am.
I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.
But I'm only human, and I bleed when I fall down I'm only human.
And I crush and I break down, your words in my head, knives in my heart, you build me up and then I fall apart
Cause I'm only human.

The melody went on and on. The waves carried her voice through the windows, and the tiniest of openings in the room, spreading the magical sound to other rooms. Her pain was too strong that she didn't even notice how loud she had gotten.
She finished the song in a more lower octave, finding herself on the bed as she came back to her senses.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

She heard the sound come from outside her window. Who could that be? She scurried to the window and looked down, only to find a smiley Tom looking up her.
"Beautiful song! One of my favorites," he said.

"Aaaargh!"she scoffed and walked away from the window.

"What a prick? He just embarrassed me and he's all acting sweet!

I hate his guts."

As she was still complaining about how annoying Tom was, her phone vibrated. She pulled herself and reached the drawer to pick it up. She panicked with just one look at the screen.

Incoming video call from Sweetest mother in the world.

"Oh my God! I can't let her see that I've been crying." She looked around trying to locate where she had placed her hand bag but couldn't find it. "No no no... This is not good. I need wipes." And then it crossed her mind that it could have fallen under the bed. She bent over and checked.

"There you are," she sighed in relief.

Nina picked the wet wipes and cleaned the tear stains off her cheeks. She threw the used wipe on the drawer. I'll clean that up later. Her hand reached for the phone after making sure that she looked okay. She held the gadget straight in front of her face and tapped the green option for receiving.

"Hi mum." She waved and smiled.

"Hi honey (waves ) How are you?"

"I'm good mommy. How are you and paps?"

"We're doing great. How's your vacation so far."

Silence..

Nina's faced managed a fake smile. " It's ....
fun."

Mrs. Reed noticed something unusual about her daughter. She was sceptical about what Nina had just said.
"Sweetie is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yes mum. Everything's cool. Just caught a cold, that all."

"Are you sure you're telling me the truth?" Mrs Reed wasn't too convinced.

"Mum, I'm okay. The holiday is so much fun. There's nothing to worry about."

She lied. Nina didn't want to worry her mother, and the last thing she wanted was her father getting to know that she wasn't being treated well. She knew how crazy he could get. He would drive immediately to Erica's house and take her back home.

"Okay honey. If you say so. Anyway I called to wish you a happy birthday in advance. You'll be eighteen at midnight. My baby girl is so grown. Are you excited?"

"Oh mum. That's so sweet. Thank you. I almost forgot." She laughed. "There's so much fun here that I almost forgot my own birthday." That's not true dummy. Just tell her the truth. Her mind started.

"I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself sweetheart. You're father and I got you something small. I guess you'll find it when you get back home. We just want you to know that we love you so much and wish you all the happiness in the world.
You mean everything to us Nina. Never let anyone make you feel less worthy. You're a beautiful and smart young lady. Take all you have and make the best out of you. I love you baby."

Nina's clothes were damp again. She couldn't help but think of all the things her mother had just said. She felt loved and empowered once again.

She wiped the tears and spoke. "Thank you so much mom. This means everything to me. I love you mommy. Thanks a lot."

"It's nothing baby. You know I'd do anything for you," said Mrs Reed. " Okay baby I gotta go tend to my roses. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye." The call ended with a tone from the phone.

With her energy and self esteem rebuilt once again, Nina was not going to let anyone else mess with her again. She was ready to put someone in their place.