OVER THE EDGE

October 2014, Age 16

We advise that you listen to: Man Down by Rihanna

trigger warning: murder and character death

Violet rubbed her aching head as she swallowed another pill. She exited the bathroom stall seeing the freshman sniffling. Violet went over to the sink to wash her hands. The freshman wiped her face and pulled down her sweater.

Violet eyed the bruises on her wrist and neck. She fixed her skirt turning it the right way. The freshman dabbed foundation on her marks. Violet dried her hands off and moved next to the girl, "Are you okay?"

The girl was trembling, "I'm fine. You were right."

"He raped you didn't he?" Violet asked softly.

The freshman nodded hugging Violet tightly. She sobbed into the girl's shoulders. Violet didn't reciprocate the hug, she was too high. Flashes of when she was fifteen resurfaced. The creaking of the bed and his grunts made her sick.

Violet pushed the girl off, "I'll handle him don't worry."

Violet opened the door and entered the crowded hallway. It was lunchtime and most of the classes weren't in session. Violet stormed passed Natalie ignoring her calls. Violet saw Oakley standing near his locker with his group of friends.

His smile dropped when he saw her approaching, "What's up?"

"Can I use your pocket knife?" Violet asked politely.

Oakley noticed her dilated pupils and erratic behavior. He scoffed, "No."

Violet felt her anger surge as he turned back to his friends starting their conversation again.

"Fine, I asked nicely." She said pushing past Oakley and opening his locker.

He shouted at her as she found it. Violet opened the knife making him back away, "What are you doing? Put the knife down."

"I'm finally doing what needs to be done." A stray tear fell down her face as she raced towards the cafeteria.

Kids screamed when they noticed she had a knife. Violet saw Manny sitting on top of the lunch table with the jocks. She made a beeline for him. "Manny!"

He turned around smugly. He jumped off the table approaching Violet, "Aww is that knife supposed to scare me? Reminds me of when I pulled one on you."

Violet didn't respond as she stabbed him in the stomach. Screams could be heard but she didn't notice.

Her hands felt wet as she continued pressing the knife in his stomach. Violet looked into Manny's eyes and that's when she dropped the knife.

Manny looked down at his stomach clutching his wounds. Blood leaked everywhere. Manny fell feeling his heart slow.

Violet's hands shook as she looked at the blood on her. She looked away feeling eyes on her. Oakley and Natalie stood together watching in horror.

"Violet," Nat whispered coming next to her.

"I didn't mean it," Violet whispered trying to wipe the blood from her hands.

Violet felt the cold handcuffs click around her wrists as emergency responders tried to tend to Manny. Her eyes were dark and cold as they dragged her away. She could hear them start chest compressions placing him on the stretcher.  

Violet rested in the holding cell. Other girls her age seemed just like her. The detectives had already collected evidence and scanned her fingerprints. She had no one to call. There was no one that was going to come to rescue her. 

"Violet Diamant?" The guard called out to her. 

Violet perked up as the guard opened the holding cell, "Yes."

"Come on, we're moving you to the juvenile correctional facility."

Another woman who was flipping through papers stood next to the guard. She was put in cuffs again when the woman spoke, "Violet, I'll be your legal representation for the case. Have you talked to anyone since you've been here?"

"No. Wait why am I being moved?"

The woman had a solemn look on her face, "Emanuel died at the hospital. I need to run through your story."

Violet replayed the words in her head as they transferred her to the juvenile facility. They let her wash the blood off her body. Her orange jumpsuit clashed with her dark hair. Violet took her blankets and essentials and walked to her cell. 

"What's good?" Violet greeted her cellmate who was reading a book. 

The dark-skinned girl smiled, "Hey. Violet right?"

"Yeah, does everybody know my name?"

"Yes, they know you're a killer."

Violet sighed wanting to get high, "I ain't mean to kill him."

The girl laughed, "I'm Cecilia."

Violet played with the handcuffs as she sat in the interrogation room waiting for her legal rep. The same woman came into the room throwing a file onto the dirty table. 

"How are you, Violet?" The woman who she learned was, Ms. Tate, asked.

"Fine. I wanna get high." Violet's leg shook under the table.

Ms. Tate shook her head, "Now's the time to get clean. I scrubbed through your records. Violet, you need to tell me everything."

Violet was quiet for a bit.

Tate sat up, "Look, the defense is gonna label you as a junkie who lost control."

Violet felt tears drip down her face. She gripped the cold cuffs pulling her back to reality, "He raped me last year, a month before my fifteenth birthday. He raped another girl and I snapped. I just use drugs to cope. I lost my dad, my grandma is in a home, and my mom is a junkie too."

Ms. Tate smiled, "That's more like it. I'm thinking if we play this lost child angle, I can get that murder charge dropped to manslaughter."

"It really was an accident. If anything, Manny introduced me to pills."

Cecilia watched Violet as she shook on the bottom bunk. Violet was hunched over grabbing her stomach. Cecilia came down and crouched in front of her. She tucked Violet into the thin green blanket. 

Violet continued to shake with cold sweats, "Please, I need something."

"Nobody has drugs in here. They run a tight ship. You gotta get clean." Cecilia wiped the sweat from Violet's forehead.

She shook her head, "I can't. The thoughts are too much."

"Sit in it, Violet. The only way to make it is straight through."

Dear Diary, 

They won't let us have pens in here. We get soft pencils and crayons. Withdrawal is setting in and I can't stop it. Without the pills, it makes me sick. I'm already sick in the head, my body is just now catching up.

Author's Note:

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I told y'all Manny is gonna get dealt with

excuse mistakes