After getting a sad beat in my first ever fistfight that enticed the entire campsite to squeeze more embarrassment down my throat. I was hurried over to the hospital room to stop the bleeding from the nose and heal the minor concussion that grew around my nose and eyes. Even if I mentioned I'm doing fine to the medical teachers they always detested and declared me a victim of heinous violence. Lia did most of the sign language translating as I refused to speak a word and told the exact opposite of what I said. If I said it was fine, she would translate that and say I'm not fine with that terrible grin across her face. Teachers being teachers, monitored me for a twenty-four-hour schedule just in case Lewis, the blonde boy who attacked me, just figured out who he was, planned on attacking me again.

Quickly rushing through the entire thing just so I can avoid the doom of boredom, the worries of my school teacher, a short old granny, and my friends Lia and George. They all huddled around me, asking how I am and not being afraid to ask for help if needed. Sometimes I saw strangers looking in on the situation just to understand what all this commotion was about. The teachers here are very strict and guarded the hospital room like soldiers, just over a fistfight. While on the hospital bed in the middle of the room, Lia spoke about who Lewis was and why he reacted, unfairly, with violence when he saw me around Lia.

No, it wasn't jealousy. He did it to protect Lia, yes, it sounded strange at first but after hearing the backstory of Lewis's protection over Lia and learnt that Lia was almost assaulted by a charming manipulative psychopathic boy that later on was arrested for twenty offences of sexual assault. I did almost sympathetically forget Lewis but the fact of him punching random strangers that are boys just because they get it off with Lia, have fun, do kiddish things on one occasion, doesn't give anyone a right just to knock a bastard out. And I also found out most of the violence, of Lewis ambushing boys, were also grounded in jealousy. So yay, I was half right, half wrong.

For fucks sake…

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one thing. That boy who was arrested with twenty offences of assault lied about his relationship with Lia and bugged the entire school, saying Lia was a cheating hag for three months. It tarnished Lia's considerable big reputation and the boy was never inferred as a lying psychopath, only just when detectives linked the twenty assault violations to him and when he was found dead in The Kielder Forest morbidly minced in half after being missing for three months. Yes, Kielder Forest, the forest this multi-school campsite has settled in for a whole month. Let's hope I don't start bringing out bad quality cameras and start recording everything I interact with while ironically making ridiculous noises behind the camera, acting scared and dashing from the scene, just to modify the sound file to make it seem like something spoke. Or intensify the pitch-black darkness to improve the false impersonation of a ghost watching me creepily. Would make a substantial amount of money though, and I might do it when I'm homeless.

"Here is your mustard ham sandwich," George chirped, handing me two pieces of triangular ham sandwiches in a blue transparent bag tied in a knot.

"Thank you, but you need to stop worrying about me." I signed, grunting as I ripped a hole through the bag since I didn't have any clear knowledge of how to untie knots, I can't even tie my shoes.

"Nuh-uh, I need to worry about you so when one day I find your sister; I can hear your voice." George sheepishly laughed. As he laughed, I noticed the apparent heaviness at the bottom of my bed be lifted as Lia swooshed wide awake and aware as she gawked at George.

"The fuck...is your problem? Who are you again?" George asked with unease, stammering on his words as he grew apprehensive returning the gawk to Lia.

"You're going to reveal your voice when your sister is found?" Lia asked in an instant, she didn't care about the fact her messy crumpled hair was tucked in her mouth, she just stared at me until I nodded with regret. Enthusiasm and dedication engulfed Lia's authentic thoughts as I saw her weary baggy orange eyes sparkled ablaze.

"Then I'm in," Lia said with seriousness. Lia raised her hands towards George in a sprightful manner but George flinched at Lia's rapid movement, then glowered up and down on Lia's hand as he lacked the brains to understand why Lia's hand was right in his face. Overcoming the silent discomfiting moment, Lia ineptly clapped her hand against George's hand that was protecting the palm and slumped back to where she was sitting to stay silent the entire duration of me staying in this hospital bed until I was seen available to walk out in the campsite.

I was in bed for the first week of the trip and I didn't enjoy it that much, I was eventually let off and I wanted to meet with George. To my surprise, I found Lia and George hanging out together in a big group of seven, three boys and four girls. They all looked innocent and seemed like a warm bunch until a familiar person made the group an eight. It was Lewis and he noticed me firsthand, I prepared myself as he proceeded to walk in my direction with a flat expression. He kept walking until he stopped one metre away from me. Expecting the worst, my eyes completely closed when Lewis hoisted his right arm into the air.

"Hey...uh, I want to apologise." He said, I opened my eyes in an instant and loosened my shoulders and was left speechless as Lia and George came into view.

"Don't think about it, Lewis," Lia growled, clenching her nails in Lewis's shoulder, Lewis didn't fight back but stood still and winced from the dominance Lia had over him like he was some obedient puppy. I also saw the cunt doing puppy eyes at Lia. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't flabbergasted on what the actual fuck is happening with these two behind closed doors.

"I know... an apology wouldn't help excuse my behaviour, so I want you to hit me in return," Lewis implored to me. He wants me to hit him? I thought about it as I looked down on my readied fists and had thought of repaying the punch but my heart wouldn't let me and I uncovered my fists into an open palm to shake Lewis's hand, which he took and shook. Look, violence isn't my thing, I frankly hate the idea of violence. It isn't in my behaviour to endure violence or to act out the violence.

"No, it's fine. I'm not a violent type of person," I signed, showing him a genuine smile, then he smiled back and nodded to my sentence, almost like he was approving me into the group that didn't want to be in.

Lewis scrutinised me with his eyes with a smile that I didn't know was real or fake, he bobbed his head up and down like he was thinking to himself and widened his arms open. Understanding the gesture he showed, I pondered into the group and became the focus of the group. Everyone was intrigued with my back story of why I don't speak in public, they emphasised with me and warmed me up with all the praises they were letting out without second thoughts. For someone like me who developed anxiety after hiding from the world for almost a decade, I never felt more relaxed than when I did interact with other individuals a week before.

I guess I learnt everyone has a mask in daily life to cover up their weaker self.