Invisible

Chapter 42: The art of listening

Blair's POV

"So," Dad took out a few board games. "What shall we do?"

"We can do teams again, like last time." Rachel suggested. She looked at me, at least I felt like she did. "What do you think?"

I kept looking down, I was done, I was sad and I didn't want to do anything to make these people happy. They didn't care about my happiness, why should I care about theirs?

Luke groaned. "If she's going to be like that, then leave her." He took a game. "Let's play this, without her."

"Luke," Rachel shook her head. She reached for me, wrapping an arm around me. "Hey, let's play together. We can destroy the boys."

I slowly looked up and saw her smile at me. She was the only person who was trying, yet she also failed to help me. "Ok."

Eventually we ended up playing for an hour. Rachel and me destroyed my dad and Luke, again.

Rachel looked at me. "See, we're a good team." She pulled me in for a hug, but I wasn't in the mood for that.

I got up, which immediately made everyone look at me, and started walking upstairs. When I walked past the front door, of course mom had to come home and see me walking up the stairs.

"Blair!"

I stopped and looked at her.

"You know the rules."

I looked down. "I'm just going to the bathroom."

She nodded. "Rachel, can you go with her?"

I blinked. "I'm just going to toilet, I don't need a babysitter for that."

"Watch your tone." Mom glared at me. It was no use, she'd always win in her own house.

I looked down and nodded.

"Rachel?"

Rachel nodded and made her way to me. "Come," She pulled me with her upstairs. We walked to my room and then to my own bathroom. "There you go." She smiled but I felt humiliated. I didn't need a babysitter who'd wait outside for me.

I sighed and entered the bathroom. I went to the toilet and then washed my hands. I looked at myself in the mirror. Why did this happen? Why me?

I looked down. I don't want to miss Willow, I can't miss her. They can't take her from me, can they?

I looked at my arms. How would they be now? I slowly pulled up my sleeves and looked at them. There was dried blood around the cuts, it didn't look too bad. However, I needed to treat them. 

And so I took some toilet paper and made it wet. I slowly went over the cuts on my arm, and it hurts. It really does. But like Willow said, I'm in control of the pain.

"Blair?" Rachel knocked on the door.

I looked at the door. "Almost ready."

"Ok."

I looked back at my arms. I continued slowly going over them with wet toilet paper. It felt good after a while. The pain felt good. Willow was right.

I threw away the wet toilet paper, which was a little bit covered in blood. Then I took dry toilet paper. I slowly went over my cuts, and made sure they'd stop bleeding.

Afterwards I pulled my sleeves down and then walked out of the bathroom. "Are you ok?" Rachel asked as I walked past her.

I simply nodded and made my way back downstairs.

I went to sit back down at the table, and saw Luke was gone. "Where's Luke?" I asked dad.

He looked from the card game he was holding to me. "He went upstairs." He then presented me the card game he was observing so closely earlier. "Let's play this."

I sighed and nodded, there's nothing else I could do.

"Honey, come play with us as well."

Strangely, mom actually walked to us and sat down next to dad. "Ok, how do we play?"

Dad explained the rules to mom while I just sat there, looking away. I don't know how I felt towards my parents right now. Angry at my mom because she's punishing me for my problems or disappointed with my dad because he's not doing anything about it.

"Ok, I'll win." Mom started the game right after. And indeed, after a couple of minutes, she did win. "See." She smiled proudly.

"We did well, Blair." Dad smiled at me as he caressed my hands.

"No, Luke, don't do this!"

We all looked at the stairs and saw Luke and Rachel come downstairs. They walked to us. Luke looked angry in some way, while Rachel did everything she could to stop Luke. But why?

They arrived at the table. "She did it again." Luke said to my parents, but pointed at me.

Mom and dad looked from Luke to me, then back to Luke. "What?"

Luke walked back to the stairs and came back with... With the trash can from my bathroom! My eyes widened, what was he doing with that? And why did he even think to look into that?

"Luke, what is it?"

Luke looked at me and then took out the blood-covered toilet paper. He put it on the table and then crossed his arms.

I sighed and looked down.

Mom and dad looked from it to me. Mom got up and walked to me. "Blair, did you harm yourself?"

I looked away from her, anything but her. In the corner of my eyes I saw dad, he looked so sad.

"Blair, just show us." Luke said. I can't believe he snitched on me.

"Luke!" Rachel once again tried stopping him.

Mom looked from Luke to me. "I'm asking one last time. Did you harm yourself, yes or no?"

I looked down, holding my own hands.

Mom groaned and then suddenly, she took a hold of my wrists. "Let us see." She tried seeing my arms, and I tried everything I could to hide them.

However, when Luke came to mom's rescue, I lost. He held one of my arms while mom took the other. She pulled my sleeve up and then everyone gasped.

Mom looked at me, she seemed angry. "Why did you do this, Blair?"

I looked down.

"Answer me!" She demanded.

"It doesn't matter." I replied softly.

Mom looked at my other arm, the one Luke was holding, and took that one. She pulled up the sleeve and once again groaned.

She looked at dad before looking back at me. "You sleep next to me tonight, your dad will sleep down here. Tomorrow you won't go away from Luke, and after school we go see a doctor."

I gulped. "But mom, I - "

"Not. Another. Word." she said through gritted teeth.

I looked down, sighing.

She then looked at Rachel. "Rachel, can you stay with Blair for now?" Rachel nodded and took me with her to the garden.