A Billionaire's Bodyguard

Chapter 36: Hopeless and Childish

--------------- Damien's POV: --------------

I wasn't stupid. Or rather, I wasn't stupid to know that Bruce had forgotten me.

As all the other kids sat around the room, chattering away to their parents as they pointed at their papers filled with words and pictures. Their parent's smile down at them as if they were the most treasured thing in the world.

This wasn't new to me. To be isolated from the rest of the kids because of random things. First it was that I couldn't read as good as everyone else, then it was because I stared too much, and soon staring turned into not talking, then talking turned into too angry and then I became isolated. It happened so fast and without my control. It was a battle I simply couldn't win. The teachers knew me, or rather my lineage, so from the beginning I was treated like a bomb that could go off at any moment, and any teachers that didn't treat me as such sucked up to me as if I were a way to earn all their life's dreams.

It was miserable.

I sat uselessly, staring at my fingers out in front of me as I tried to tune out the sounds of the kids around me, trying to think instead of a song I enjoyed, though it didn't quite work out as a louder yell rang out from besides me as, yet another kids' parents arrived, their parent's picking them up and holding them in the air.

What a childish thing to be doing for someone at such an old age. We were in middle school for God's sake, having such useless greetings was weird.

...

I turned to face the window, the darkening clouds serving no reassurance as the wind whipped at the trees around the school, one branching hitting the window in an annoying pattering sound, one that was soon forgotten over yet another uproar of children.

I tried to keep my head down, fiddling with my fingers uselessly as I began to kick my feet as well.

It was 30 minutes over the time now, a few classmates had already been called in already, and I'd denied my own meeting as I held out nonsensical hope for Bruce to come.

Stupid hope.

Hope that was misplaced.

I should've known really, forget asking, I should've kept my mouth shut and not wasted my words.

Bruce was a busy man, his life had more than just me and my stupid parent teacher meetings.

And yet.

My gaze drifted over to my essay I'd written. A personal masterpiece if you don't mind me saying.

It was my best work.

I'd been preparing the writing's entrance all night. A stupid childish thing I know, but it... it was something I had looked forwards to all day. In the end I never did come up with a way to introduce it, so I suppose it was only right that Bruce does not show.

I took in a deep breath, my chest tightening as my throat closed slightly. I wasn't going to cry; Damien Wayne couldn't cry over such trivial matters.

I understand this.

...

..

.

So why?

Why was I not important?

The thought bounced around my skull like a wrecking ball, slamming around my head as the urge to let out a small tear grew.