The Girls of Manchester Pt. 01

Her mind kept trying to replay the awful moment earlier in the day where the shards of her grandmother's broken mirror went skittering about the floor of her school. It was like she could see it all happening in slow motion. The mirror with Jessica's hand wrapped around the base striking the unforgiving steel door of her locker to send millions of tiny shards scattering about her feet. She could hear the awful crunch, the laughter of those around her, the dull thunk of the antique base hitting the tile floor. It was all so fresh, the terrible wound remaining open and raw in her mind as though it had only just occurred.

Amanda had no idea what it was about herself that caused the other girls to hate her so much. It was a difficult question. It was certainly an even more difficult burden to bear, especially for having done nothing wrong to deserve years of unending torture and harassment at the hands of her school mates. The incident with the mirror was just a capstone on years of horrible abuse at the hands of Jessica and her gang. On the whole, that mirror was irreplaceable in Amanda's young heart. It was the sole physical connection she had left with the woman whose light-hearted Irish brogue had spent countless hours either consoling a grief-stricken granddaughter, or warming the heart of the young redhead. Through all of the torture and humiliation, Mary Anne O'Shaughnessy had stood by young Amanda's side with a quick wit and a sharp tongue.

The mirror had been a mere trinket to the old woman, yet she had not failed to notice the special fascination with which Amanda had regarded the mirror from an early age. That fascination had been taken into account when Mary Anne had decided it was finally time to have her will made out. Though the loss of her grandmother hit Amanda particularly hard, she was thrilled by the fact she would get the mirror to keep as a connection. Now it was irrevocably gone, lost forever to her in a violent instant of shattered glass and a broken heart.

Amanda sobbed, an almost constant state for her ever since she had gotten home. Her mother's admonishment had done nothing to ease her troubled mind. In reality, it only added to the burden of guilt which Amanda felt weighing heavily upon her shoulders. It was the truth. She never really should have taken it with her, that much was certain. Now with the mirror gone, and the inevitable fallout which would result, Amanda knew that it was a matter of time before Jessica and her friends would gain their retribution.

There had been only one bright spot out of the entire day, this mysterious girl named Sam who could not talk and taught Amanda her very first signs. What was even more astonishing to her was the fact that someone, anyone, was being nice to her. She was so unused to the kindness of people around her that she had initially been unable to react. It came as a surprise to her how quickly they seemed to get along and speak with each other. That they spoke at all was a testament not only to the apparent kind nature of the strange new girl, but of Amanda's continued desire to be accepted somewhere. The day would come that Amanda had long been dreading, eventually Elizabeth would have to leave. If somehow, she could make friends with Sam and her sister, she wouldn't be so lonely whenever Elizabeth wasn't around.

Amanda shook her head, trying to clear her vision as much as the disturbing thoughts that were running through her head. The tears were as much a part of her everyday life as breathing anymore. What she still had a hard time grasping onto was the idea that someone was actually taking the time to be nice to her for a change. Emotionally, she knew she was a bit of a mixed bag. Her life up until this point, though not terrible, had left her a mess of self-doubt and loneliness. If it were not for Elizabeth, she would not have had any of the emotional stability that friendships with people close to her age would foster. Now, Sam and Bridget were trying to enter her life, and she couldn't help but feel some sense of predestination. It was as though by some vague sense, Amanda could tell these two girls whom she had not known for even a whole day were going to be the catalyst that opened the doors of life to her.

Amanda reached for the knob and shut off the water to the shower head. She pulled the curtain back and felt a surge of light-headedness. She managed to keep an even keel while she stepped out of the shower and onto the plush mat on the bathroom floor. Her feet rejoiced at the cushioned, fuzzy warmth underneath them after having been stuck on the hard shower floor for over half an hour. Amanda dried herself off slowly and turned on the bathroom fan. As the swirling mist of water vapor in the room subsided, she took a look at herself in the clearing mirror. She still couldn't see, after what seemed like millions of times, what it was about her that people found so wrong. Amanda didn't think of herself as particularly pretty, she was reasonably smart in her own book, and she had so much she would love to give other people. She knew she had a kind heart, and she was frequently taken advantage of by others as a result, but what her heart desired most was always seemingly out of reach. Maybe Sam and Bridget could help her?

Amanda finished drying off before reaching underneath the sink and grabbing her hair dryer. She plugged it in and let the warmth of the flowing air rush through her hair. Where she found mats, she used her fingers to get them out. Her dull red hair slowly transformed to the brilliant fiery-red that it normally was when it wasn't soaked through. Amanda unplugged the hair dryer and placed it beneath the counter. When she stood up again, she saw she was wearing a strange smile. That was fairly unusual, but so was the fact that she was beginning to make some friends. It caused a faint stirring of joy in her heart at that thought, as though not everything would be so gloomy this year as in years past. She felt as though a small ray of light was bursting forth, beckoning her towards it. She would follow it, willingly, if just for the chance to be normal like everyone else.

Amanda finished in the bathroom and padded across the carpeted hallway to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. While getting dressed, she suddenly got an idea. Amanda pulled on her nightshirt and quickly padded towards her computer and fired it up. It wasn't the best model out there, but she could definitely use Youtube on it. That was more than enough for her. With what she had in mind, there ought to be a video somewhere that would teach her some of the things she wanted to learn- hopefully in time for tomorrow.

She wondered what she should search for. She had no illusions that she could learn everything in one night, but she was determined to learn what she could. Maybe if she showed an effort to meet Sam linguistically, then Amanda would have earned a lasting friendship. Bridget had told her earlier in the school office that Sam had good feelings about her, that she wanted to be Amanda's friend. Perhaps out of loneliness, or perhaps out of some small ray of hope that she could prove to Sam that she was worthy of the praise Sam seemed to heap upon her earlier, Amanda would give everything her best shot.

Amanda began to type into the search bar for videos on basic sign language phrases. She was not disappointed with the results, either. It seemed that there were a lot of videos ranging from the alphabet to basic beginning phrases that she would need to know in order to begin speaking with her new friend. It was a strange feeling, a new feeling. Even before she hit the play button to begin learning the basic alphabet, she had this wonderful feeling in her mind that a whole new world was being opened up for her. In a twisted sort of way, it was as though she would be able to connect with Sam in the world of silence within which they both seemed to be bound.

Amanda smiled as the video began with a basic tutorial introduction. The smile quickly faded as the signs seemed to just fly at her in an unending litany. It was so different, not the way her mind was used to processing communication. She was so used to verbal communication that she simply could not seem to keep up with the pace of the video. Eventually, she started the video from the beginning. With each sign, she would pause the video and repeat the motions until she was sure she had it right. Then, she moved on to the next sign. Each sign was different from the others, yet sometimes so similar that she got them mixed up and had to start the video again from the beginning. She had no idea that something as simple as an alphabet could be so difficult for her. Amanda had been told from a young age that she was gifted intellectually, but she certainly felt as though she would be the class clown in any ASL class.

Amanda sighed in frustration, leaning her elbows on the desk and hiding her face in the palms of her hands. She wanted to do this, she knew she did. Obviously, it was going to be a much more difficult chore than she previously thought. Amanda hit the back button and began searching the basic phrases tutorials. As she went through them, some of the signs she got right away, a few took more time. All in all, she was beginning to feel better about her chances to one day be able to have a conversation with Sam when she heard a dull thudding. It was barely perceptible, but she heard it nonetheless. She looked around her room until she saw an unrecognizable face in the window of her room. Amanda panicked. She had not put on her pajama bottoms, so she wrapped her towel quickly around her waist and began to head for the door. She looked at the window one more time to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and breathed a sigh of relief. There was a face in the window- Elizabeth.

Amanda chuckled as Elizabeth backed away from the window slightly, allowing Amanda to open it.

"God, Lizzie, you scared me!" Amanda complained.

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth replied somberly. "I really didn't mean to. I just- "

"Did you get in a fight with Jessica again?" Amanda demanded, a rare hint of fire flaring into the young girl's eyes.

"Maybe." Elizabeth replied. "She deserved it."

"You know I hate it when you do that!" Amanda's voice began to get louder. "I don't want you to get hurt. Not over me."

"I'm not hurt." Elizabeth protested, wondering how Amanda could not appreciate how much Elizabeth cared for her.

"You're not- now. You could have been, you could be." Amanda retorted. "Not to mention, every time you do, it somehow comes back on me again. She isn't going to stop."

"She will now." Elizabeth replied with an evil grin spreading across her face.

"What did you do?" Amanda asked, looking almost shell-shocked.

"I didn't kill her if that is what you're asking. Let's just say that I had a talk with mommy and daddy dearest after presenting them with their bloodied pulp of a daughter."

Amanda lurched back, looking as though she were suddenly about to vomit. Amanda groaned aloud and moved away from the window. It gave Elizabeth the opportunity to climb through the square opening and shut it behind her. Elizabeth, though slightly concerned, was used to Amanda's theatrics. The girl was not one to let out her feelings to much of anyone except her. In comparison with the quiet, nerdy girl at school, Amanda at home epitomized the night-day situational metaphors used to describe contrasting situations. In short, her personality at home with people she trusted was far different from her shut off from the world personality at school. Elizabeth couldn't blame Amanda. Years of humiliation and bullying had reduced the girl to a husk of what she could have been, and all of that merely because Amanda was slightly different.

Amanda and Elizabeth had an unusual friendship if one considered their positions in the entrenched hierarchy of their high school social circles. At fourteen, Amanda was beginning her freshman year in high school. She was small in stature at 5'2" tall, weighing barely 100 pounds. She was pale in complexion with freckles dotting her delicate features. Her flaming red hair and emerald green eyes were a mesmerizing contrast, and she was in all respects very pretty.

However, it was her other traits, as is often the case when it comes to schoolchildren and their tendency to unusual cruelty, that became the target of constant ridicule and humiliation for Amanda. Her small size was a result of a premature birth that left Amanda with several health defects including poor eyesight, and lungs that would not operate at their full capacity. It did not affect Amanda mentally, however, and she was considered to be among the most brilliant children many of her teachers had ever met.

Unfortunately, she also fit the stereotype for girls with her gifts of brilliance, or rather, in high school terminology, nerds. Her habits of wearing clothes that were too large, frumpy, or just plain unfashionable, and also of keeping her hair mousey and slightly untamed did nothing to discourage the comparison. Consequently, Amanda had very few friends because of a few "defects". It was a stroke of luck, then, that despite the cruelty of some of her classmates Amanda was also uncommonly kind, loyal to a fault, and fiercely passionate for everything that held her interest.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was 5'10", a raven-haired beauty with amazing blue eyes. Even in her saddest moments, they retained a sapphire-like quality. Her proclivity towards athletics was discovered by her mother at an early age, and she tried to hone her daughter's talents to the best of her abilities. Elizabeth had the muscle tone and definition of an athlete, her eighteen-year-old body sculpted by long hours of practice and discipline. Yet, her natural femininity and curviness was not at all hampered by the many years of training. Elizabeth was popular and admired, if not feared to some extent. Her reputation for a quick temper, especially where Amanda was concerned, caused many to give her some measure of respectful distance.

Not that this hampered Elizabeth's social life in any manner, she was always outgoing, smart, and friendly. Her life contained tragedies that might have caused a lot of other people to buckle under the circumstances. Elizabeth remained strong, however, and persevered despite the odds being stacked against her. If nothing else, it brought out her kindness even more, and she never took the habit of her more snobbish peers of ridiculing others.

The two girls met on what was for Amanda a normal day. This meant the usual ridicule from her fellow third graders. By lunchtime, Amanda was near a breaking point, and had isolated herself from the other children who were busy playing or talking with each other in their various social cliques. During recess, some of the girls who were among the more popular in their grade took notice, so did a few fifth-grade girls who were standing nearby. Amanda was wallowing in her misery, too oblivious to her surroundings otherwise to notice her tormentors closing in on her.

With a sudden shove from behind, Amanda could only watch as the ground rose up to meet her face. Her glasses had been knocked off, and before she could reach for them they were picked up by one of the girls who had assaulted her. She picked herself up off of the ground, scared and confused. The girls surrounded her, pushing her into nearby bushes and a tree. Scratched and bleeding, she was in pain on top of her mental anguish. Everything around her was a blur, without her glasses she was unable to distinguish what was going on around her. A crunch followed by a round of laughter brought her to the realization that her glasses were no longer a problem. The pushing began to resume when around her she suddenly heard a scuffle break out and a bunch of crying.

For a moment there was no sound as the crying girls ran away. Suddenly, someone had gotten ahold of her arm. Amanda, afraid that she was about to get hurt some more, and unable to protect herself, began to cry. When she felt like all hope was lost, she heard the sweetest voice talking to her.

"Are you okay?" asked the girl.

Amanda followed the arm up to its shoulder, then hugged the girl who had obviously just saved her. The girl took her hand and began to walk her towards the principal's office. Instead of going forward, however, she nearly fell flat on her face as the girl she was trying to help suddenly tripped.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Elizabeth had asked.

"I can't see, they broke my glasses," wailed Amanda.

"It's okay, I've got you."

Amanda felt herself being lifted from the ground, the strength of the person helping her greater than expected. As she was helped onto her feet, the girl held her close. They walked slowly, her interlocutor guiding her patiently to the principal's office. Once there, they explained the situation and Amanda' parents were called. Though instructed to return to class, her helper, whose name she learned was Elizabeth, refused to leave Amanda's side until her parent's arrived.

This incident earned Elizabeth the intense admiration and respect from the young Amanda, who had never before had someone in school willing to show her any kindness. Over the years, the girls had developed a bond that was stronger than most in school. Elizabeth's continued protection and friendship quickly became a cornerstone of Amanda's life. Their communication had developed to the point that sometimes, simple gestures or looks were all they needed to understand each other. In this way, their bond continued to grow over the years.

In the intervening time, Elizabeth had frequently made target practice of Jessica Long's face, with sometimes messy results. All of it on Amanda's behalf, all of it with Amanda protesting that she quit doing so. For some reason, Elizabeth seemed to have no off switch that could be flipped when someone harmed her young friend. There was a need, a desire to protect Amanda which Elizabeth, even at the young age of ten could not explain.

If nothing else, at eighteen years old, Elizabeth felt more protective of Amanda than ever before. Amanda was at a crossroads in her development. Just as Amanda was hitting this crucial point in her life, Elizabeth knew she had only one year left- one year to try to help Amanda blossom into the beautiful woman she deserved to be. She had no idea how she would accomplish this. It would take someone with unusual insight into people and their personalities to unlock Amanda's true self and open her up to the rest of the world. Elizabeth knew deep down she could not be that person, and it pained her. For some reason, she could not fathom why she took so much pain to try to help Amanda other than she felt that she must. Some underlying, compelling force drove her to keep the young girl company and protected until she could bloom like a spring flower.

Elizabeth watched as Amanda stare off into space, consumed by thoughts that did not seem at all pleasant given the young redhead's facial expressions. Elizabeth sat down on the corner of the bed, knew Amanda would say something eventually. Often, it was just a matter of waiting out the girl's stubbornness.

After a few moments, Amanda spoke.

"First, Mrs. Fairview. Now, you." Amanda said looking blankly towards her wall.

"What?" Elizabeth asked. Amanda was not making sense whatsoever. What did Mrs. Fairview, their Principal, have to do with her?

"Mrs. Fairview saw what Jessica did in the hallway and talked with Mr. and Mrs. Long today. Now you go off like a vigilante and beat Jessica to a pulp, and then have a conversation with them as well. Is everyone determined to go against me today? I even asked my mom to just transfer me to another school, and she refused. Why is it that everyone ignores me?" Amanda asked, finally looking back into Elizabeth's eyes.