Writing Prompt

I stood before the large oak doors, my palms slick with sweat and my heart hammering in my chest. The hall behind those doors was filled with people—students, teachers, and administrators—all of them waiting. Waiting for me.

I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment as I recalled how things had spiraled to this point. It had started as a joke. Well, sort of a joke. I didn't mean for it to go this far, to end up here. But the words had come out of my mouth like a runaway train, and once they were out, I couldn't take them back.

"Get in there," my mother said, nudging me forward. Her voice was sharp, but I could tell she was more nervous than angry. "It's time."

I took a deep breath and pushed the doors open, stepping into the auditorium. A hush fell over the crowd as I walked to the center of the stage, each step echoing in the silence. Principal Warren stood there, his face a mask of stern disapproval, but his eyes betrayed a hint of sympathy. He handed me the microphone.

I cleared my throat, my voice shaky. "Uh, hey everyone," I began, my eyes scanning the crowd but avoiding any one person. I knew the ones I needed to apologize to were right up front. I just couldn't bring myself to look at them yet.

"As you all know," I continued, trying to steady my breathing, "last week I said something that really hurt a lot of people. I called Alex…" I paused, my throat tightening, "I called Alex a loser, and I made fun of how they looked and talked. I didn't really mean it. It was… it was just supposed to be a joke."

I finally forced myself to look at Alex. They were sitting in the front row, their face blank, unreadable. The bruise on their cheek had faded to a yellowish hue, a stark reminder of what my words had led to. I hadn't hit them, but I might as well have. I'd set the tone, and the others had followed, pushing Alex around, calling them names, until one day, things went too far.

"I never meant for it to go that far," I said, my voice cracking. "I thought I was just being funny, trying to fit in with the group, but it wasn't funny. It was mean, and it was wrong. And… I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry, Alex."

The silence was deafening. I felt like the weight of a thousand eyes was pressing down on me, each gaze heavy with judgment, disappointment, and something else—something I couldn't quite place.

"Sorry isn't enough," a voice called out from the back. It was Anna, Alex's best friend. She stood up, her face flushed with anger. "Do you even understand what you did? Do you know how many nights Alex cried because of you? Do you think saying 'sorry' fixes everything?"

Tears stung my eyes, and I blinked them back furiously. "No," I said, my voice small, "I know it doesn't fix everything. I know that. I just… I just want you all to know that I'm sorry, and I wish I could take it back. I wish I could take all of it back."

Principal Warren put a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. "Apologies are a start," he said, addressing the crowd. "But they have to be followed by actions. We all make mistakes, but it's how we move forward from them that truly defines us."

I handed the microphone back to him, my hands shaking. He gestured for me to take a seat in the front row, right next to Alex. I hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down. I could feel Alex stiffen beside me, their body tense and rigid.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then, finally, Alex turned to me, their eyes brimming with tears. "You really hurt me," they whispered, their voice barely audible. "More than you can ever know."

My heart ached at their words, and I nodded, my own tears spilling over. "I know," I whispered back. "And I'm so, so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want to make it right. I want to be better. I want to try."

Alex looked at me for a long time, their eyes searching mine. Then they nodded, just once, and turned back to face the stage. It wasn't forgiveness, not yet, but it was something. A beginning.

As I sat there, the rest of the assembly a blur around me, I knew that I had a long way to go. Apologizing was just the first step. Earning back trust, showing that I could change—that was the real challenge. But I was ready to face it, ready to do whatever it took.

Because sometimes, "sorry" isn't enough. Sometimes, it's just the start of something harder, but also something more important. A chance to prove that you're more than your worst mistake. A chance to make things right.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand to knock, but hesitated. Why should I apologize when I wasn't at fault? Why should I grovel and beg for forgiveness for something that wasn't entirely my doing?

But the pressure was relentless. Friends had taken Haneul's side, casting me as the villain in this drama. It didn't matter that I hadn't started the fight or that Haneul's words had cut deeper than any blade. All that mattered was restoring peace, even if it meant swallowing my pride and apologizing for something I hadn't done.

With a resigned sigh, I rapped on the door, the sound reverberating through the silence of the hallway. Seconds stretched into eternity as I waited, anxiety gnawing at my insides. Would She be willing to listen to me?

The door creaked open, revealing Her tense expression. Eyes red-rimmed, evidence of the tears shed in the aftermath of our argument.

»Haneul,« I began, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. »I'm sorry. I know things got out of hand and I regret any part I played in it.«

Haneul's expression softened slightly, but the hurt still evident in her eyes. »It's not just about this one argument, Yuno.« She said, her voice trembling with emotion. »It's about all the times you've dismissed my feelings, all the times you've made me feel small and insignificant.«

Her words struck me like a blow to the chest. Had I really been so blind to her pain? Had I let my own pride and ego blind me to the hurt I was causing her?

»I..« I faltered, struggling to find the right words. How could I apologize for a pattern of behavior that I hadn't even realized existed? How could I make up for years of neglect and indifference?

Swallowing my pride, I took a step forward, reaching out to grasp Haneul's hand in mine.

»I'm sorry.« I said, the words heavy with sincerity. »I'm sorry for all the times I've hurt you, all the times I've let my own pride get in the way of our relationship. I promise to do better, to listen to you and respect your feelings from now on.«

Haneul's eyes widened in surprise. »Do you mean that?« She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, a sense of determination settling over me. »I do,« I said, squeezing her hand gently. »I'll do whatever it takes to make things right between us, even if it means admitting when I'm wrong.«

A slow smile spread across Haneul's face, lighting up the room like the dawn breaking through the darkness. »Thank you, Yuno.« She said, pulling me into a tight embrace. »For a better future.«

Sometimes, saying sorry isn't about admitting fault, but rather about acknowledging the hurt we had caused.

After the issues leading into my sister-in-laws wedding you would think she would apologise. She turned everyone is the family against me. She told them I did not want to be in her wedding. I never said that at all. I actually said “I could not afford the dress, but found one just like in that I could afford.” She had convinced Dad that I would not let my husband, her brother be in the wedding.

She is the center of the world to my inlaws. I never understood that since my husband is the baby o the family. I am the oldest of my siblings and yet not the center of attention for my family. I do understand that my husband’s family did loose a child already when his sister passed away. Then they also lost thier niece who passed away suddenly. I understand that, but i do not agree that give her a right to treqqaat anyone bad.

I went to help her pick out the bidesmaid dresses. I am picking about what I wear and she did not care. I was not that self center when I married her borther. I am more the one that likes to blend into the shadows and so is her brother, my husband.

He does not like the way I was treated by hs family. After the wedding we stopped going over until right before Christmas. He went over by himself and yealled at his sister and parents until his sister agreed to apologise. I told him I would not hold my breathe for her to apologise, since she did ot feel like she did anything bad. I just wanted her to realize I had never said anything other than I had to find a dress I could afford. She took it as my not wanting to be in the wedding.

She did apologise, but it almost seemed fake. She is a very fake person. She did not have any feeling when she did apologise. She thinks she can buy her brother to lke her. I know that so i make it seem like she wants expernsive gifts and make her buy them for him. I gues you can say I have figure out to use her attuitude against her to get what we want.

There’s a nervous bleeding in my veins A creepy crawler in my brain What can I do or what can I say? To make you believe me My world is turning gray

Agh, my words, they all sound the same You poke fun and laugh at me While I’m dying deep inside It’s like an abyss that goes deeper with each dive

Paranoia will be the death of me I see you, stop staring please Why say you’re sorry when you don’t mean it God, this is unbelievable My breathing is closing in on me

It's the creature’s will to not have me believe them Their voices sound like nails on a chalkboard Nine inch nails scraping crawling ever forward

It's overtaking me, move away Don’t say you’re sorry Just run away It was never meant to be this way

“Say sorry,” she had her arms opened wide waiting for me to come closer so she may pull me into a warm loving embrace. Would it really be loving though? Were the words she said earlier loving? No.

How could she act so calmly? Like nothing ever happened? Why isn’t she angry anymore?

     “Why can’t you be like that girl from church?”

She’d say. “Why can’t you be smart like your brother?” She’d say. “Why can’t you stop comparing to people who’re different from me?” I’d think.

It was even infuriating.

How come you can say such hurtful words then say you love me shortly afterwards? How does your emotions swing so easily?

If you were going to be so angry at me earlier, stay that way. Otherwise, I’m going to end up thinking you’re actually decent again.

“No,” I replied. Why is she expecting an apology out of me? Isn’t whether I say sorry or not my choice to begin with? I didn’t feel guilty for a single things I’ve said. Or really things I thought anyways, she didn’t let me say a single word.

She never apologized for anything.

She scoffed, but left it at that.

I wonder how long it will take before this repeats.

“You apologize right now!” The principal yelled at me.

I grimaced and turned to the girl beside me.

“I’m… sorry.”

She glared at me.

“For….?” The principal prompted.

I huffed and frowned. “For punching you…”

“And?”

“And shoving you down the stairs.”

“And?”

“And throwing a chair down after you…”

“And?”

“Frick, you told them everything I did?” I asked the girl.

She just held her glare.

“Ugh, fine. And for pulling your chair out from under you.”

“And?”

I glared at the principal. “And for helping you up by pulling your hair.”

“And?”

I wracked my brain. “I don’t remeber anything else.”

“The main reason we’re here!” The principal yelled, gesturing to the girl’s full-body cast.

“Oh yeah.” I smiled guiltily. “I forgot about that one already…”

“Just say sorry so we can take you.” The police officer behind me huffed.

“Alright, alright. And for shoving you down the stairs again after that…” I glanced at the cop, who just raised an eyebrow. “With another chair.”

The girl’s glare held.

“Nothing?” I asked. “You’re just going to sit there and glare at me?! I shoulda tossed a desk down instead of a chair!”

“Her jaw is broken!” The principal said in disbelief. “Her everything is broken!”

I flushed a little bit. “Right, sorry. I forgot about that. Again.”

"Apologize."

Her voice cuts across the space between us, slicing through the words I'd just spoken. Her tone, cold and unforgiving, made me consider it, and her face simmered with suppressed anger.

I tilted my chin up, meeting her eyes. "No."

In a heartbeat, she was in front of me. "I said," she hissed, "apologize."

“No.” I said it forcefully, not backing down. “I meant what I said.”

She glared at me, spun, and stalked out of the room.

So, I have no idea where this is going. If you guys have any ideas please share!

It won’t feel genuine to her, but I want it to. She’ll say it’s a lie, or our mum is responsible for this apology. She had no right telling me to though. It doesn’t matter anymore, none of it matters. She deserves to know I love her. I want her to feel it, see it, smell my perfume when I embace her.

 You deserved my yelling, my anger, my rants. You weren’t there for me when I needed you most. I’m standing over your grave because I wasn’t there for you either, not when you needed me most. I’m here now Elena. I’m trying and I’m here. And I’ll be here everyday for a long while.

I held my hair and screamed, the dumping rain ruining my crown of allium. My throat felt like fire. Then I was on my knees, the cobblestone cutting into my scarred skin. I held my head in my hands, the sticky, warm substance coating my face, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t. Not when it was my fault. Not when caring would mean…I could still feel his warmth when I pulled him close, I could still remember the hitch in his breath when he felt the dagger pierce his skin. The way he looked at me- I screamed again, unable to tell the difference between the rain or my tears. The I felt a hand on me shoulder, and a cold, brutal voice in my ear, his breath caressing my ear, “Oh, my darling. You did what you had to do my love. Be proud of that,” he said, I felt as his arms began to encircle me, pulling me into a hug. I was drowning. The air in my lungs was slowly bubbling up into the water above. The rays of light becoming a spectacular phenomenon in this world of dark. I pulled away. Strength doesn’t come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will. So I looked at him, and reached into my pocket, pulling out the dagger, and handed it to him. “We’re done,” I said distantly, “and to all the shadows that follow, tell them that if they come back, I won’t give them the same courtesy of letting them keep their lives.” I stared at him, his face was expressionless. I felt like a fool for letting him in. For letting him consume my thoughts and manipulate me into taking away what I wanted most. What I needed most. He mearly nodded, and faded into the darkness. I’m sorry, I told myself, I’m sorry for never controlling them.

A few weeks later...

A teacher pins a poster to a wall near his classroom. It reads:

𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮! 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓾𝓹𝓸𝓷 𝓾𝓼! 𝓞𝓷 𝓣𝓱𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓭𝓪𝔂, 𝓐𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓵 4𝓽𝓱, 𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓫𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽! 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓦𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓦𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭, 𝓼𝓷𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓭.

Just then, a boy rushes past and tears it off the wall.

"Hey!" The teacher exclaims after him. He grumbles and puts another one up.

The boy that had taken the poster goes into a classroom and shows it to a girl sitting at her seat. She looks towards it as he holds it up.

"Prom?" She asks.

The boy looks out from behind it and smiles. "You have anyone in mind?"

"Not right now. But when I do, it has to be the one." she looks off dreamily.

"You'll never find the one." A girl leaning against a desk states.

"You never know." The first girl whispers.

The guy sits down in the desk next to her.

Bear sighs as he watches the whole situation. "Yeah right. The one."

He raises a poster for Prom up just as Forest walks in.

"Bear!" She exclaims and waves to him as she walks in.

Bear glances up at her and watches her for a few seconds before grabbing a piece of paper and trying to come up with ways to ask. None of them are right, so he crumbles the paper. Then, he pulls his phone out and pulls Forest up in messages. He types something, then deleted it. Forest comes closer, and waves at another student on her way. Bear gives up and puts his phone away.

Quickly, he pushes the poster off his desk and onto the floor before turning to her. She sits down and he gazes at the front of the class with his chin on his hand while remembering the first time he met her. How he had gotten between her and the bully and telling him off. Then he remembers when he had followed her to the pond. How he had become her friend after that day. How that teacher had told them about the rumor. How he had told everyone it was true. And how he had pulled her into that classroom and kissed her. All of it came back.

"Bear!" Forest broke into his daydream and forced him to look at her. "Stop staring into space, that stupid look came again."

Bear growled playfully. "Shut up."

"Make me." Forest laughed.

Bear glanced down and carefully pushed her seat out from under her. When she sat down, she yelped and fell.

"What's that poster doing?" She asked.

Bear widened his eyes and glanced down. "Nothing."

Forest grabbed the side of her desk and got up. "What is that poster for Prom doing down there?" She asked again.

Bear signed. She sat down.

"It's there because..." Bear turned to her. "Will you...go to Prom with me?" He asked quietly.

Forest gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "Really?"

"Yes really." Bear smiled.

"Then...yes!" Forest whispered excitedly.

Bear laughed once and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad." He whispered before the teacher walked in.