She never thought PE could be so boring. She never thought the class with 'physical' in its name would end up with her sitting behind a desk. The paper before her was a jumble of letters and lines, she was panicking. It was just a stupid test and her anxiety made her practically blind. She sat there, trying to handle it herself, trying to act like an adult. She was foolish. Her mind went blank and her body tipped to the side. The thump of her body hitting floor got the attention of all the students in the room. She gasped for air, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Everyone in the room just stared at her as she lay there slowly losing consciousness. She heard a curse from the front of the room as the teacher sprinted towards her. She couldn't believe this was happening again, she was supposed to grow out of this.
She woke up an hour later, her eyes crusty and sore. She could feel the oxygen mask snug around her nose and mouth. The gentle blow of air comforted her as her eyes slowly opened to the harsh lights in the white sterile room. The blanket she was cocooned in was itching at her pale skin. Her ears were alerted by the sound of a mechanical keyboard to her left. She gently unwrapped herself and pulled the oxygen mask off. She lay there for a few minutes as her mind cleared. Her eyes hurt from the tears she probably shed. She rubbed at them, trying to produce tears to relubricate her eyes. The world she's now in was not new to her. She slowly worked her way off the bed, her shoes gently thudding on the white floor. She closed the valve on the oxygen tank not wanting any to go to waste. Her clothes attempted to realign themselves but got stuck about halfway, pulled tight across her chest. She tugged at them as she rounded the corner to the nurse's office. "Hey Mel. Sorry about this." Her voice was a bit horse as she greeted the school nurse. The woman just nodded her bun wobbling slightly from its high perch. "Are you ok now? It's the second time today." All she could do was nod. She new it was the second time and she wasn't sure if she would ever be ok. The car crash, if you could even call it that, traumatised her so badly she never thought she would survive. Alas, here she was, two years later and progressing. She was the only one to survive the head-on collision with a Semi, something that had given her problems she could barely name. She glanced down at the thick band on her wrist and read the many words for the hundredth time.
PTSD, SURVIVORS GUILT, DEPRESSION, INSOMNIA, ANXIETY, PANIC DISORDER, SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER, BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, ACHLUOPHOBIA, AGLOPHOBIA, AGORAPHOBIA, AICHMOPHOBIA, AMAXOPHOBIA, MILD AUTOPHOBIA, ANGINAPHOBIA, ANTHROPOPHOBIA, APHENPHOSMPHOBIA, ATYCHIPHOBIA, CHIONOPHOBIA, CLAUSTROPHOBIA, CRYOPHOBIA, DYSTYCHIPHOBIA, HEMOPHOBIA, IATROPHOBIA, NECROPHOBIA, NOSOCOMPHOBIA, NYCTOPHOBIA, OCHOPHOBIA.
Her eyes stopped reading that side of the band, she didn't feel like continuing. It was just more words on the other side explaining to any First Aid responder how fucked up her mind was. She let a long sigh spill through her lips as she turned and pushed through the door. The noise of the corridor stunned her as she stood there watching everyone rush past. She could hear a scream to her right making her heart jump out of her chest. Her weak heart struggled to keep her alive as she wandered into her next class. The teacher nodded at her as she wandered past him to the back of the room. The school had long since given up on trying to integrate her back into her cohort. Her psychologist and GP both agreed that doing any immersion therapy would end badly. She unfolded her laptop feeling the familiar tightness around her shoulders. Her scars had taken months to heal and even then they were jagged, rough marks that tightened and pinched her skin. She ignored the normal discomfort and continued with her class. Even though she barely made it through the day she was still getting good grades. Sadly, because she can't sit any exam she probably won't pass her senior year.
Her chest started to ache by the end of the day from stress, the normal feeling told her to head home. She sat at the back of the classroom as everyone else rushed out. She listened to all the noises of students rushing to leave. She sat there waiting, the teacher asking her to lock the door before she ran off to some meeting. She relaxed once silence came, picking up her bag and walking to the door. She flipped the lock and closed the door as she left. Her shoes squeaked slightly as she walked down the hall to the exit. She could see the trees bending in the harsh winter wind. She pulled her hood up and buttoned up her thick coat before pushing open the glass doors. She saw the school bus coast past as she walked onto the foot path.
She was glad that her house was walking distance, a benefit of living with her uncle. He pittied her when she first came to him, no parents or grandparents, they were all that's left of their family. As time had passed they had settled and he didn't pity her, instead he pushed her to go beyond her 'brain box' as he calls it. Since she's been with him she's gone back to school, walked the neighbourhood alone, stopped her psychological medication and even applied for University. He pushed her to get better and she has, she'll forever be grateful. She hummed gently to herself as she turned into their street waving at old Mr Alecks as he sat have his afternoon lemonade. She said hello to Gina and Harmony Jones (their neighbours) as they came home from their nursing shift. Her smile grew as she unlocked the front door to the smell of cookies. "What have you made today Papa Jack?" She called as she hung her coat up and put her shoes on the rack. She heard him laugh before he replied, "Just a test recipe for the shop. Come be my Lab Rat."
She quickly rounded the corner into the kitchen where her uncle stood proudly over this recent creation. His wide shoulders blocked her view so she tapped him. He turned revealing an array of coloured frosting and macaroons. "Do you like it?" the fear in his voice was always there for this part. If she didn't like it he didn't sell it, house rules. She leaned over the tray, gently poking the blue meringue icing of one. It's texture was perfect. She picked up the white macaroon that held the blue meringue. The white cookie contrasted well with the blue filling and blue meringue (both a light cyan). The slight crunch of the macaroon shell as she bit in and the instant smile was all the approval her uncle needed. He kissed her forehead and fished out his phone to begin ordering supplies. "This is the first winter special." he whispered to her as she turned to go start her treatment for the day.
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Hey guys, a quick message from the author.
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Ok so this story has been up for a while and I want to know something. A lot have people have viewed it so it must be ok. Should I continue this story? It's something I came up with sitting in a McDonald's at 10pm so I understand if it's not that great. This character is really special to me so even if you don't like this story I will probably use her in something else. Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments below 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻