The night before I was drowning in papers as I studied with everything sprawled around me on my bed and, my cat curled up in a little black ball on the corner of the bottom of the two bunk beds that I shared with my younger sister. But the next day was different; little did I know that day was the day I confronted my nightmare head on, or more of side on.

The morning before school, I woke up and noticed I that didn’t have a clean sweatshirt, so I asked my sister who wears a size or two smaller than I, but we still shared some clothes, I took one of her sweatshirts. As I hauled the thick cloud grey sweatshirt over my curly blonde mess of hair, it was kind of tight to my stomach and chest. My mother hollered, “Let’s go girls!” so I couldn’t change.   Throughout the day, I studied and prepared for the science test, forgetting all about the tight sweatshirt that had concealed my body like a boa constrictor.  About fifteen students had science class with me, not including the two popular boys from the grade above, who came to the classroom to help Mr. James, the science teacher. All of us sat in those hard plastic chairs, the ones with the bolts that catch long hair. I was sharing the ancient metal desk, next to a bulkier girl, Lacey Newton. I finished the long, brain agonizing test before the two boys dashed in, Lacey and I were reading a book.  Lacey and I exchanged comments on the book we read. We were placed at a desk that could fit two people, but in the middle were two cubbies, made to fit the books that students lugged into the classroom with them. 

I liked this boy, who was a grade above me.  Daniel was his name; every day he and another boy helped Mr. James. They scurried into the class about half way through the class period.  I paused reading my book, and I gave him my attention for a second but I didn’t want to make eye contact with him, so I quickly looked back down. I was sharing the ancient metal desk, next to a bulkier girl, Lacey. I was sitting on the right side, leaving the right side of me venerable to the rest of the classroom. The two boys stopped for a millisecond.  Daniel gazed at Mr. James and then grinned. He grinned with a hint of evil. The other boy continued to the back of the room, while Daniel gave Mr. James a glance. One second later, a piercing screech bellowed around the room. Daniel decided to slide the navy blue plastic chair next to me.  He continued to sit close, close enough so that I could smell his fresh deodorant with the slightest stench of sweat.  I chose to ignore his presence by leaning forward as I shoved my nose more into my book.  As my clammy hands gripped the wrinkly book, I tried to focus on the small print on the now tan pages.   I thought to myself, “Why is this happening? What is the point of this?” After a minute or two, the mocking snickers of other students’ envelope me in amusement.  The heat intensified on my cheeks, becoming a pepper red within seconds.  A stabbing feeling scratched at my heart, tearing through my chest, causing my eyes to grow a darker blue from the unshed tears that had bundled in front of my eyes.  I suddenly kicked my chair back, almost knocking it over, trying to scramble past Daniel’s chair, dashing out, but not before declaring, I am going to yell at Mrs. Young, a teacher whom I talked to. You could almost see the smoke coming out of my ears.  While storming out of the room, a few angry tears raced down my face. I bolted to Mrs. Young’s slightly hidden room; I angrily accused her of telling Daniel.  “Did you tell him? How did he know? I don’t understand any of this!” 

After taking a couple, calming breathes in the abandoned hallway; my heart became an ice cube of hurt. I staggered back to Mr. James’ classroom. Mr. James announced, “Grab your science books in the back lockers.”  Daniel sat in the corner with his friend, giggling like schoolgirls. We opened the large, heavy books to start reading about a new topic, and I forgot the commotion that happened.