Troubled

TWO

                 CORA PHILLIPS

The pain was a dull ache when I got up, I knew it lasted only five minutes, after having this episodes all my life, I figured a way to count the minutes even in the state of being unconscious. I rubbed on my hand as they had hit the floor too hard and red spots appeared.

I heaved a sigh and wore my long sleeved sweater on the thin vest shirt that I was wearing earlier, I dusted my trouser, carried my bag and went downstairs again.

"Hey honey, I was coming to check on you, I heard you fall, but Cory was vomiting, I couldn't leave him." He looked so sincere. I smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry dad, I'm okay, I will be going to school now, I'm sure I missed the bus..I'll just walk." I said kissing the top of his head, he smiled at me before I left the house. I knew he loved me, if he was scared of me, he didn't show it, for that I was grateful, but sometimes I wonder if he gets tired, defending me from Mom, getting close to me even when he knows, sometimes I think he wants a normal family, even I want a normal family.

As I walked I thought about all the places mom carried me to the first time, when she actually cared. She would take me everywhere, I saw ten different therapists at once, then Fortune-tellers, those once didn't even know how to do their job, it was funny how fully grown men and women would say this nonsense and my mom would fall for it, well she was desperate.

Kids from different schools were littered across the road, going to their school with their friends or parents, I was the only one who had none. I was used to it, the town we stayed before here, I managed to have a friend, her name was Cherry, she was a social butterfly, talking to everyone, she didn't know about me yet, she was nice, she helped me get out of my shell once in a while. Until she saw me, she really saw me. I knew it was over, for her sake I tried to keep at Bay, but I couldn't. She turned her back on me the next day, after that Cherry seized to come to school, the kids in our class found out, I didn't know how, but they did, and they made me pay, pay for making their beloved cherry to leave. Finally we left, and from their social media accounts that I was stalking a week after I got here, they seemed pretty happy.

Lost in my head I did not know I had already gotten to school, I had followed the back gate, not wanting the attention that came with the front gate, I knew how that ended the first time I passed there. The familiar feeling came once again, I clawed at my chest, their was pain in my gum, my eyes, my head, there was fire everywhere. I knew this would last for at least seven minutes, if I was lucky six minutes and some seconds. I stood there writhing in pain, I couldn't move or say anything. I just stood there dying by the second. My mind begging for someone to help me. But I knew it wouldn't happen, I was doomed to this fate since the sixth of April when I was born. As I counted down the seconds the ache in my bones didn't calm down like it usually did, instead it became worse, like someone bent my knee to the opposite direction and still sat on them, the pain was excruciating. I felt tears spring from my eyes. In that moment and the moment after, I hated my life.

I fell to my knees once it ended, I took deep breaths, the pain had dulled once again, I knelt there for ten minutes, trying to pull myself together.

What hit me was the hurricane, the one from the house was the storm, the tsunami had not come lately and I was so grateful. I was the one that named them, after I had calculated the minutes they last, I named them after natural disasters, because they were natural disasters too. After cussing out the reason I got the disasters, I finally get up to go to the classroom.

I knew I was terribly late, and I hated that, it would mean more people would be looking at me. Another something I hate. I took three deep breaths to calm myself.

"You got this Cora." I whispered to myself.

"Got what? The crazy disease?" The malicious voice of Terra came from beside me. Only my luck, I was late, had two disasters happen to me this morning, and I'm outside with her. Terra was the Queen B of excellent high, she had the looks, the confidence, the power and the money. I always wondered why she talked to me, I had no significance in her life, I guess she just needed someone to pick on. I closed my eyes briefly, I couldn't deal with Terra and still face the teacher, so I just massaged my forehead and walked in the door, I heard Terra scoff as I entered.

"Young lady, do you know the time? And how late you are??" He bellowed.

I winced at his tone, it added to my headache.

"I'm sorry Mr Johnson, it won't happen again." I said in a tiny voice.

"That is what you said class before last, do not let this become a habit, go to your seat right now!"

"Thank you Mr Johnson." I whispered, going to find a seat at the back, ignoring the looks and whispering people did whenever I was present, the only seat that was not being used was empty, meaning I get to sit alone or with someone if they were too late. I prayed it won't be Terra, she was a possible candidate, but I would absolutely hate for it to be her. A few minutes and many doodling later, I was bored, and grateful that Terra decided to skip class, it would have been hell, a hell I wasn't ready to face.

I brought out my sketch pad, and began to sketch my dream house, something I was saving up for, I had taken as many part times as I could get in summer, I was saving up for the house I was going to rent in college. I couldn't wait to finish high school. As I sketched the windows, I smiled, this was the only thing in my life that didn't suck, this was my best friend, my only friend anyway. Something I always had with me, asides my beauty of course, my beautiful talent of drawing, sketching and painting.

As I sketched I felt someone staring at me, it was not a new thing, people stared at me all the time, but this one was different, I felt goosebumps. As I raised my head to look at the person, I only saw the back of his head, he was outside the classroom walking away. My brows furrowed, I scanned for him, I didn't recognize his head though. Who was that?.