Kara's Cross

“Kara, can you hear me? You need to wake up now, sweetie.”

It’s Dad. I must’ve slept in. I was certainly having a bizarre dream; more like a nightmare. It was so vivid.

I open my eyes. I’m in a room with white walls and a tile floor, definitely not home. It figures I wasn’t dreaming. Why I ever thought I’d have a chance of being a normal student is beyond me. I must be in the nurse’s office. Oh, crap! Someone must have carried me from the bathroom, through the hall and into this room. I wonder how many thousands of students saw me looking like a rag doll. I probably had drool coming out of my mouth, too. I might as well just find a permanent marker and write ‘circus freak’ on my forehead.

My life is over.

“Kara? Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake. You had me so worried. Let me take you home, honey, and you can get better.”

That’s my Dad, alright. He thinks he can protect me from the world by locking me away from anything and everything. I was home schooled for the last nine years because of the last incident. Now, I bet he’ll never let me out of the house until I have grey hair and a walker. No, probably not even then. Going home sounds so good right now, so does staying there, for that matter, but I didn’t spend the last two months arguing with him to throw it all away now. No matter how tempting it is. I want to have a normal life and attend school like a normal person.

Well, as normal a life as someone like me can possibly have.

I sit up to prove I am fine. The pain in my head surges back to life, trying its best to convince me being upright is the wrong thing to do. I gasp for air and clinch my teeth to keep from crying out. I hold my breath for a few seconds as the worst of the pain sweeps over me.

“You’re overreacting, Dad. I’m alright.” I turn my head away from him so he won’t see my eyes attempting to roll back in my head. I am not entirely sure I can stand up right now, much less walk around or go to class.

“I’m overreacting? Kara, your face just got as white as a sheet and you’re rocking around as if you’re about to fall over. There is no way your healthy enough to be here today.”

“I skipped breakfast, this morning,” I didn’t. “I wasn’t hungry at the time.” Also, not true, I had toast, cereal and a banana. “I think I just need to eat something.” I hope some food will allow time for the world war in my head to call for a cease-fire.

His eyes narrow and he focuses on me for an uncomfortably long time and I try my best to smile and look happy when all I really want to do is curl up on the floor and cry. Why do I want to go to school again? How normal of a life can I hope for when I’ll be known as the girl who passed out in the girl’s room and was carried like a sack of potatoes across the school? I am going to take freak status to new heights. I should just let him take me home and take care of me. I don’t need to fit in with these people. Who needs friends?

Me! I want friends.

“Well, I really don’t think it’s a good idea, Kara.”

“C’mon, Dad, I’m fine.” Fingers crossed. “I promise.”

“I’m staying until you get something to eat and if you don’t look one hundred percent better, you’re coming home.”

“Deal!” Okay, all I have to do is relax, let my body recover for the next few minutes, and walk out of here without letting on I have a killer headache. If I’m successful, I then get to walk into a classroom full of strangers, many of which probably saw me unconscious, and try to fit in with them. Finally, I get to attempt to make friends with these strangers and at the same time hope the girls from the bathroom don’t remember they wanted to tear me apart. Oh yeah, and I probably should try to pay attention in class and learn something as well.

No problem.