As it had numerous times before, the blinding lights made my eyes twitch in my attempt to open them. It was then that I realized I just had a nightmare which jolted me awake. What? Anyone would have screamed in despair had the world's largest chocolate factory burnt in flames.
I think I would've had to be locked up in an asylum. That was, of course, taking into consideration the small possibility they would be able to stop me from committing suicide first.
Haha?
Oh God, will someone switch the goddamn lights off already? Where was I anyway? I groaned when I recognized the smell of sterilizers and the all-too-familiar smell of medicine. With a little greater effort,I forced my eyes open and shook the headaches off as they came within the next few seconds.
After another few seconds, I tried to figure out what could've happened that led to my ending up in that godforsaken place once again without having to take a car. Honestly, I think I probably went to the hospital on a stretcher more than I went in a car.
Oh right, I remembered, I collapsed in school. But who found me? Forte? And why isn't anyone in this room?
Just as I thought that, the door burst open and my doctor, whom had taken care of me since my first visit, walked in. Doctor Nathan saw me and said, "Ahh, awake already, I see." Then he frowned, "You've certainly been naughty this week. What did I say about regular exercise and healthy eating? If it's not practiced, you can't go around running with all your strength at one time. That's detrimental to your body and mind."
"What happened? Heart attack? Exhaustion?"
"It was a seizure this time. A minor one, though. It was due to your sudden overexertion on your body. You were running, I gather?"
"Blame my school teacher. He made me run three floors up and down again for pure entertainment," I said, with a drawl. "Where's my mom and Forte? Shouldn't they be here?"
"Your brother went to make a very urgent call and Paula is still on her way from work. Your friend went back to your house to pick up some stuff. Very generous-looking lad too," said Doctor Nathan, looking down at his notes and then checking my pulse.
My mind was all in a jumbled mess because I thought I heard it wrong. "What friend? Last I remembered, I didn't have any," I said. "Wasn't For the one who brought me down here?"
"You were undermining yourself then, when you said you didn't have any friends. He was definitely concerned for you. Plus, Forte didn't know until I called the school later for him to be given permission to come here."
Beyond shock, I slumped on the upright pillow I put leaning against the wall, my mouth hanging open. Who in their right minds would associate themselves with me... on purpose? Checked the clock that hung just above my room door and gawped wider. It was already four o'clock.
The ice-cream man would've left even if I went back to school now.
I sulked just as the door flung open and Forte walked in. He saw I was awake and rushed to the bedside. "Dawn, you're feeling better now?"
Truthfully, I felt a little guilty for making him worry so much. I mean, he was a jackass half of the time, but when he worried about me, he genuinely worried about me.
He was sweet that way.
"Yeah, I'm alright now. Sorry," I said, as he pulled a chair up to sit beside me. I stayed silent as he sighed with his head hanging down. Recalling what Doctor Nathan told me earlier, I asked, "Who brought me here, by the way?"
Before he could answer, the door opened once more and three people walked in. I was too surprised for words when I saw Ansel and his best friend, Lucas, whom both shone the brightest in terms of looks in Mort HIGH, standing at the entrance of the room, panting. The other man looked in his mid forties and was unfamiliar, but that wasn't what I was confused about.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, glaring at Ansel, who growled back.
"You tell me. First, I see you and you're fine. Next, I see you in a hospital after hearing you had a seizure. Is there something wrong with you?" he asked, with no hint of sensitivity in the least, which made me hate him all the more.
"Hey, buzz off, alright?" Forte immediately said. "Her condition is none of your beeswax. We appreciate the fact that you brought Lucas here, but if the only thing you're going to do is start criticizing her, I'll be more than happy to send you off."
That was my brother, as defensive of me as ever. Ansel deserved it too, the little git that he was.
The stranger walked up to me and said, in the most gentle voice I'd ever heard an adult manage to me apart from Mom, "Are you alright, Miss? I hope you didn't injure yourself when you fell."
"I'm quite alright, thank you," I smiled. It was then that my arm throbbed. I tried my best to mask the pain by grabbing it inconspicuously and massaging it where it hurt. "I'm guessing Lucas sent me here?"
"Yeah," Forte said. "He called 911 and they brought you to this hospital when they found you had their appointment card in your wallet."
With a look that expressed a little shame, I turned to Lucas and said, "Err, thanks. Sorry you had to go through all that."
"Don't be silly," his smile was godlike and his voice sang like a canary's. He was my savior and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Better him than some dude who would've instead left me there to rot. "I was actually walking back from the restrooms when I saw you fall. I tried to wake you, but I noticed the signs of a seizure, so I called the ambulance instead."
Smart, too. Quite the opposite of Ansel, wasn't he?
"Dad, you'd better hurry and switch the engines off. Otherwise I don't think we'll have enough fuel for our ride back home," Ansel said to the stranger.
That was his dad? How could someone so arse-like come from someone as caring as that?
"Oh, you're absolutely right. Well, Ans and I will be off for the time being. Little Miss, take care of your health and it was a pleasure meeting you. I hear you're Ans' partner for the Latin sessions he's been instructed to have. We'll look forward to your next visit," said Mr Saint James, before dragging his son and himself out of the room.
"I'll give Mom another call to find out if she's anywhere near the hospital. Stay here with her, will you, Lucas?" Forte said, getting up.
"No problem."
Just like that, I watched in horror as my trusty brother left me alone with the school's second-most handsome and popular guy in Mort HIGH.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Chapter 7: Male
She actually had a boyfriend?! Nothing could have surprised me more than that.
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to believe me. Just get lost. I have better things to do than to continue this idle talk. I need to go," she said. "Bye."
She turned on her heel and left without another word, without another look back. I just stood there, looking like a complete goon. How could she choose to be loyal to her boyfriend instead of coming after me?
Perhaps she knew she didn't have a chance. Now that would make more sense. If she had just even a small ray of hope, I bet she'd dump her boyfriend like rotten eggs.
That thought made me smile.
Alright, I'll just give her another 3 days, maybe, I thought. By then, she'd be head over heels in love with me.
That said, I went back into the classroom and sat down right in time for English to end. I wasn't paying attention during lessons after that. Found two more love letters under my desk and wondered why they were getting more frequent. Normally, they'd wait until a few days before the holidays.
After school, I went to the two places stated in the love letters and rejected them firmly before my father picked me up. Once in the car, he asked, "Where's Luke? Is he going home with his parents today?"
"Think so. He wasn't around after school ended. His bag was still in class, though. Maybe he's staying on."
"Alright, then."
We left the school gates. Come to think of it, I had to get prepared for my second Latin-only session with that girl - whose name still escapes me. We agreed to have our sessions at both our houses but alternate days.
Arranged the tables and took out whatever Latin books I could use for the session. 4 o'clock came by and I was expecting the door bell to ring any moment.
However, when half past four came, she had still not arrived. What's taking her so long? I thought, getting impatient. Did she forget?
I decided to wait a bit longer when 4:45 came and I was still waiting, I took my phone and dialed her house.
Beep... beep... beep...
No answer.
She was on her way?
"Dear? Your partner hasn't arrived yet? She's over half an hour late," my mother said, poking her head in. "Perhaps you should go to her house and get her? I think your father can fetch you there."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea. IF she comes here then give Father a call so we'll turn back," I said, walking out the door.
My father and I got into the BMW and drove off, heading towards her house. In the car, I felt my stomach twisting, as if it were a bad sign. We took about 10 minutes to get to her house because of the good traffic.
I got down and rang the door bell, but the door remained closed. I tried to look inside the house through the class but couldn't see anything. I knocked on the door loudly and asked, "Hello? Anyone there?"
No answer.
I turned the door knob - by accident - and realized it was unlocked. I opened the door just a little and asked again, "Is anyone home?" but got no promising results.
Clearing my throat, I decide to go in and investigate. I had already ruled out the possibility she was caught in a jam because it had been smooth for my father and I. She also couldn't have forgotten because I found her Latin books ready like she had them prepared the day before.
"Hah, I told you she couldn't wait to see me," I glowed.
But then where could she be?
Out of the blue, the phone rang and I jumped. Should I answer it? What if they thought I was a robber? But what if it was urgent?
I picked the phone up and answered, "Hello?"
"Lucas, you there already?"
I think my heart must've jolted into a stop. Lucas? Were we talking about my best friend Lucas? And... the voice...
"No, it's not Lucas," I answered.
There was a very awkward pause before the guy answered again, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?!"
It was the 'For' guy.
"Ansel?"
I turned to the door and saw Lucas standing by it. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He saw the phone in my hand and immediately reached for it, saying, "Forte, is that you? No, that was my friend."
For a moment, everything was a big question mark for me. Why was Luke affiliated with the 'For' guy and what would he be doing at her house?
After Lucas hung up, he faced me and asked, "What are you doing here, Ans?"
"That's my question! Why are you here? And why do you know that guy?" I asked, baffled to an unlimited extent.
"There's no time to explain. Come with me if you want to know," said Lucas, running to a bedroom and getting a suitcase. "Pack a pair of clothes and put them in the bag. Hurry!"
Without much thought, I did as he told me to. I packed a really big shirt and jeans. After that, Lucas returned with the blankets and we got into my father's car.
"Step on it, Mr SJ. Half Moon Hospital," said Lucas.
Whatever my father thought, he considered it to be of large importance and sped off. "May I just ask for a short explanation to why we're rushing to the hospital?"
"A school friend of mine had a heart attack," Lucas said. "I'm helping out."
That was good enough a reason to hang the traffic rules.
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to believe me. Just get lost. I have better things to do than to continue this idle talk. I need to go," she said. "Bye."
She turned on her heel and left without another word, without another look back. I just stood there, looking like a complete goon. How could she choose to be loyal to her boyfriend instead of coming after me?
Perhaps she knew she didn't have a chance. Now that would make more sense. If she had just even a small ray of hope, I bet she'd dump her boyfriend like rotten eggs.
That thought made me smile.
Alright, I'll just give her another 3 days, maybe, I thought. By then, she'd be head over heels in love with me.
That said, I went back into the classroom and sat down right in time for English to end. I wasn't paying attention during lessons after that. Found two more love letters under my desk and wondered why they were getting more frequent. Normally, they'd wait until a few days before the holidays.
After school, I went to the two places stated in the love letters and rejected them firmly before my father picked me up. Once in the car, he asked, "Where's Luke? Is he going home with his parents today?"
"Think so. He wasn't around after school ended. His bag was still in class, though. Maybe he's staying on."
"Alright, then."
We left the school gates. Come to think of it, I had to get prepared for my second Latin-only session with that girl - whose name still escapes me. We agreed to have our sessions at both our houses but alternate days.
Arranged the tables and took out whatever Latin books I could use for the session. 4 o'clock came by and I was expecting the door bell to ring any moment.
However, when half past four came, she had still not arrived. What's taking her so long? I thought, getting impatient. Did she forget?
I decided to wait a bit longer when 4:45 came and I was still waiting, I took my phone and dialed her house.
Beep... beep... beep...
No answer.
She was on her way?
"Dear? Your partner hasn't arrived yet? She's over half an hour late," my mother said, poking her head in. "Perhaps you should go to her house and get her? I think your father can fetch you there."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea. IF she comes here then give Father a call so we'll turn back," I said, walking out the door.
My father and I got into the BMW and drove off, heading towards her house. In the car, I felt my stomach twisting, as if it were a bad sign. We took about 10 minutes to get to her house because of the good traffic.
I got down and rang the door bell, but the door remained closed. I tried to look inside the house through the class but couldn't see anything. I knocked on the door loudly and asked, "Hello? Anyone there?"
No answer.
I turned the door knob - by accident - and realized it was unlocked. I opened the door just a little and asked again, "Is anyone home?" but got no promising results.
Clearing my throat, I decide to go in and investigate. I had already ruled out the possibility she was caught in a jam because it had been smooth for my father and I. She also couldn't have forgotten because I found her Latin books ready like she had them prepared the day before.
"Hah, I told you she couldn't wait to see me," I glowed.
But then where could she be?
Out of the blue, the phone rang and I jumped. Should I answer it? What if they thought I was a robber? But what if it was urgent?
I picked the phone up and answered, "Hello?"
"Lucas, you there already?"
I think my heart must've jolted into a stop. Lucas? Were we talking about my best friend Lucas? And... the voice...
"No, it's not Lucas," I answered.
There was a very awkward pause before the guy answered again, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?!"
It was the 'For' guy.
"Ansel?"
I turned to the door and saw Lucas standing by it. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He saw the phone in my hand and immediately reached for it, saying, "Forte, is that you? No, that was my friend."
For a moment, everything was a big question mark for me. Why was Luke affiliated with the 'For' guy and what would he be doing at her house?
After Lucas hung up, he faced me and asked, "What are you doing here, Ans?"
"That's my question! Why are you here? And why do you know that guy?" I asked, baffled to an unlimited extent.
"There's no time to explain. Come with me if you want to know," said Lucas, running to a bedroom and getting a suitcase. "Pack a pair of clothes and put them in the bag. Hurry!"
Without much thought, I did as he told me to. I packed a really big shirt and jeans. After that, Lucas returned with the blankets and we got into my father's car.
"Step on it, Mr SJ. Half Moon Hospital," said Lucas.
Whatever my father thought, he considered it to be of large importance and sped off. "May I just ask for a short explanation to why we're rushing to the hospital?"
"A school friend of mine had a heart attack," Lucas said. "I'm helping out."
That was good enough a reason to hang the traffic rules.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Chapter 6: Hers
Knock knock...
"Enter."
I looked up and saw Mr Robert coming in. God, I hated him. He would always spend each day thinking of different ways to insult me during our Science lessons. He would comment about how if they fed me another piece of chocolate, the Earth would get stuck and stop spinning or how I could be used to block the sun and stop global warming.
Yeah, I detested him.
"Mrs Bullock, I'd like to call Ms Fuhrer?" his eyes darted to mine. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"Whatever for, Mr Robert?" Mrs Bullock bent her head a little to peer over her spectacles to see him. Mrs Bullock didn't like to be interrupted, so naturally, she'd demand a good and valid explanation.
Mr Robert, however, just shrugged and said, "Ms Lamburgh told me to ask her to go to her room and see her."
Mrs Bullock thought for a while before saying, "Fine, Dawn, you may go, but come back immediately after."
I nodded and went to the third floor, where Ms Lamburgh's office was. It was a tough climb up the stairs, but I managed to do it. However, I could feel my sweat evaporating to steam due to anger when I realized the room was empty. Was this Mr Robert's idea of a joke?
I found a piece of paper on Ms Lamburgh's table and read it: Oh dear, how clumsy of me. My sincerest apologies, but Ms Lamburgh is having a lesson now with class 3-B. At least now you've burnt a little of your excess baggage. You should thank me. Mr Robert.
The bastard should rot in hell.
I noticed just then he added a postscript.
P/S: Dispose of this after you read it, will you?
My clockworks began to turn. I took the piece of paper and left it on Mr Clifford's table. Now what would a 6-foot-8 bodybuilder and Head of PE department say when he reads about someone calling his muscles "excess baggage"?
I felt smug after leaving the office. I went all the way down to the ground floor and searched for 3-B. It was the last one down the hall. I knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Yup, that was Ms Lamburgh.
Walking in, I immediately heard the students whispering to each other. Probably about how large I looked. Truthfully, I wasn't really enormous. It's just that compared to them, I was huge and unbelievably unhealthy. I've often heard my relatives say, "You know, Dawn, dear, you'd look so beautiful if you lose weight. You have very unique features."
Tch, right.
Speaking of health, I was scheduled for a check up today.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, yes. Please determine which course you will be taking next year, will you? Everyone else has already submitted their forms to me," said Ms Lamburgh. "Have you talked to your parents, like I told you to?"
I didn't answer. The form I received required both my parents' signatures. As long as my dad kept distancing himself from us, I couldn't send my form in. I sometimes wondered if I could just say my dad died, but my mom still has a certain amount of affections for him. She'd probably kill me - or send me to my room - if I did that.
"My dad's been busy these past few days so he hasn't been around to discuss with my mom and I," I said.
Ms Lamburgh sighed. "Well, this concerns your future, so I hope your father will realize that it has its importance as whatever it is he's doing."
You have no idea.
Nodding, I excused myself and walked out. Right, I'd bet a hundred dollars my dad doesn't even know I exist. He'd been indulging in tomfoolery since he'd been married, so it's highly doubtful he knew I was born.
In case you're wondering how the hell how I came about, it was the simple fact that my dad had downed three bottles of booze, gone tipsy and then jumped to sex at home.
Similarly, in my brother's case as well.
Actually, I was planning on forgery, but -
"Wait!"
My heart skipped a beat. Why did I recognize that voice? I turned around and there was Ansel, running in my direction.
Whoa. My direction? Something was wrong with the picture. Why would the cutest boy on campus - according to my school mates - be running in my direction?
I checked my surroundings to see if he could have meant another person to wait but the hall was pretty much deserted apart from me standing right smack in the middle.
Taking my chances, I asked, "You talking to me?"
He eventually caught up, panting and gasping for air. Tch, what a wuss. I went up 3 flights of stairs and down again, only sweating and here, he looked as if he were a fish out of water.
After catching his breath, he said, "Who else could I be talking to?"
"Okay, so what the hell do you want?" I folded my arms. "I have to get back to class. Mrs Bullock's expecting me."
"What are you doing here?"
I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean? I told you, I'm going back to class."
"No, I mean in this school!"
"I study here," I frowned. "Where are you going with this?"
"I didn't know you schooled here."
"Why would you need to know?" I asked, getting more and more irritated with him. "You've got to stop bothering me, Ansel."
"You knew I was schooling here?" he sounded surprised.
"Who doesn't? The girls in my class have pictures of you everywhere," I said, "Now, if you're done with the questions, I'm going to go now before I get screwed by Mrs Bullock."
I turned to leave, but he stopped me again, pulling my hand. I got goosebumps and snarled, "Let go of me."
"Why didn't you call?"
Oh God, someone kill him.
"Why-would-I-call-you?!"
"You seriously mean you're not going to fully abuse the fact you have my number?"
I heaved a big sigh, calming myself before I went mad. "I already told you, I don't like you. I'm not one of those fans of yours, get it?"
"Why?"
I blinked, confused. "What do you mean 'why'?"
"Why don't you like me? No girl could resist me," said Ansel, frowning. "Unless... you have a boyfriend."
Narrowing my eyes, I was trying to find why he sounded suspicious.
"What are you talking about?"
"Who's 'For'?"
I raised my eyebrow again. That's when I remembered yesterday when Forte received a phone call from someone who didn't answer.
"It was you who called?"
"Answer my question!"
I was a little scared with the tone of his voice because he actually sounded angry. It was like he was trying to prove something to himself.
"Why in the world are you being so angry? For's just my b-' I stopped. Hold on. Angry? He thinks I have a boyfriend? Didn't that sound like he was... jealous? "Would that be so hard to believe?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"You're not even going to think about breaking up with him for me?"
"How many God forsaken times do I have to tell you that I-don't-even-like-you?!"
Suddenly, I felt a sharp jab in my chest. Automatically, my right hand flew to my chest to try and subdue the pain. Why the hell was that happening?
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to believe me. Just get lost. I've got better things to do than to continue this idle talk," I said, wincing at the pain. "I need to go. Bye."
I turned from him and walked off, still grabbing my chest. The pain wasn't easing, even after trying to calm myself down. I could feel my heart rate not decreasing and it was getting harder to breathe. My mouth was getting dehydrated as well, since I had not drunken any water after the run.
My eyes widened at that. That was what happened before I passed out some time ago. I panicked for a while then remembered that would worsen the situation. I needed help.
Forte.
At that moment, I knew I had to get to him before I fainted. My legs were gradually getting numb; another sign I was about to drop unconscious any minute soon.
Desperately, I tried to recall which class Forte was in. Shit, he could be anywhere.
I lost my legs then and fell to the ground. "Ouch!" I yelled, grabbing my legs. The pain in my chest continued and I had a throbbing headache as well.
I felt water droplets on my hand next and became aware I was crying. That was the first time I hoped someone would come by and find me.
"H-Help!" I sobbed, voice cracking from the discomfort and lack of water. I had both my palms pressing against each side of my head, trying to soothe the pain, but it didn't work. Seeing I was at my limit already, I gathered whatever strength left in me and yelled, "HELP!"
After that, everything was pitch black. Whether someone found me or not, I didn't know.
"Hey-"
"Enter."
I looked up and saw Mr Robert coming in. God, I hated him. He would always spend each day thinking of different ways to insult me during our Science lessons. He would comment about how if they fed me another piece of chocolate, the Earth would get stuck and stop spinning or how I could be used to block the sun and stop global warming.
Yeah, I detested him.
"Mrs Bullock, I'd like to call Ms Fuhrer?" his eyes darted to mine. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"Whatever for, Mr Robert?" Mrs Bullock bent her head a little to peer over her spectacles to see him. Mrs Bullock didn't like to be interrupted, so naturally, she'd demand a good and valid explanation.
Mr Robert, however, just shrugged and said, "Ms Lamburgh told me to ask her to go to her room and see her."
Mrs Bullock thought for a while before saying, "Fine, Dawn, you may go, but come back immediately after."
I nodded and went to the third floor, where Ms Lamburgh's office was. It was a tough climb up the stairs, but I managed to do it. However, I could feel my sweat evaporating to steam due to anger when I realized the room was empty. Was this Mr Robert's idea of a joke?
I found a piece of paper on Ms Lamburgh's table and read it: Oh dear, how clumsy of me. My sincerest apologies, but Ms Lamburgh is having a lesson now with class 3-B. At least now you've burnt a little of your excess baggage. You should thank me. Mr Robert.
The bastard should rot in hell.
I noticed just then he added a postscript.
P/S: Dispose of this after you read it, will you?
My clockworks began to turn. I took the piece of paper and left it on Mr Clifford's table. Now what would a 6-foot-8 bodybuilder and Head of PE department say when he reads about someone calling his muscles "excess baggage"?
I felt smug after leaving the office. I went all the way down to the ground floor and searched for 3-B. It was the last one down the hall. I knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Yup, that was Ms Lamburgh.
Walking in, I immediately heard the students whispering to each other. Probably about how large I looked. Truthfully, I wasn't really enormous. It's just that compared to them, I was huge and unbelievably unhealthy. I've often heard my relatives say, "You know, Dawn, dear, you'd look so beautiful if you lose weight. You have very unique features."
Tch, right.
Speaking of health, I was scheduled for a check up today.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, yes. Please determine which course you will be taking next year, will you? Everyone else has already submitted their forms to me," said Ms Lamburgh. "Have you talked to your parents, like I told you to?"
I didn't answer. The form I received required both my parents' signatures. As long as my dad kept distancing himself from us, I couldn't send my form in. I sometimes wondered if I could just say my dad died, but my mom still has a certain amount of affections for him. She'd probably kill me - or send me to my room - if I did that.
"My dad's been busy these past few days so he hasn't been around to discuss with my mom and I," I said.
Ms Lamburgh sighed. "Well, this concerns your future, so I hope your father will realize that it has its importance as whatever it is he's doing."
You have no idea.
Nodding, I excused myself and walked out. Right, I'd bet a hundred dollars my dad doesn't even know I exist. He'd been indulging in tomfoolery since he'd been married, so it's highly doubtful he knew I was born.
In case you're wondering how the hell how I came about, it was the simple fact that my dad had downed three bottles of booze, gone tipsy and then jumped to sex at home.
Similarly, in my brother's case as well.
Actually, I was planning on forgery, but -
"Wait!"
My heart skipped a beat. Why did I recognize that voice? I turned around and there was Ansel, running in my direction.
Whoa. My direction? Something was wrong with the picture. Why would the cutest boy on campus - according to my school mates - be running in my direction?
I checked my surroundings to see if he could have meant another person to wait but the hall was pretty much deserted apart from me standing right smack in the middle.
Taking my chances, I asked, "You talking to me?"
He eventually caught up, panting and gasping for air. Tch, what a wuss. I went up 3 flights of stairs and down again, only sweating and here, he looked as if he were a fish out of water.
After catching his breath, he said, "Who else could I be talking to?"
"Okay, so what the hell do you want?" I folded my arms. "I have to get back to class. Mrs Bullock's expecting me."
"What are you doing here?"
I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean? I told you, I'm going back to class."
"No, I mean in this school!"
"I study here," I frowned. "Where are you going with this?"
"I didn't know you schooled here."
"Why would you need to know?" I asked, getting more and more irritated with him. "You've got to stop bothering me, Ansel."
"You knew I was schooling here?" he sounded surprised.
"Who doesn't? The girls in my class have pictures of you everywhere," I said, "Now, if you're done with the questions, I'm going to go now before I get screwed by Mrs Bullock."
I turned to leave, but he stopped me again, pulling my hand. I got goosebumps and snarled, "Let go of me."
"Why didn't you call?"
Oh God, someone kill him.
"Why-would-I-call-you?!"
"You seriously mean you're not going to fully abuse the fact you have my number?"
I heaved a big sigh, calming myself before I went mad. "I already told you, I don't like you. I'm not one of those fans of yours, get it?"
"Why?"
I blinked, confused. "What do you mean 'why'?"
"Why don't you like me? No girl could resist me," said Ansel, frowning. "Unless... you have a boyfriend."
Narrowing my eyes, I was trying to find why he sounded suspicious.
"What are you talking about?"
"Who's 'For'?"
I raised my eyebrow again. That's when I remembered yesterday when Forte received a phone call from someone who didn't answer.
"It was you who called?"
"Answer my question!"
I was a little scared with the tone of his voice because he actually sounded angry. It was like he was trying to prove something to himself.
"Why in the world are you being so angry? For's just my b-' I stopped. Hold on. Angry? He thinks I have a boyfriend? Didn't that sound like he was... jealous? "Would that be so hard to believe?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"You're not even going to think about breaking up with him for me?"
"How many God forsaken times do I have to tell you that I-don't-even-like-you?!"
Suddenly, I felt a sharp jab in my chest. Automatically, my right hand flew to my chest to try and subdue the pain. Why the hell was that happening?
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to believe me. Just get lost. I've got better things to do than to continue this idle talk," I said, wincing at the pain. "I need to go. Bye."
I turned from him and walked off, still grabbing my chest. The pain wasn't easing, even after trying to calm myself down. I could feel my heart rate not decreasing and it was getting harder to breathe. My mouth was getting dehydrated as well, since I had not drunken any water after the run.
My eyes widened at that. That was what happened before I passed out some time ago. I panicked for a while then remembered that would worsen the situation. I needed help.
Forte.
At that moment, I knew I had to get to him before I fainted. My legs were gradually getting numb; another sign I was about to drop unconscious any minute soon.
Desperately, I tried to recall which class Forte was in. Shit, he could be anywhere.
I lost my legs then and fell to the ground. "Ouch!" I yelled, grabbing my legs. The pain in my chest continued and I had a throbbing headache as well.
I felt water droplets on my hand next and became aware I was crying. That was the first time I hoped someone would come by and find me.
"H-Help!" I sobbed, voice cracking from the discomfort and lack of water. I had both my palms pressing against each side of my head, trying to soothe the pain, but it didn't work. Seeing I was at my limit already, I gathered whatever strength left in me and yelled, "HELP!"
After that, everything was pitch black. Whether someone found me or not, I didn't know.
"Hey-"
Chapter 5: His
"Well, you're looking extremely happy today," Isriel commented, looking at me through the rear view mirror of the car.
It was true I was extremely happy. I could almost see that girl's face glowing with absolute joy I had left my phone number. She was probably dancing around her room with her phone in her hands, wondering what she should type in her message. "I bet I'd get a text from her soon," I sniggered.
"Pretty bold move, Ans, giving someone your number, And a girl too," said Iriel, turning into a lane. "Are you, by any chance, giving the girls an opportunity to capture your heart?"
"Unlikely, Isriel, very unlikely. For a girl to capture my heart, she must first capture my eye."
I heard my sister sigh. "Ans, dear, you probably don't see eye to eye with me on this, but when you meet the person you want to spend your whole life with, even if the person's not the prettiest, you'll think she is."
"How can I say she's the prettiest if she's not?" I raised an eyebrow. "You confuse me, Isriel, you honestly do. You're always so wrapped up in making me change my mind. Just you wait, that girl will call me in a while."
Saw Isriel shaking her head and muttering, "You'll understand some time soon, Ansel, you will."
I ignored her and continued clutching my phone. What the hell was taking her so long anyway? Oh, perhaps she didn't have enough money in her phone to call.
"Well, then, I'll just call her."
Dialled her house and waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello, Zurier residence," a guy's voice answered.
The grip on my phone tightened. No way... There wasn't anyone in the house when I was there. I doubted her father would sound this young, and she never mentioned a brother either.
Could that be her boy-?
Nahh, that couldn't be it. She couldn't have a boyfriend. She doesn't look like she could attract anyone, not even a fly. That was definitely not her boyfriend.
"Hello? Is this a prank call?" he asked again.
Should I answer?
"For? Who's on the phone?" I heard her voice. 'For'? A preposition? What the hell did that stand for? Even if it was a name, it would sound weird, wouldn't it?
Heard the guy answer again, "No friggin' idea. The bastard's not answerin-"
He hung up. Inside, I was boiling. How dare he call me a bastard? Did he even know me? I've never known to hate someone even before I knew his name. His full name. I looked at the phone and felt something weird inside prodding me. Like it was telling me to redial.
What if that guy picked up again? That couldn't really be her boyfriend, right?
"No way, not in a million years would she get a boyfriend, unless he looks like her. Otherwise, I won't believe it," the little voice in my head rang in my mind.
"Who were you on the phone with?" Isriel asked, looking at me, "And why did you hang up?"
I wasn't about to let her know I tried to call a girl and did not succeed, so I answered, "I wasn't calling anyone. I just wanted to test the speakers of the phone. I think it's getting faulty. I haven't changed my phone for half a year."
Spotted my sister rolling her eyes the way our family always did perfectly.
All the same, I wasn't satisfied at all with the lack of attention. She was obviously staring at me. Wasn't she interesting in me? The idea of her having a boyfriend - although doubtful - was also considered. Even with a lover, she'd still fall for me. She'd at least try to flirt before I let her drown in guilt.
"Like the other taken girls who fell for me," the right side of my mouth went up.
Back at home, I barricaded myself in my room and continued looking at my phone. "Maybe she misplaced the piece of paper," I thought for an excuse again. "I guess I can give her another call, just in case."
My thumb was already on the 'call' button but for some reason, I just stopped. Looking at the full-body mirror in my room, I saw myself on the bed, legs waving about and a phone in my hand.
That's when I realized, I looked like a desperate love sick puppy waiting to be pampered by a stranger.
"Stop it, Ansel Saint James. You're a man of class, style and grace. Do not let yourself be dragged around like an unwanted dish rag!" I scolded myself.
This time, with a look of utter repulse - of my ghastly actions prior to my realization - I kept my phone in my room and stormed downstairs to the hall. Moments later, Lucas came over and checked over my Latin homework for both Ms Emily and our school teacher, Mrs Beatrice, which became a common practice since we found about my weakness in Latin.
To be truthful, the only reason I could speak relatively fluently during the 2-hour recording was because we practically had a Latin dialogue written for us. Well, she wrote the phrases, I just tried to make it sound as Latin as possible.
"So how was your first session with the girl?" Lucas asked, looking through my books and various exercises.
"It was alright. She had her eyes stuck on me, obviously, but we managed to keep it going," I said.
"Modest, as always," Lucas smirked. "How is she? Good looking?"
I nearly choked on air. There was no way she was good looking. "I can name a few hundred people right now who're better looking than her, Luke. Can you believe it? I heard from someone in class that she skipped one hundred and two Latin lessons last year. It's like she's sick all the time!"
"You might never know, Ans. She could have a legitimate reason for skipping lessons."
"Not as excessively as that, Luke."
Lucas didn't reply, so we remained silent for the short period of time. He joined us for dinner that evening and then returned home when 10 o'clock came.
The next morning, Lucas came over in the morning and we left to school together in my father's car.
"How was your Latin session yesterday, Ansel? I heard from Isriel that you actually passed your number to someone other than Luke and your close relatives."
"It was a treat from me, Father. She was quite glad to receive it, too. The look on her face was certainly priceless," I said. "At least, I'm sure that's what it must've looked like."
"Are you sure she won't give it to other people? In that case, you'd be quite a prize."
I thought about it for a moment then shook my head saying, "With all due respect, she doesn't really have anyone whom she can give it to. She's quite the anti-social character."
My father gave a dissatisfied noise then said, "Do not judge a book by its cover, Ansel. She might seem anti-social but she also might be fun to hang around once you get to know her."
"What's the point of telling him that, Mr SJ? Given his current attitude, it's highly doubtful he'd even try to get to know her," said Lucas, with good humour. "They are, after all, only seeing each other because of Latin lessons."
I nodded in agreement. I'd only have to stand seeing her for one week before we have nothing to do with each other again.
After I got down the car, I said goodbye to my father and then proceeded to the assembly hall. The headmistress gave a short speech and then dismissed us with a curt "Thank you."
However, something stopped me dead in my tracks. As I followed my class to homeroom, I thought I saw her.
"Couldn't be, right? Aren't we from different schools?" I thought, straining to see if it was really her. No doubt about it, she didn't have any friends, she had a glum look on her face and most importantly, nobody else I knew was that big in size.
But why was she here? And why haven't I seen her before if she schooled in Mort HIGH? Behind me, I nudged Lucas and said, "That girl's from my Latin class at Nurturing Minds!"
"Which one?"
"That one!"
"Ans, there are a lot of 'ones' here. Can you be a little more specific?" Lucas asked, giving me a certain look. "What's her name? You do know her name, right?"
"Of course I do!" I said, scowling. Honestly, I was trying to remember her name. Why couldn't I remember? Was it Danielle? Dolly? Dominique? "Oh never mind. Can't you see her?"
Lucas said, "Too late. We've reached homeroom. You can show me during recess."
I had to settle for that. However, when recess came, she was nowhere to be seen. I searched high and low for her - without making it obvious I was - but had no luck.
"She can't have just disappeared, Ans," Lucas said, after he told me to stop searching. "You've already searched the entire school. You probably thought you saw her, but saw someone else instead."
My voice told him I was just a little insulted, "I don't hallucinate, if that's what you're implying. I saw who I saw, and I won't let it go till I prove it to you."
Lucas sighed, shook his head and continued to follow me as I scoured the area. "Come on, Ansel! Find her! How hard can it be? She's so big!" I yelled in my head.
Unfortunately, recess wasn't forever, so I had to give up in the end. "You can find her after school or something," Lucas said, trying in vain to cheer me up.
"If it weren't for those annoying girls trying to flirt with me, I would have found her," I snarled, referring to three girls who were hanging about wherever I went, using the lamest pick up lines ever.
Reluctantly, I went back to class with Lucas. It was English, and Ms Lamburgh was in a pleasant mood. She gave us some homework to do whilst she busied herself with some other stuff.
Knock knock...
"Come in," Ms Lamburgh said, her voice singing with her usual happy tone.
The door opened, but I didn't bother to see who had come in. That is, until I heard my classmates starting to whisper and laugh under their voices. Tried to ignore them and continue my work, but then I heard a hoarse, but much too familiar, voice.
"You wanted to see me?"
My head shot up and there she was, standing by Ms Lamburgh's table. The whispering and backbiting continued, much to my annoyance. I looked around to tell Lucas, but he had left earlier to the washroom. Turning back to the girl, I noticed she was already out of the room.
At once, I jumped off my seat and flew to Ms Lamburgh's table. "Washroom, please?"
"S-S-Sure," her voice stumbled, as usual, but I was too disturbed to care. Once I saw her outside, about to disappear around the corner, I yelled, "Wait!"
It was true I was extremely happy. I could almost see that girl's face glowing with absolute joy I had left my phone number. She was probably dancing around her room with her phone in her hands, wondering what she should type in her message. "I bet I'd get a text from her soon," I sniggered.
"Pretty bold move, Ans, giving someone your number, And a girl too," said Iriel, turning into a lane. "Are you, by any chance, giving the girls an opportunity to capture your heart?"
"Unlikely, Isriel, very unlikely. For a girl to capture my heart, she must first capture my eye."
I heard my sister sigh. "Ans, dear, you probably don't see eye to eye with me on this, but when you meet the person you want to spend your whole life with, even if the person's not the prettiest, you'll think she is."
"How can I say she's the prettiest if she's not?" I raised an eyebrow. "You confuse me, Isriel, you honestly do. You're always so wrapped up in making me change my mind. Just you wait, that girl will call me in a while."
Saw Isriel shaking her head and muttering, "You'll understand some time soon, Ansel, you will."
I ignored her and continued clutching my phone. What the hell was taking her so long anyway? Oh, perhaps she didn't have enough money in her phone to call.
"Well, then, I'll just call her."
Dialled her house and waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello, Zurier residence," a guy's voice answered.
The grip on my phone tightened. No way... There wasn't anyone in the house when I was there. I doubted her father would sound this young, and she never mentioned a brother either.
Could that be her boy-?
Nahh, that couldn't be it. She couldn't have a boyfriend. She doesn't look like she could attract anyone, not even a fly. That was definitely not her boyfriend.
"Hello? Is this a prank call?" he asked again.
Should I answer?
"For? Who's on the phone?" I heard her voice. 'For'? A preposition? What the hell did that stand for? Even if it was a name, it would sound weird, wouldn't it?
Heard the guy answer again, "No friggin' idea. The bastard's not answerin-"
He hung up. Inside, I was boiling. How dare he call me a bastard? Did he even know me? I've never known to hate someone even before I knew his name. His full name. I looked at the phone and felt something weird inside prodding me. Like it was telling me to redial.
What if that guy picked up again? That couldn't really be her boyfriend, right?
"No way, not in a million years would she get a boyfriend, unless he looks like her. Otherwise, I won't believe it," the little voice in my head rang in my mind.
"Who were you on the phone with?" Isriel asked, looking at me, "And why did you hang up?"
I wasn't about to let her know I tried to call a girl and did not succeed, so I answered, "I wasn't calling anyone. I just wanted to test the speakers of the phone. I think it's getting faulty. I haven't changed my phone for half a year."
Spotted my sister rolling her eyes the way our family always did perfectly.
All the same, I wasn't satisfied at all with the lack of attention. She was obviously staring at me. Wasn't she interesting in me? The idea of her having a boyfriend - although doubtful - was also considered. Even with a lover, she'd still fall for me. She'd at least try to flirt before I let her drown in guilt.
"Like the other taken girls who fell for me," the right side of my mouth went up.
Back at home, I barricaded myself in my room and continued looking at my phone. "Maybe she misplaced the piece of paper," I thought for an excuse again. "I guess I can give her another call, just in case."
My thumb was already on the 'call' button but for some reason, I just stopped. Looking at the full-body mirror in my room, I saw myself on the bed, legs waving about and a phone in my hand.
That's when I realized, I looked like a desperate love sick puppy waiting to be pampered by a stranger.
"Stop it, Ansel Saint James. You're a man of class, style and grace. Do not let yourself be dragged around like an unwanted dish rag!" I scolded myself.
This time, with a look of utter repulse - of my ghastly actions prior to my realization - I kept my phone in my room and stormed downstairs to the hall. Moments later, Lucas came over and checked over my Latin homework for both Ms Emily and our school teacher, Mrs Beatrice, which became a common practice since we found about my weakness in Latin.
To be truthful, the only reason I could speak relatively fluently during the 2-hour recording was because we practically had a Latin dialogue written for us. Well, she wrote the phrases, I just tried to make it sound as Latin as possible.
"So how was your first session with the girl?" Lucas asked, looking through my books and various exercises.
"It was alright. She had her eyes stuck on me, obviously, but we managed to keep it going," I said.
"Modest, as always," Lucas smirked. "How is she? Good looking?"
I nearly choked on air. There was no way she was good looking. "I can name a few hundred people right now who're better looking than her, Luke. Can you believe it? I heard from someone in class that she skipped one hundred and two Latin lessons last year. It's like she's sick all the time!"
"You might never know, Ans. She could have a legitimate reason for skipping lessons."
"Not as excessively as that, Luke."
Lucas didn't reply, so we remained silent for the short period of time. He joined us for dinner that evening and then returned home when 10 o'clock came.
The next morning, Lucas came over in the morning and we left to school together in my father's car.
"How was your Latin session yesterday, Ansel? I heard from Isriel that you actually passed your number to someone other than Luke and your close relatives."
"It was a treat from me, Father. She was quite glad to receive it, too. The look on her face was certainly priceless," I said. "At least, I'm sure that's what it must've looked like."
"Are you sure she won't give it to other people? In that case, you'd be quite a prize."
I thought about it for a moment then shook my head saying, "With all due respect, she doesn't really have anyone whom she can give it to. She's quite the anti-social character."
My father gave a dissatisfied noise then said, "Do not judge a book by its cover, Ansel. She might seem anti-social but she also might be fun to hang around once you get to know her."
"What's the point of telling him that, Mr SJ? Given his current attitude, it's highly doubtful he'd even try to get to know her," said Lucas, with good humour. "They are, after all, only seeing each other because of Latin lessons."
I nodded in agreement. I'd only have to stand seeing her for one week before we have nothing to do with each other again.
After I got down the car, I said goodbye to my father and then proceeded to the assembly hall. The headmistress gave a short speech and then dismissed us with a curt "Thank you."
However, something stopped me dead in my tracks. As I followed my class to homeroom, I thought I saw her.
"Couldn't be, right? Aren't we from different schools?" I thought, straining to see if it was really her. No doubt about it, she didn't have any friends, she had a glum look on her face and most importantly, nobody else I knew was that big in size.
But why was she here? And why haven't I seen her before if she schooled in Mort HIGH? Behind me, I nudged Lucas and said, "That girl's from my Latin class at Nurturing Minds!"
"Which one?"
"That one!"
"Ans, there are a lot of 'ones' here. Can you be a little more specific?" Lucas asked, giving me a certain look. "What's her name? You do know her name, right?"
"Of course I do!" I said, scowling. Honestly, I was trying to remember her name. Why couldn't I remember? Was it Danielle? Dolly? Dominique? "Oh never mind. Can't you see her?"
Lucas said, "Too late. We've reached homeroom. You can show me during recess."
I had to settle for that. However, when recess came, she was nowhere to be seen. I searched high and low for her - without making it obvious I was - but had no luck.
"She can't have just disappeared, Ans," Lucas said, after he told me to stop searching. "You've already searched the entire school. You probably thought you saw her, but saw someone else instead."
My voice told him I was just a little insulted, "I don't hallucinate, if that's what you're implying. I saw who I saw, and I won't let it go till I prove it to you."
Lucas sighed, shook his head and continued to follow me as I scoured the area. "Come on, Ansel! Find her! How hard can it be? She's so big!" I yelled in my head.
Unfortunately, recess wasn't forever, so I had to give up in the end. "You can find her after school or something," Lucas said, trying in vain to cheer me up.
"If it weren't for those annoying girls trying to flirt with me, I would have found her," I snarled, referring to three girls who were hanging about wherever I went, using the lamest pick up lines ever.
Reluctantly, I went back to class with Lucas. It was English, and Ms Lamburgh was in a pleasant mood. She gave us some homework to do whilst she busied herself with some other stuff.
Knock knock...
"Come in," Ms Lamburgh said, her voice singing with her usual happy tone.
The door opened, but I didn't bother to see who had come in. That is, until I heard my classmates starting to whisper and laugh under their voices. Tried to ignore them and continue my work, but then I heard a hoarse, but much too familiar, voice.
"You wanted to see me?"
My head shot up and there she was, standing by Ms Lamburgh's table. The whispering and backbiting continued, much to my annoyance. I looked around to tell Lucas, but he had left earlier to the washroom. Turning back to the girl, I noticed she was already out of the room.
At once, I jumped off my seat and flew to Ms Lamburgh's table. "Washroom, please?"
"S-S-Sure," her voice stumbled, as usual, but I was too disturbed to care. Once I saw her outside, about to disappear around the corner, I yelled, "Wait!"
Friday, April 2, 2010
Chapter 4: Her
"You're having a friend over?" Forte asked, when he saw I was unfolding the study table in the living room.
"Yeah, for my Latin sessions."
"Oh, so your numbers are even again?" he asked once more. "One of your friends quit, right? What was his name? Jason? Jeremy?"
"It was Nick, For, Nick Thomas," I said, getting my stationary out and the video recorder. "Some dude enrolled last week when I was absent and in the hospital. I saw him on Sunday and Janet told me he was replacing Nick."
"Well, how is he?"
"He's... handsome, I guess."
At that, Forte ran over to me and took my temperature. I annoyed, whacked his hand away. "I'm not ill."
"You've never had a crush on anyone before."
"Who said I had a crush on him? I said he was handsome. Liking him is a whole different thing altogether. He's probably one of those obnoxious people with a huge ass ego."
"True, most good-looking people have those characteristics," said Forte. "Except me," he added with a grin.
"Of course," I smirked.
I checked my video recorder to make sure it could hold for two hours. Why? Well, our assignment this week was to speak Latin for a whole two hours and videotape it as proof.
"Do it everyday starting tomorrow until Saturday, which makes 5 days of Latin-only sessions. Then on Sunday, you will present it to me," said Emily. "May I remind you, this has to be videotaped because the date and time will be displayed. That way, I will know if you're cheating by postponing your sessions. For those who do not have video cameras, do not worry because the centre will rent them to you for a 5-dollar rental fee. If damaged in anyway, you have to give us a 100-dollar compensation fee."
She even gave us topics for us sessions. We could talk about our school, our parents or even our pets, long as it's for 2 hours and we videotape it.
"So, who's your partner?"
Before I could answer, however, the telephone rang and I had to pick it up.
"Hello?" I asked.
"I can't find your house."
"Where are you?"
"La Grange Park."
"Find Newberry Ave."
"Found it already."
"Then find the number 827."
"I'm standing in front of it."
"Then what the hell are you waiting for?!"
"The name plate says 'Zurier'. Your surname is 'Fuhrer'."
"Unless you get a reward for unravelling that mystery, you don't need to know. Now come in before I hang up."
I hung up and went to the door. After opening it, I said, "Get ready in the room there," I pointed for him to see. "I'll join you soon enough."
When I turned to leave, he asked, "That's it?"
I raised my eyebrow. "What else do you want?"
"No 'make yourself at home'?"
"No. Now go."
Watching him go, I shook my head. Honestly, whose house was this? Besides, we were only doing work. He didn't need to feel at home to do that. I prepared two glasses of tea then proceeded to the room. Once I got inside the room, however, I saw he was standing up and looking around the room.
Setting the tea tray down onto the table, I asked, "Is there anything wrong with the room we're in?"
"If there was, would you go your way to switch rooms to satisfy my desires?" he asked, in a tone that told me he already knew the answer.
"No, I wouldn't."
"What a shock," he feigned surprise. Then, rolling his eyes, he took the seat facing me, reached into his bag and brought out a fancy Sony video camera, placing it onto the table. "We'll use my video camera, it's got better quality than whatever you would have."
My heart felt as if an arrow - if not a knife - stabbed it and twisted itself deeper into me. The camera I was holding behind my back was two generations its senior, but at least it was something.
This was why jerks like him would never last more than two months with a single girl.
"Well, fine then," I glared at him, laying aside my camera and, lying through my teeth, added, "I don't have one anyway."
"Guessed as much."
Another arrow. Seriously, how much more of a bastard could he get? My fists were balled up, but I managed to calm down and not injure him. Instead, I said, "Then let's start. Don't forget we have to translate our sentences."
He set up his video camera by the table side and then looked at me. I nodded I was ready and he started filming.
"Heus," he said, "Quid agis?"
"Hi," I translated. "How are you?" After taking a deep breath, I answered, "Valeo. Et tu?"
"Fine, thanks. And you?" he then replied, "Bene. Quid est teum nomen?"
"Good. What is your name? Meum nomen Dawn est. Tu?"
He thought for a while then said, "My name is Dawn. You? Meum nomen Ansel est."
Yes, I ended up being paired up with the new student. Trust me, it wasn't pleasant having all the girls peering at you through hateful eyes. It was thanks to Janet that they stopped. She said, "It's not her fault she was chosen. If you want to blame anyone, blame Ansel, since it was him who picked her."
I was always thankful to Janet. She knew I was uncomfortable having everyone staring at me just because Mr Handsome Saint James became my partner that week. Actually, I tried to change my partner with someone else, but Emily said that would make things worse.
Although it insulted me indirectly, I knew what she meant and agreed. The girls would gladly offer their partners and the guys would protest vehemently because they don't like me.
I was, after all, the problematic child.
Nobody would understand what I was going through though, because they had such perfect slim bodies to opt and attitudes that matched third-rate sluts. Yet, they complain about how they were getting fatter and developing spare tyres. It made them sound so stupid because they weren't even half my size.
Me, on the other hand, besides being abnormally tall at 170 centimetres at 15 years, I was constantly wavering between 75 to 80 kilos and I always wore black because it concealed the fact I was overweight.
My arms were twice a normal girls' and my thighs were twice my arms. People could barely see my neck and to top it all off, I had problems that wound me up in hospitals most of the time. When that happened, it was not my friends who would take notes on my homework for me but my brother, Forte, who would have to go all the way to school to get my books and such.
Of course I tried dieting, but in school, who could stop me from eating junk food? Nobody cared for my health and Forte would very rarely find me chowing on a double-cheese burger with extra mayonnaise because most of the time, I wouldn't have a seat during recess so I had to make do with the girls' restroom.
Gave up losing weight eons ago. If there was no one who would accept me the way I was - whatever I was - then I'd rather have no one. It's been like that all along anyway.
"Dawn?"
I snapped out of my reverie and answered hurriedly.
"Me miseret. Iterum dicere potes?"
"Sorry and can you say that again? Ita. Quotos annos habes?"
"Yes. How old are you?" I translated. Crap, what was 15 in Latin again? "Err... Me miseret, mea lingua latina est mala. Ignoro quomodo Latine hoc dicitur."
"Sorry, my Latin is bad. I don't know what that's called in Latin. Quaesitionem nullam."
That was pretty much the gist of our session that Tuesday evening. I managed to stay focused more or less after that and before I knew it, our 2 hours were up.
"Same time tomorrow," Ansel said, packing his books and his video camera.
"You don't need to remind me," I snapped, irritated with the tone of his voice.
"You can't blame me, can you? You spaced out during the 2-hour-filming. I know you're mesmerized by my looks, but-"
That caught me off guard. I stopped him with a wave and asked, "What did you say?"
"You heard me loud and clear."
"Who the hell's mesmerized by your looks?" I ignored his statement.
Ansel gave me a look that screamed, "You, duh." He then said, "I know you were probably thinking about me the whole time. You were finding it hard to concentrate, so that's proof."
"Proof of what?!" I yelled, annoyed. "You might be better-looking than some guys, but that's not going to hypnotize me. You have the girls in Latin class going gaga over you, but I'm not one of them. Cause unlike them, I've got better things to worry about than finding a way to twist you around my finger," I took a deep breath then continued, "If you're done with your stuff, you know the way out of my house."
That said, I turned on my heel and walked away from him and towards the kitchen. I opened the door of my secret cabinet and took a packet of marshmallows. I went out again to my bedroom to eat them but stopped when I saw Ansel was still in the room.
"What the hell are you waiting for?" I asked.
"I was going to give you something as an apology for assuming," said Ansel, leaving a piece of paper on the table. "I'll be off, then."
I grew slightly red at the fact that he would try and rectify his wrongs, but I pretended not to care. "Go, then," I said, letting him leave. After the door closed and he had started walking to the road, I went to the table and took the piece of paper on the table.
What was written was, "999-245-657. You know you're happy to receive this."
I grew redder still, with hatred. "This was an apology?!" I thought, unaware than I had started ripping the piece of paper into about a hundred pieces. "The bastard's so full of himself that he thinks he can atone for his mistakes by giving me his bloody phone number?!"
Just then, Forte came in and asked, "Your friend's gone already? Damn, I couldn't see him."
"He could never be my friend."
Forte paused for a moment then continued, "Well, then, makes no difference if I do this," he said, reaching for the bag of marshmallows. "No snacking."
Shit.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Chapter 3: Him
I was exhausted by the time Latin lessons ended. Man, my mom must have been trying to kill me by registering me in a tuition centre which went on four days a week. When Dad came to fetch me from Smarts after my second Latin lesson on Sunday, I tried to convince him to withdraw me.
Without much luck.
"Why should I do that?" he asked.
"I've got mountains of homework from school already without extra tuition lessons. I won't have time for both of them," I reasoned.
"Then cut your play time. You always spend 2 precious hours every day with the computer and then your PS2 when Luke comes over," Dad countered, swerving into the garage without knocking anything over. "Whatever the problem, you're not quitting Smarts. Emily is a very dedicated teacher so she can help you."
Damn my pathetic ability to hide result slips from Mom.
Actually, the reason I wanted to try and convince Dad if I could withdraw was because I heard something rather disturbing from Ralph during that day's lesson.
"I wonder if I'll be able to pair up with Janet next week," Ralph had said, staring at the ceiling. "Ken was a lucky bastard for being fortunate enough to have been her partner last week."
My sharp hearing caught his words and I asked, "Partner? What do you mean?"
"Oh, right, I forgot you were new," said Ralph. "Every week, we draw lots in class to determine our partners for that week. With our partner, we'll discuss about Latin terms at either partner's house and also in class. This week we weren't assigned partners because one of our classmates stopped and left us at an odd number. But now that we have you, we can be paired up again, so I'm hoping to draw Janet."
Pairs? At the word, I couldn't help but get goosebumps when I imagined myself paired with any of the girls. They'd be so wrapped up in trying to get my number - and that's already being modest.
At home, I was dreading the following day. When Lucas came over, I was too distracted because of my problem that I lost all the games we played to him. Even he knew something was disturbing me.
"Spill, Ans. What's bugging you?" he asked, folding his arms. "I won't play another game with you if you're not putting all your efforts into it. I feel like I'm beating up a dying man."
"I'm not dying," I frowned. "I just don't like my new Latin class."
"Why? No pretty girls?"
"That's part of my problem."
And so I told him of my dilemma and fear of being tortured into revealing my number to an ugly toad. After listening to me rant, Lucas just spent 5 whole seconds staring at me.
Finally, he broke the silence by saying, "You are worried that you might be paired up with someone you consider an ugly toad?"
"It's a serious situation, Luke. I might get hurt trying to defend myself," I said, the frown still on my face.
Out of nowhere, Lucas brought his hand up and whacked me on the head, making me yell, "What the hell's wrong with you?!"
"Ansel Saint James, you moron," he scolded. "You're meaning to tell me your partner is Latin lessons has to be a beauty in order for you to work with them?"
"Just in case you missed out, those girls probably like me already. You should know how I feel, since you're second to me in looks. Personality-wise, though, you beat me, but that's not the point! I'm probably gonna give this girl an opportunity to confess to me!"
"Then reject her, like you always do!" Lucas yelled in reply, waving his arms up and down. "Better yet, tell the girls you have no intention of dating anyone right now! Now play the game properly or I'm going home."
Thankfully, I managed to play the game fine after that and Lucas stopped complaining. I, too, learnt to put my worries aside and thought positive instead.
Besides, my partner could just as easily be a boy.
The next day, being a Monday, I had school first before tuition at Nurturing Minds, so I had to wake up early and catch my sister before she left for her university. To my "luck", today, Isriel was going to car pool Marcus' car so I was reluctant about getting into his car.
"Ans, if you don't get in, you'll be late for school," Isriel was getting impatient. "Getting a ride in Marcus' car will not kill you, will it?"
"I don't bite, Ansel," Marcus said with a glint in his eye.
My stomach churned in disgust. He knew my intense dislike for him, but he had the nerve to mock me. He was wearing contact lenses instead of glasses today and looked a little better than he usually did - one of the reasons my sister fell for him. You could say Marcus was the kind of person that looked cool with contacts but a complete geek with glasses. However, it did not change the fact that Isriel deserved someone who looked good 24/7.
Unfortunately, there was no one else who could offer me a lift to school, so I had no choice but to get in his red Mustang. At school, I was greeted by Lucas at the gates, where he usually waited every day.
"Was that -?" he started, after we were within earshot.
"Yes, that was his car. I didn't have a choice, but it sure ain't gonna happen again. Not in a million years," I growled, walking past him to the school hall. My fists were still clenched from the thought of being made to stoop so low.
"Honestly, though, I don't understand why you hate him," said Lucas, back in class when lessons were about to start. "I've met the guy before, but he's totally normal."
I could feel my nerves tensing up. Not because of my anger towards Marcus, but actually the fact that I did not know the answer to Lucas' question. All along, I've just felt annoyed every time I saw Marcus, but I've never specified why I felt that way myself.
Perhaps I had a sister complex.
School was a bore, as usual. I was alright through English and Science class and started nodding off during Geography and Arithmetics, which was after recess, which I spent behind the school in the field with Lucas. Slept clean through World History though.
When school hours ended, Lucas reprimanded me for not paying full attention during lessons.
"You can't really blame me, can you? Mrs. Bullock could make anyone sleep," my voice was muffled by a yawn. "And I was deprived of good sleep since my father was watching the Live screening of a football tournament until three in the morning."
"Right," Lucas said with a smirk. "You've given quite an opportunity to the girls to take a picture of you while you were asleep."
"I couldn't care less. Besides, I've got better things to worry about than sleeping pictures," I said. "Ugh, thanks for reminding me, Luke. That's been off my mind for a while till you brought 'girls' up."
"At least now you're prepared."
I rolled my eyes and continued walking to my dad's car. Once more I tried to get him to withdraw my registration but he just dismissed the option immediately. He was quite strict about it this time as well, so I made a note not to touch on it anymore. Having a little time before my Latin classes started, I changed and bought something light to munch on.
"Hello there, Ansel," said Johnston, seating himself beside me again. "Excited about who will be your partner?"
"Not exactly," I said. "And why are you so excited about it anyway? Wouldn't it be embarrassing to draw a guy for your partner instead of a girl?"
Johnston looked at me through confused eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it's not for certain your partner will be a girl, right? Just warning you, but don't get your hopes up, alright?"
Now Johnston looked more confused than ever. "Oh dear, I guess Ralph didn't make it quite clear about how we pick our partners."
"What do you mean?"
"We have thirty students in the classroom and it's divided equally into girls and guys. Ms Emily separates our names into two boxes then let's us choose one by one, excluding whichever names are taken in each round. So whoever us guys choose, it'll be a girl and whoever the girls choose, they'll get a guy."
My jaw dropped a whole 8 centimeters. So much for hoping.
"Alright, everyone, since our numbers are even again, here are the boxes to determine your partners for the week," said Ms Emily then, walking into the classroom, holding two boxes on one hand and her cane on the other. She placed the two boxes on the tables and drew her name list out. She said, "When I call your names, come out front and pick your partner. We'll start with Andrew."
Andrew Wilk went up and put his hand into the box. I could see he was praying hard because he had shut his eyes tight. He finally took his hand out and passed the small piece of paper to Emily, who took it and started feeling it, her sunglasses slipping down to her nose.
"Andrew's partner for this week is... Mary Evans," said Ms Emily. "I hope the both of you will get along and finish your assignments on time. I want everyone to get good evaluation marks this time."
"Evaluation marks?" I asked.
"We get evaluated on our results at the end of the week to see if we're doing better or worse. So far, we haven't gotten good marks throughout the class," Johnston said.
"Why?"
"One problematic student. She's such a quiet girl that no one can make her talk," he explained. "She's only spoken to Ms Emily and Janet before. Directly, I mean. We've heard her voice, but that's as far as we got."
"So... she's shy?"
"Hell no. She's not shy, she's quiet. There's a difference. It's just that given a chance, she'd rather not talk."
"Angela Taylor, you're up."
The girl named Angela went up and picked another name.
"Ralph Kian."
Being only two seats from me, I heard Ralph utter, "Damn it", low enough for Ms Emily to miss.
"Anneliese Sanders," Ms Emily called again. "Quinn Lawrence is your partner."
"Come to think of it," I said then, "Why is it we need partners of the opposite gender?"
"To get rid of any barriers between the male and female population but obviously, it's not working. We only ever mix with guys and they only ever hang out with girls," said Johnston.
"Ansel Saint James, if you will please," I heard my name then.
"Here goes nothing," I said, getting up. "Wish me luck," I nudged John, who nodded back. I walked up to Ms Emily's table and breathed in, bracing myself.
"Stick your hand in, James, and choose the first piece of paper you touch," said Ms Emily.
"And the girl whose name is written on it will be my partner, right?" I asked.
"I see your friends have already told you about our weekly activity. Yes, that's what happens."
Out of the corner of my line of vision, I made out most of the girls to be crossing their fingers. Without even realizing it, though, I found myself praying to draw Janet's name, because she was one of those who weren't crossing her fingers.
I reached into the box, did as Ms Emily had instructed me to do and took the first paper my hand came into contact with. I handed it to Ms Emily and she felt around it with her hands. She gave an impression of slight shock, as if she can't believe what was written down.
"Well, Mr Saint James, your partner for this week is..."
Without much luck.
"Why should I do that?" he asked.
"I've got mountains of homework from school already without extra tuition lessons. I won't have time for both of them," I reasoned.
"Then cut your play time. You always spend 2 precious hours every day with the computer and then your PS2 when Luke comes over," Dad countered, swerving into the garage without knocking anything over. "Whatever the problem, you're not quitting Smarts. Emily is a very dedicated teacher so she can help you."
Damn my pathetic ability to hide result slips from Mom.
Actually, the reason I wanted to try and convince Dad if I could withdraw was because I heard something rather disturbing from Ralph during that day's lesson.
"I wonder if I'll be able to pair up with Janet next week," Ralph had said, staring at the ceiling. "Ken was a lucky bastard for being fortunate enough to have been her partner last week."
My sharp hearing caught his words and I asked, "Partner? What do you mean?"
"Oh, right, I forgot you were new," said Ralph. "Every week, we draw lots in class to determine our partners for that week. With our partner, we'll discuss about Latin terms at either partner's house and also in class. This week we weren't assigned partners because one of our classmates stopped and left us at an odd number. But now that we have you, we can be paired up again, so I'm hoping to draw Janet."
Pairs? At the word, I couldn't help but get goosebumps when I imagined myself paired with any of the girls. They'd be so wrapped up in trying to get my number - and that's already being modest.
At home, I was dreading the following day. When Lucas came over, I was too distracted because of my problem that I lost all the games we played to him. Even he knew something was disturbing me.
"Spill, Ans. What's bugging you?" he asked, folding his arms. "I won't play another game with you if you're not putting all your efforts into it. I feel like I'm beating up a dying man."
"I'm not dying," I frowned. "I just don't like my new Latin class."
"Why? No pretty girls?"
"That's part of my problem."
And so I told him of my dilemma and fear of being tortured into revealing my number to an ugly toad. After listening to me rant, Lucas just spent 5 whole seconds staring at me.
Finally, he broke the silence by saying, "You are worried that you might be paired up with someone you consider an ugly toad?"
"It's a serious situation, Luke. I might get hurt trying to defend myself," I said, the frown still on my face.
Out of nowhere, Lucas brought his hand up and whacked me on the head, making me yell, "What the hell's wrong with you?!"
"Ansel Saint James, you moron," he scolded. "You're meaning to tell me your partner is Latin lessons has to be a beauty in order for you to work with them?"
"Just in case you missed out, those girls probably like me already. You should know how I feel, since you're second to me in looks. Personality-wise, though, you beat me, but that's not the point! I'm probably gonna give this girl an opportunity to confess to me!"
"Then reject her, like you always do!" Lucas yelled in reply, waving his arms up and down. "Better yet, tell the girls you have no intention of dating anyone right now! Now play the game properly or I'm going home."
Thankfully, I managed to play the game fine after that and Lucas stopped complaining. I, too, learnt to put my worries aside and thought positive instead.
Besides, my partner could just as easily be a boy.
The next day, being a Monday, I had school first before tuition at Nurturing Minds, so I had to wake up early and catch my sister before she left for her university. To my "luck", today, Isriel was going to car pool Marcus' car so I was reluctant about getting into his car.
"Ans, if you don't get in, you'll be late for school," Isriel was getting impatient. "Getting a ride in Marcus' car will not kill you, will it?"
"I don't bite, Ansel," Marcus said with a glint in his eye.
My stomach churned in disgust. He knew my intense dislike for him, but he had the nerve to mock me. He was wearing contact lenses instead of glasses today and looked a little better than he usually did - one of the reasons my sister fell for him. You could say Marcus was the kind of person that looked cool with contacts but a complete geek with glasses. However, it did not change the fact that Isriel deserved someone who looked good 24/7.
Unfortunately, there was no one else who could offer me a lift to school, so I had no choice but to get in his red Mustang. At school, I was greeted by Lucas at the gates, where he usually waited every day.
"Was that -?" he started, after we were within earshot.
"Yes, that was his car. I didn't have a choice, but it sure ain't gonna happen again. Not in a million years," I growled, walking past him to the school hall. My fists were still clenched from the thought of being made to stoop so low.
"Honestly, though, I don't understand why you hate him," said Lucas, back in class when lessons were about to start. "I've met the guy before, but he's totally normal."
I could feel my nerves tensing up. Not because of my anger towards Marcus, but actually the fact that I did not know the answer to Lucas' question. All along, I've just felt annoyed every time I saw Marcus, but I've never specified why I felt that way myself.
Perhaps I had a sister complex.
School was a bore, as usual. I was alright through English and Science class and started nodding off during Geography and Arithmetics, which was after recess, which I spent behind the school in the field with Lucas. Slept clean through World History though.
When school hours ended, Lucas reprimanded me for not paying full attention during lessons.
"You can't really blame me, can you? Mrs. Bullock could make anyone sleep," my voice was muffled by a yawn. "And I was deprived of good sleep since my father was watching the Live screening of a football tournament until three in the morning."
"Right," Lucas said with a smirk. "You've given quite an opportunity to the girls to take a picture of you while you were asleep."
"I couldn't care less. Besides, I've got better things to worry about than sleeping pictures," I said. "Ugh, thanks for reminding me, Luke. That's been off my mind for a while till you brought 'girls' up."
"At least now you're prepared."
I rolled my eyes and continued walking to my dad's car. Once more I tried to get him to withdraw my registration but he just dismissed the option immediately. He was quite strict about it this time as well, so I made a note not to touch on it anymore. Having a little time before my Latin classes started, I changed and bought something light to munch on.
"Hello there, Ansel," said Johnston, seating himself beside me again. "Excited about who will be your partner?"
"Not exactly," I said. "And why are you so excited about it anyway? Wouldn't it be embarrassing to draw a guy for your partner instead of a girl?"
Johnston looked at me through confused eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it's not for certain your partner will be a girl, right? Just warning you, but don't get your hopes up, alright?"
Now Johnston looked more confused than ever. "Oh dear, I guess Ralph didn't make it quite clear about how we pick our partners."
"What do you mean?"
"We have thirty students in the classroom and it's divided equally into girls and guys. Ms Emily separates our names into two boxes then let's us choose one by one, excluding whichever names are taken in each round. So whoever us guys choose, it'll be a girl and whoever the girls choose, they'll get a guy."
My jaw dropped a whole 8 centimeters. So much for hoping.
"Alright, everyone, since our numbers are even again, here are the boxes to determine your partners for the week," said Ms Emily then, walking into the classroom, holding two boxes on one hand and her cane on the other. She placed the two boxes on the tables and drew her name list out. She said, "When I call your names, come out front and pick your partner. We'll start with Andrew."
Andrew Wilk went up and put his hand into the box. I could see he was praying hard because he had shut his eyes tight. He finally took his hand out and passed the small piece of paper to Emily, who took it and started feeling it, her sunglasses slipping down to her nose.
"Andrew's partner for this week is... Mary Evans," said Ms Emily. "I hope the both of you will get along and finish your assignments on time. I want everyone to get good evaluation marks this time."
"Evaluation marks?" I asked.
"We get evaluated on our results at the end of the week to see if we're doing better or worse. So far, we haven't gotten good marks throughout the class," Johnston said.
"Why?"
"One problematic student. She's such a quiet girl that no one can make her talk," he explained. "She's only spoken to Ms Emily and Janet before. Directly, I mean. We've heard her voice, but that's as far as we got."
"So... she's shy?"
"Hell no. She's not shy, she's quiet. There's a difference. It's just that given a chance, she'd rather not talk."
"Angela Taylor, you're up."
The girl named Angela went up and picked another name.
"Ralph Kian."
Being only two seats from me, I heard Ralph utter, "Damn it", low enough for Ms Emily to miss.
"Anneliese Sanders," Ms Emily called again. "Quinn Lawrence is your partner."
"Come to think of it," I said then, "Why is it we need partners of the opposite gender?"
"To get rid of any barriers between the male and female population but obviously, it's not working. We only ever mix with guys and they only ever hang out with girls," said Johnston.
"Ansel Saint James, if you will please," I heard my name then.
"Here goes nothing," I said, getting up. "Wish me luck," I nudged John, who nodded back. I walked up to Ms Emily's table and breathed in, bracing myself.
"Stick your hand in, James, and choose the first piece of paper you touch," said Ms Emily.
"And the girl whose name is written on it will be my partner, right?" I asked.
"I see your friends have already told you about our weekly activity. Yes, that's what happens."
Out of the corner of my line of vision, I made out most of the girls to be crossing their fingers. Without even realizing it, though, I found myself praying to draw Janet's name, because she was one of those who weren't crossing her fingers.
I reached into the box, did as Ms Emily had instructed me to do and took the first paper my hand came into contact with. I handed it to Ms Emily and she felt around it with her hands. She gave an impression of slight shock, as if she can't believe what was written down.
"Well, Mr Saint James, your partner for this week is..."
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Chapter 2: She
"-Awn! Oh my God-"
Bright light.
"Dammit, you jackass, wake up!"
Forte? Where are you?
"Oh! I think she's coming to!"
When my vision had cleared, I found myself strapped to a bed. The beeping noises of the heart monitor buzzed in my ears, causing an unbearable headache. It made me feel no better that the patches on my body made me itch like crazy.
Instinctively, I scrunched my nose up. God, I hated the smell of medicine. I tried to speak but the dizziness was swallowing up my consciousness. My ears strained to catch the conversation being held by the bed side.
"She's fine now. I'll leave the rest to you. She can be discharged by tomorrow. We'd like to run more tests to make sure she's fine."
"Oh, thank you, Doctor. Yes, we'll take it from here," my mom's voice was slightly broken but I knew she was relieved to hear I was okay.
"Mom?" I squawked, my voice hoarse from dehydration.
"Dawn?" she rushed to my side and asked, "Are you feeling alright now, dear?"
"Mom, for God's sake, get me out of this place," I snarled, trying to get the blankets off. Unfortunately, Forte, my 'trusted' brother, flung them over me again.
"You're not getting out of here till we can ascertain nothing's wrong with you, he growled. "Tch, you made us worried sick about you, dumbass."
"It was just a little heart attack. I'm fine, aren't I? Doctor Nathan said so," I persisted. "It's not like it hasn't happened before anyway."
My mom gave a hysterical shriek and collapsed onto the chair. Forte sighed and shook his head. I just remained silent, looking around the room.
"Where's Dad?" I asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Out getting himself drunk."
Should've guessed as much. Since he'd been married to Mom, he'd been out day and night either drinking or playing truant with some gangs. He only came home for three reasons; to refill his wallet, to eat and to sleep.
Wouldn't be surprised if he'd already started sleeping around with other women.
"Dawn, you have to stop this," Forte said, "You can't keep landing in a hospital every time you overeat. You have to go on a diet."
Diet. Man, I hated that word more than I hated hospitals. That's all I hear out of everyone I see. Nowadays, I can't even eat a decent meal in school without people sniggering at me. Then again, in those conditions, Forte would take the tray from me and glare at the rest, growling, "Can't my sister get some food for her beloved brother? I'll give you a second to turn around before I break your necks."
I really treasured Forte. He always protected me from whoever bullied me. My only safe refuge was home. Nowhere else could make me safe.
"Dieting will not help," I insisted. "I just want to get out of here. For, please, let's go?"
"No can do, Dawn. You're staying until after Doctor Nathan's done with the tests. We can't risk you getting another heart attack," said Forte, shaking his head.
"You worry too much."
"You don't worry enough," said Forte. "Like you said, it's not the first time you've had a heart attack. We have to do all we can to make sure it never happens again."
I leaned back and closed my eyes. "Fine. I give up. Wake me up when he's done with his mumbo jumbo."
By evening, I was so drained thanks to the amount of blood the doctor had to withdraw from me that I skipped dinner - something I almost never did - and slept instead.
When I woke up, Forte and Mom were sleeping on chairs beside me. I had my breakfast which consisted of nothing but vegetables because I was also slightly constipated. By 12 in the afternoon, Doctor Nathan confirmed I had nothing to be worried about at the moment and allowed us back home but only under the condition that I returned to the hospital for regular checkups.
"Finally," I thought, huffing at the hospital before getting into the car.
Inside the car, Mom started the engine and said, "I'm going straight to the office after I drop you off so Forte, dear, make sure Dawn doesn't eat any more than what the doctor prescribed. Get rid of all her junk food and do not allow her outside the house if it's to buy any food."
Forte nodded and looked at me in a way that meant "You heard her."
Rolling my eyes, I looked out through the windows. Yeah, that was pretty much my life. Sorry for the late intro, but my name's Dawn - as you would've already figured - and I'm turning 15 in two months. My mom's Paula, 39, and my brother's Forte, 17. We're pretty much a happy family, despite my constant trips to the hospital.
Let me tell you why. I'm obese, apparently. I presently weigh between 75 to 80 kilograms and that's monstrous to Mom, though I kept telling her there were fatter people in the world. No offense.
Let me tell you why. I'm obese, apparently. I presently weigh between 75 to 80 kilograms and that's monstrous to Mom, though I kept telling her there were fatter people in the world. No offense.
So far, I've fainted once in school because of indigestion and suffered two minor heart attacks including the one I just had yesterday. My unbalanced diet, according to Doctor Nathan, was the prime cause to all the incidents as well as the lack of exercise.
Recently my mom bought a treadmill for me from some fitness shop, but I've only gone on it two or three times since its purchase. We had P.E. classes in school, of course, but I've always made up excuses that got me out of them such as fake asthma, stomach cramps and all that.
Well, I've never been at outdoor person. I've always preferred being inside, either eating, being in front of a television or getting cosy on a sofa while reading a good book.
To make matters worse, my dad had been confirmed a diabetic but he hid the fact from Mom before they got married. Turns out I might be prone to diabetes. How comforting.
Other than that, though, I lead somewhat a normal life.
I go to school at Mort Hans Innerworth Gregor Heathcliff, also known as Mort HIGH. Each name represents the various principals who founded the school. Mortimer Ainsley was the boss, however, so his name remained as Mort.
Being an introvert, I didn't have a lot of friends. I didn't have you called a group of over exultant girls either, who have frequent fads over new Roxy arrivals and pink handbags I could get for quarter the price at a cheap shop.
I guess I'm just... different. In more ways than one.
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