Deep Down

Before I finally opened my eyes all I could feel was light clothing tied around my body and a heavy blanket draped over the top of me. The ac was blowing hard and the cool breeze

made me shiver underneath the warmth. I opened my eyes and realized I was in a hospital room. An IV bag tethered down to me and tables filled with small snacks that Hospitals usually provide like jello, pudding, and plastic-packaged Sandwiches surrounded me. The air smelled of hand sanitizer and gave me a slight headache. A nurse emerges from a curtain on the left side of me and begins to squish my iv bag "how are you feeling" she asks "I'm fine" I replied, "do you know why you're here today?"

In my head it could have been a few reasons:

Jessica poisoned me

Veronica poisoned me

Rebecca poisoned me

The person who is stalking me kidnapped me and drugged me

Or I fainted in P.E

Either one made sense at the time "An alien drugged me" I said with a smile, the nurse chuckled and replied "no" she started to describe to me the horrors of not eating Until suddenly the sound of curtain rings clashing together begs me to turn my head. It was my mother entering the room

with her tippy tappy high heel shoes she gazed at me deeply before lecturing me. The way My mother talked to me was like a scene out of charlie brown: a lot of noise and no talk. She left after staring at me intensely to go to a meeting. "Stay here," the nurse said before following my mother out. I wanted to say there is no way I can leave but I kept my mouth shut. Suddenly my phone fell to the floor sliding under my all-metal side table. I had no way of getting it as I was still connected to the ivy. I sat there trying to look at the ceiling without thinking I could feel myself sliding deeper into the darkness. I forbid myself from going too deep. I tried scooting closer to the edge with my arm still on the bed and reached as far as I could to grab my phone but it was too out of reach. Closer and closer until finally falling off completely. The needle arose rapidly from my arm severing a nerve. I began to scream as the nurse ran towards me in a foggy motion as my eyes began to shut. For what seemed like years I woke up to the sounds of the TV. A boy by the name of Peter Young had been arrested at the Garvish police station down by my home. The young and admittedly handsome boy had been arrested for suspicion of murder. I went back to his youtube channel to see if it was deleted or blocked. But it seemed as if it was still there. I had many questions and yet my brain could care less as I began to feel the pain of my arm once again.

I was admitted out of the hospital after two days of being there. a full moon was out and the darkness outside made My body shiver with fear that something didn't feel right in my bones. The light from the hospital gazed at me as my shadow was created with the light and darkness Meeting. Looking out the window on the way home I wondered who witnessed me fainting on the toilet ( did I pee yet? Were my pants down?? ) my life seemed dateless and friendless at this point all I could do was sob quietly on the inside of my sleeve. The next few days were spent in bed with a computer filled with shows to accompany me. As I stuffed my face with salty pretzels

& sour gummy worms. I let my deep thoughts take over my brain. I started to tear up as I gazed at the screen of beautiful girls living their best lives. Why isn't that me? My tears drip down

making my blanket wet As The shadows came over me. It was as if night filled the space of day. Suddenly the movement of shadows crept around me and squeezed me until I couldn't breathe. Tighter and tighter until My brain went numb as the feeling became unbearable the shadow suddenly spewed out of me and split into three dark circles, finally transforming into three versions of me. They sat huddled around my bed with their arms folded elbow to elbow next to each other. All dressed identically in jeans, hard black boots & long sleeve black shirts. Each

shadow had a different amount of mouth which helped me discern the difference between them. My body stayed paralyzed to my bed as I curled up around my stuffed animal terrified to speak or move. Gasping for oxygen was all I felt I could do. The shadows bizarrely skipped towards me slowly and creepily snapping their fingers to a song in their heads. As the snap goes faster so does their skipping. Suddenly the door to my room opens and the shadows start to blend into their surroundings By the time mom fully got into the room they were gone. "Time for dinner!" mom says. As she walks away, I'm still paralyzed and out of breath. "Come on!"..... "Now!" I start staggering towards the door hoping to get out of the room as fast as possible. Mom was sat at the head of the table with her arms placed neatly by her sides waiting for me to sit down. Out

of fear that my mom wouldn't believe my experience I decided to start a new conversation "Where is dad?" I asked as I sat down "he's at your school" "why?" I asked she starts to twist her pasta with her fork without answering. I start to do the same before asking again "why?" after she finishes a sip of iced tea she chuckles and replies with "you'll see tomorrow" my body went into panic mode afraid of what she meant by this statement. A few bites of pasta later I asked to be excused. I ran to the bathroom and washed my face, attempting to clear my mind from utter

terror and anxiety. The bottle of Nyquil stared at me deliberately from the counter space next to the sink. Wanting to forget this whole night altogether I took 4 doses of Nyquil (120ml) before passing out on my bed. The sound of my ongoing alarm has woken me up once again. after three days of being out of school, I felt too dissolved too tired too sick to even think about going to school today, although my parents were right next door. Maybe I could sneak out to the park, as I carefully stepped out of bed and closer to my cracked window the grueling sound of my mom's voice echoed in my ears "SAMMY!" "Yes, mom?" I replied grudgingly "SCHOOL STARTS IN TEN MINUTES GET YOUR BUTT UP!" although my brain wanted to disobey, my body was terrified too, so the bathroom was my next destination. After changing clothes and applying pimple cream to those same four-month pimples that seem more like acne. I raced downstairs before mom could call for me again. Not wanting her to say anything but goodbye I ate my breakfast without asking and headed out the door. "Bye hon!" "bye, mom!" On my way to school, I indulged in smooth jazz and hard rock to keep my mind off of what mom had said last night before entering the building. My stomach was unsettled from the notification I had received from the front office, moments after walking into my first-period class. The Email read: ( your painting class has been successfully switched to public speech ) my heart sunk, I felt betrayed if I could choose between death and public speaking I would choose death with No Hesitation. "Mrs. Mcneally, eyes upfront please" I looked up and slid my phone into the front pocket of my bag. I'm toast was all I could think of in my mind. Ron a girl I had never spoken to turned around in front of me "are you ok?" she asked. I thought it was quite random, especially because I haven't been asked that by anyone except for my parents in the last 8 years. "Why do you ask?" "you passed out on the toilet the other day, I was in there when it all happened, you can call me a hero of sorts I was the one who ran out of the bathroom to call a medic" I had tons of questions but wasn't sure how to ask them in a less desperate way so I tried my best. "Could you see my...…butt?" I said in a whisper with my left hand covering my mouth. "Yeah, I saw it, Brittany saw it so did Vanessa" I felt calm as I didn't hear any boys' names so I decided to ask if anyone out in the hall saw It. "did anyone out in the hall see it, like a boy?" I asked in the same whisper as Before, "well, by the time you were…" "SILENT!" Mr. Bennett yells as he hits Ron's desk with a yardstick. She turns back around with the answer on the tip of her tongue. I was too desperate to give up at this point. So I handed her a post-it note to finish her answer. My hands started fidgeting as it took her a long time to get everything down on paper. She slips the note in my right hand underneath my desk, The note stated: ( by the time you were on the stretcher the medics pulled Your underwear up as your pants were too wet from toilet water so they couldn't be salvaged the boys were told to look away as you were taken to the ambulance Nothing was filmed however Coner and josh walked past at the time that's all I know) All I could pray was that Josh nor Corner saw me naked on the Stretcher. I wrote a thank you and drew a smiley face on the back of the note before finishing the conversation. The jingle of the school bell indicated my soon doom, second-period public speech. All I wanted to do was scream. As I entered the auditorium I scanned the room for Josh or Corner but neither one was there. The only thing that brought me comfort. "Ms. Mcneally! Join us up on the stage!" I walked timidly towards the Stage as the shadows within followed suit. Up the stairs, I walked until I was able to be seen by the overly bright stage lights. "So glad of you to join us!" Mr.s Shaw expressed with a big smile "join the line would you please" I tried to blend in sandwiched in between the first and last Row. "I'm here! Sorry, Mrs. Shaw!" I heard a small docile voice coming closer to the stage. I looked

through the little crack between two people next to me and it was a girl I had never seen her around the school before. She was wearing a purple shirt with stars and a pink plaid skirt. "Who are you?" Mrs. Shaw asks bewilderedly "I'm a new student, Leigh Miller" she runs up to shake her hand. "Well, Sammy looks like you aren't the only new student here! You all should become good friends" friend, such a foreign yet familiar word in my life. Leigh walked with a sense of confidence toward me and introduced herself "hey, I'm Leigh" "sam" I said casually yet enthusiastically. We shook hands and stood next to each other in line elbow to elbow shoulder to Shoulder. The class was almost over when Mr.s shaw called me to the front. "Ms.

Mcneally tells us something about yourself to end off class for today" Leigh

whispered in my ear "good luck" as I stood up from my sitting position and in front of the class. I stood there paralyzed trying to think Of a quick thing to say before sitting back down. My left leg started to shake as my right eyebrow twitched

"it can be a word..at sentence..or story" Mr.s Shaw said as she checked her wristwatch for the time. "Um… I can't think of anything..? I muttered softly with my

eyes desperately cracked as if the sun was in it. "Just one thing! COME ON I'M STARVING!" a student shouted from the ground. "Be quiet Simon!" Leigh defended me as I sat there quietly waiting for the bell to ring. ( 9..8..7.. ) "ok you may sit down Ms. Mcneally and we will finish up tomorrow." "RING! RING! RING!" I threw my backpack over my shoulder and quickly walked out of the tall ceilinged room alongside Leigh. "Wanna forget that happened?" Leigh asked cheerfully "gladly" I added with a smile. She plopped her backpack next to the cafeteria doors and said "come one! Let's sit

Together!" anxiety-filled inside me as I looked at the crowded lunchroom "I'm not hungry ``'' sure you are, come on!" she starts to tug at my sleeve enticing me to come but fear holds me back. "Please Sam, you can pick the table" she pleads to me desperately. "Fine," I replied grudgingly. she grabs my phone from the side pocket of my backpack and starts to type in her phone number into my phone "I'll call

you when I get my food" the feeling of being alone kicks in once again when she evaporates into the crowd. I wanted to pick a quiet spot for us to sit but looking around, nothing seemed quiet or even mildly mannered. outside seemed ok although it was 20 degrees no one else was out there. I grabbed a seat next to the parking lot and proceeded to call Leigh. "I'm outside by the parking lot" I yelled, "are you crazy it's cold out there!" "you said I could pick the table" I replied feeling clever. She hung up and walked towards me with a plate filled with unedible-looking food. "I'm freezing!" I handed her my jacket that was laying around in my backpack. "Aren't you cold!?" she asked jokingly "I'm used to

It" as she cuts open her meatloaf and dips it into the mash potatoes I decided to ask her a few questions. "So…why did you decide to move here?" after swallowing she replies "well I certainly didn't decide to, but my dad got a promotion so we are here now." she begins to sip her pink lemonade almost the color of her skirt. "Oh, Cool" we sit there in silence staring at anything but each other than I direct my attention towards her and she does the same towards me as we both smile softly at each other. "Wanna hang out after school?" I asked "well I kinda have a thing but maybe tomorrow" she states mysteriously. I didn't want to be nosey but I was concerned all the same "what thing?" "it's a family meeting of sorts" the bell starts to ring making my heart sink "I'll text you tonight!" she says running backward towards her next class. "Bye Leigh!" as I heard a faint bye in the distance my heart fluttered with joy. For the first time in a long time, I had never been as happy as I was today,

skipping home was not a norm for me but seemed as if it was going to become one. No music

blocked my hearing of real life. The sounds of honking cars and furious people became my music. I arrived home with a grin on my face kissing the cheeks of my loved ones as I headed upstairs. "My! You look chipper today Sammy!" "Why shouldn't I be!" I said as I shut my bedroom door. I hopped in my bed to look at Leigh's contact and started floundering with the cute emojis I could put around her name. I went with three pink flowers and a white heart at the end. I wanted to text her but I didn't want to seem annoying so I placed my phone beside me and stared at the ceiling fantasizing about my days with Lei. Even though I was alone in bed staring

at an old yellowing ceiling I couldn't have felt more present and Accompanied. Seconds later I received a text message from her. My heart started pounding as I wondered what she might have said. "Hey, Sam! Wanna go to the skating rink with me on Saturday?" I typed seconds later with "yes! What time?" it took her a while to respond, I got a little worried and was nervous if she didn't want to go with me. Before doubt showered over me she responded with "3:00 pm :)" I waited 2min before responding with "see you there!" I didn't want to seem desperate. my heart began to flutter again as a Casual chat with friends hasn't been my norm for a while. I hadn't roller skated in a while either, and the last time I did I spun my way into the hospital.