Lauren Sanders is struggling to rebuild her life with her aunt and cousin after her family's tragic death. But what no one knows is the truth about two things: how her parents really died and her battle with schizophrenia.
One day, Lauren stumbles...
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Ms. Romeo and I continued to gaze at each other for a short while longer as I stood in front of her, the only thing separating us was her desk. I was holding the piece of paper that had the informal letter I had written, hoping she would agree to my request.
I almost feel anxious as she taps her pen on her desk, but I ignore the tension it creates as she covers her mouth and coughs.
"So, you want to perform in front of me instead of in front of the whole class?" she repeated my request as I nodded my head in silence, forcing a smile on my face as if it would help in persuading her.
She looks down at one of the papers she was checking, writing her comment at the very bottom of the paper, and looked back at me, "No," she simply says.
I observe her as she stacks the marked paper on top of a group of papers, which I assume to be the ones that have already been graded.
I nearly knelt on the floor to beg her but she continues to explain, "You still have a chance to perform this week, before the winter break starts."
She continued marking the papers on her desk as I attempted to think of a better excuse for the sake of my anxiety but couldn't. Ms. Romeo looked back up at me as she set her red pen on the edge of the desk and entwined her fingers.
"I told you that you should take this as an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone. I know that it's hard for you, but you have to actually do it instead of just being stuck with trying," Ms. Romeo reasoned out with me as I nodded my head, looking down at my feet as I fidgeted with my fingers.
"And," She continues as I brought my attention back to her, seeing her eyes on the paper I placed on her desk when I was about to kneel earlier, "I am certain that not only do most people want to hear you speak out your mind but, I think he would really love to hear that from you."
She stared at it for a while before I excused myself from quickly taking the paper on her desk, hiding it behind my back as I felt my cheeks heat up from the thought of him, hearing me read it out loud in front of the whole class—in front of him.
I shake my head lightly to get rid of any thoughts and the voices I was hearing. Ms. Romeo smiles at me, "You'll do great, Lauren," she reassures me. "I'll see you on Thursday."
❀
When Wednesday night came, I let myself be preoccupied with attempting to deduce the possible places from those clues instead of worrying about the presentation for tomorrow.
In an effort to list every city in California that I am familiar with, Ihighlighted the ones that my family and I have visited in the hopes that thiswill increase our chances of discovering them, I am starting to feel tempted torip my hair out of frustration.
