Kristen Zinicallei

Chapter 33

Kristen's POV

After dinner I'd gone upstairs and went straight to bed. I woke up to the sound of muffled cries from Levi's room.

Is he having a panic attack?

I heard heavy steps and soon the small cries stopped. I assumed Anna had taken care of it. I still felt bad but was soon able to fall back asleep.

***

I was on my way to Trista's house, ready to leave for school.

"Hey," I said waving when I saw her standing outside.

"Hi!" She called back and ran over to me.

We began the short journey to school.

About halfway there I began to feel sick. I'd been feeling odd earlier that morning, but now it was stronger. I wanted to ignore it but I knew that was a bad idea. The heat was blazing as we walked, the high temperatures making my POTS flare up.

I wasted no time and kneeled to the ground, Trista stopping when she noticed.

I took deep, slow breaths, trying to get the fogginess to go away. It felt like I couldn't breathe and my head spun.

"Kris, are you okay?" I shook my head unable to talk. "It's alright, just breathe. Lay down, I'll be right here." She said helping me down further.

Darkness took over for just a second. When I woke up Trista was still beside me. "Kris, are you feeling better?" I nodded slowly. "We might be late soon, but don't rush, okay? It won't get us there faster if you pass out again." Trista scolded lightly.

"Alright, I know, I won't." I sighed reluctantly and laid there for a few minutes. "Okay I'm feeling fine now, let's go." I said standing slowly.

"Okay..." Trista said looking unsure. As we walked she stayed behind me carefully.

We made it to school without anymore problems, and headed straight to class.

As soon as we walked into class, I could feel the eyes on us. Maybe it was just paranoia, or maybe everyone could tell something was off. I tried to focus on the teacher, but my head was still swimming. Trista slipped into the seat next to me, shooting me a glance every few minutes as if to make sure I was still okay.

"Kristen, you good?" she whispered when the teacher turned to write on the board.

I nodded, but I knew I was lying. My heart was still racing, and I felt like I was about to float right out of my chair. The heat from outside had seeped into my skin, and it felt like it was burning me from the inside out.

Class dragged on, each minute feeling like an hour. By the time the bell rang, I was practically out the door before anyone else could move. I needed a break, even if it was just a minute in the bathroom to catch my breath.

"Hey, wait up!" Trista called after me, catching up as I leaned against the cool tile walls of the bathroom.

I tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "I'm fine. Just needed a minute."

"Do you want to go to the nurse?" she asked, concern clear in her voice.

"No, I just need to cool down. I'll be fine."

We stood there in silence for a moment, the hum of fluorescent lights above us the only sound. I knew Trista was worried, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I didn't want everyone to think I was weak or that I couldn't handle a normal day. It was just a little heat, I'm being a wimp.

"You know I'm here for you, right?" Trista finally said, breaking the silence.

"I know," I replied softly, "Thanks."