Love is Pain

Breathe with me

It was just another morning. The lessons had begun, and the sound of the bell marking the change between one subject and another seemed to fill the corridor. Jane, however, was not feeling well. Her heart was beating too fast, and the air seemed to become heavier. She got up from her chair with an excuse, saying that she had to go to the bathroom, but inside she knew it wasn't just a matter of needing some peace and quiet.

In the bathroom, the cold and humid air did not seem to relieve her anxiety. Thoughts began to swirl in her head, and her breath became more and more shallow. Jane tried to control herself, to catch her breath, but the feeling of suffocation grew. Her hands were shaking. It was as if the world around her had become too big, too oppressive.

"I cannot breathe," she thought, as panic assailed her, a wave that seemed to sweep her without mercy. Asthma had always been a difficult companion to handle, but at that moment, she never would have imagined that forgetting the inhaler would be so serious.

Meanwhile, Andrea, who had stayed in class, began to notice that something was wrong. Half an hour had passed since their break, and Jane was not back. Andrea's mind began to run, putting the pieces together. She stood up and approached the door, uncertain whether it was worth going to look for her or if it was just an impression. Then she remembered how, in the last few days, Jane had been showing stronger signs of anxiety.

Andrea got up quickly and headed to the bathroom, her heart beating faster. When she arrived, she heard the sound of Jane's breathless gasps coming from inside, the noise making her realize something was wrong.

"Jane?" she called softly, her voice barely trembling. "Are you there?"

From behind the door, Andrea heard a broken breath and the muffled sound of a hiccup. Jane did not answer, but Andrea needed no words to understand. Worried, she opened the door and found her there, leaning against the wall, her face pale and her eyes closed.

"Shh, take it easy, I'm here," whispered Andrea, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder. She tried to calm herself too, but Jane's panic was evident. Although Andrea knew that trying to calm a panic attack wasn't easy, she wanted to try.

"Breathe with me, okay? Let's take some deep breaths together," she said, trying to instill a little serenity. But Jane could not concentrate; her body seemed unable to relax. The anxiety was stronger than any of Andrea's calming intentions.

Seeing that the situation was not improving, Andrea understood what she had to do. She took a step back from Jane and ran to the class. The inhaler. It must be in my backpack, she thought, her heart beating faster and faster. She couldn't waste any more time. Grabbing the backpack with shaky hands, she rummaged through it until she found the inhaler—the little tool that could give her sister some relief.

She rushed back to the bathroom, inhaler in hand. "Here, Jane, look, I found it. Take a slow breath and grab it, it will help you," she said, trying to calm her as she passed the inhaler.

Jane took a deep breath and slowly managed to focus on that small gesture, as if the inhaler was the key to freeing herself from the grip of panic. After a few moments of tense silence, her breath began to return to normal.

Andrea sat down beside her, still holding her hand. "We did it," she whispered, offering a smile meant to reassure her.

Jane, still trembling, finally looked at her. "Thank you," she managed to say in a fragile voice. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Andrea gently embraced her, the fear still lingering but now, finally, under control. "Always together," she whispered into Jane's ear.