Disabled.

Two

Two

"Do we know you?" Chris asked, looking her up and down. She swallowed the lump which had begun to form in her throat, trying to push back the tears which stung her eyes as she choked out a reply.

"It's me, Nadia."

Immediately, her friends' faces changed to one of surprise before Chris smiled at her.

"Oh I was just kidding, I knew it was you. What happened? Why are you in a wheelchair?" she asked.

Nadia didn't feel relieved at her words because the topic which she knew she'd be asked about had immediately followed. She looked away from them, unable to push down the memories of that day.

"Where's Jackson by the way? You two are always together," Mandy said, putting away her phone.

And as soon as she heard his name, she broke down. She didn't miss their shocked faces as the tears ran down her face.

"Nad what's wrong? Did you break up or something?" Mandy asked.

She laughed mirthlessly through her tears as she thought of how much better a break up would have been; at least she'd get to see him again even if he was with someone else.

"Seriously Nadia, what's going on?" Ashley spoke for the first time.

Nadia heaved a sigh and opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't get any words out as the tears kept flowing.

They didn't say anything and continued to look at her. She opened her mouth again to reply and even though every fiber of her being was forcing her to stay quiet, she pushed through and finally told them.

"He's gone and he's never coming back." 

Fresh tears covered her face as the memories which she had worked so hard to control over the past month, returned.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Ashley asked. 

But she couldn't reply. 

And her silence proved to be enough of an answer as their faces changed from confusion to realization. Moments before the bell rang, she was able to finally tell them what had happened. And although they had remained silent for most of the time, she could tell that the information deeply impacted them.

---

At lunch time, Chris wheeled her towards the cafeteria as Mandy and Ashley followed behind them. When they got to the door, Ashley walked towards it and opened it, holding it while Chris pushed her inside.

And as soon as they entered, she felt as if everyone had sensed her presence. They all stopped what they were doing, making the large enclosed space eerily quiet, to the point where you could probably hear a pin drop.

She tried to ignore the eyes which were staring at her but it was difficult when she knew why they were staring.

"Can't you mind your own business? You're all acting as if you've never seen someone in a wheelchair before," Mandy said out loud.

Suddenly, the silence was replaced with the sound of activity as everyone returned to what they were doing, although some continued to stare at her. Nadia turned her head slightly to smile gratefully at Mandy, receiving a smile in return. Chris pushed her towards their usual lunch table and Ashley pulled a chair away to make space for her. She sighed internally as she saw her drag the chair away, a painful reminder of how her life had changed in just one day.

While they were eating, Nadia excused herself and wheeled her chair towards the washroom, after arguing with Ashley that she could go by herself. As she pushed herself back to the table, a small smile danced on her lips as she remembered how Mandy had stood up for her. It felt great knowing that she had friends who would stand by her regardless of what had happened.

However, as she got closer to the table, that feeling disappeared.

"How could she show her face to us? Especially after what happened with Jackson," she heard Ashley say, sounding disgusted. There was a chorus of laughter before Chris spoke.

"If I were her, I'd never come back. She can't possibly expect us to be friends with her when she's a handicap."

Her hand went to clench her shirt around her heart when she heard her say the word handicap. It felt as if someone had just stabbed her in the heart as she heard them laughing again. Her eyes stung with tears for the second time that day and when the tears finally fell, the sound of their laughter faded away.

When she had finally calmed down, she wheeled herself closer to them and instantly gained their attention.

"Nad what's wrong?" Chris had the nerve to ask her. 

"Is that all you think of me? That I'm a handicap? Do you also think that I killed Jackson?" she asked them, almost unable to say the last sentence. They stayed silent for a while, almost as if they couldn't believe that she had heard them. 

"I'm sorry Nadia but it's the truth. I mean, look at you. You can barely get anywhere without one of us pushing you," Ashley said. She turned to look at Mandy as she looked away from her, an indecipherable emotion masking her features. 

It was painful to hear their true thoughts about her but what hurt even more than their words, was the fact that they weren't the only ones who saw her this way;

As a handicap.

***

A/N:

Thank you very much for checking out chapter two! I hope you enjoyed reading it (even though it was short) and if it was boring, then I'm sorry. But I promise it'll get more interesting soon :)

Thanks again,
~candysweet101

[edited - 2019/06/27]