Miserable

14

Shakira walks towards us along with her family. She smirks when we make contact and she makes googoo eyes at James.

My mom tenses up beside me, probably sensing me tense up first.

"What are you doing here?" She asks sweetly. Her parents give us smiles and head to the front desk to ask for something.

"Oh wait. Don't answer that. I remember. You were actually dumb enough to get shot by someone in the street. Poor you." She continues.

I roll my eyes.

"Back off, Shakira." James says squeezing my hand again for the nth time in the past hour.

She looks shocked. But then she composes herself, growls, and stomps away.

"Thanks." I whisper.

He puts his other arm around me.

"No problem. I'm not letting her hurt you." He replies. "You're already hurt enough." He jokes.

I slap his chest and he fakes a groan.

I laugh. "Don't be such a baby."

He squeezes my hand again and after a few minutes, the lady calls us.

We enter the room where the doctor waits to examine my wound.

Once I'm called, I head inside while my family and James wait outside.

The doctor asks me to lift my shirt so she can see the wound.

She inspects it and tells me that, fortunately, there was no infection despite the condition of the surroundings I was in. She gives me ivy-antibiotics once I'm moved into my own room and informs my mother that it should heal well, given the proper time.

The doctor had offered to let me stay in the hospital for three days to be sure that there would be no infection.

James and Richard sit across from me while my mom sits on the bed next to me.

"How're you feeling?" She asks me.

"I feel better. It's not that painful, but I can still feel it. I don't know if that makes sense." I say.

For the next three days, James brings Richard along to visit me since my mom had packed enough clothes and all for the both of us to stay three days straight. Troy also visited as well as my track team and Jade.

Once I'm discharged, we head back home.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Joy. I've been praying and asking God for help and all I can say is you'll need someone with you always. But I can't even be assured with that, knowing that you and James were kidnapped. Maybe you could start homeschooling?" Mom says as we pull in.

Richard and I get out and walk behind mom.

"I guess... But I'd still be in contact with the school right? I just got back on the track team." I say.

My mom starts thinking.

"I would allow you to continue to go to school, I'm just worried of what could happen there. Someone could just impersonate me or someone from the company to pick you up and all or maybe they'd endanger the other students. I don't want to risk that either. But I guess you can join track practices as long as Jade and James accompany you there and back." Mom says.

I think about it and agree. After the last time if disagreeing with my mom, I'd rather not want her to get worried and upset with me. I was kidnapped and shot just days ago.

We finalize our plans with the school the next day.

I head to my locker to get all my things and bump into someone.

"Hey. Watch where you're going." A cold voice nearly yells.

"Sorry." I say as I look into the eyes of Shakira.

I notice something different, however. Instead of a viper-like stare, her eyes have become tired and weary. There are bags under her eyes and her voice isn't as harsh as it usually is.

"What are you staring at?" She demands.

I shake my head and finish removing things from my locker.

"She's so weird." I hear one of her friends say.

I shrug it off and close my locker. I walk to the office where mom waits and I put all my things in a box we brought.