The Fall (Short Story)

The Fall

I heard the loud cafeteria and all the voices ringing in my ears. "5 minutes of silence please" demanded one of the nearby teachers. She prowled the cafeteria searching for the source of the nearby whispering. "Your five minutes are not up!" she warned all the students in the cafeteria. Silence dawned on us.  My friends and I silently finished off our lunches, awkwardly exchanging glances now and then. When it seemed like forever had passed, Mrs. Howell took out her phone and checked the time. Finally, she broke the silence. "Pick up your trash, you may go get in line." Louder than the previous moments, all the 5th graders stood up and moved toward the trashcans. All of the students were rushing to be the first in line. Everyone threw their trash away, getting rid of the evidence that they did not eat the vegetables their mom packed them. My friends and I slowly walked toward the exit door. Mrs. Howell's class, which I was a part of, lined up near the front of the cafeteria door. I was holding my lunch box so tightly that I could not feel it in my hands anymore. My friends scrambled to get into the back of the line without dropping anything they had in their grasp.

I was almost to the line, I stopped to take my water bottle from under my arms, I didn't have enough room to hold it in my hands. I adjusted my belongings into different hands. Finally, I could walk to the end of the line and join my friends. I took one step forward wearing my new skinny jeans and my brand new sneakers. Everything froze and I looked around, I saw my friends looking at me, hands over their mouths. Some of my friends were gasping. They look in shock. They reminded me of a deer caught in headlights. When I got an idea of what was happening everything unfroze. It felt like I didn't see it coming but I just did. I slipped in a puddle. I fell backward, my wrist and back stinging like crazy. I could barely move, at least,  that's what it felt like.

    Ms.Bates came over to me, "Honey, are you alright?" she asked acting more concerned than she probably was. I didn't answer because I didn't have any words to say. My eyes were holding back tears, I didn't want to let them escape. I used my uninjured wrist to push myself up, I was now sitting in a puddle and my face was stinging with tears. I looked at some of my friends, who were shocked, but some were amused. Paola and Bella ran over to see if I was okay, but I was speechless, so I just nodded slightly. Ms. Bates was eager to leave the cafeteria and get the kids back to class. She said "Go ahead and get to the back of the line", Ms. Bates lowered her voice, not wanting any more attention to come my way. I stuttered my first words since I fell, "I-I- Can-n't". Ms.Bates looked me in the eye and looked down like she read my mind. "Okay, come with me" she whispered. It seemed she was fed up with the situation but at the same time it felt like she truly cared. Ms.Bates told my friends to catch up with their class. I slowly walked down the hall, dreading the fact that I was wearing soaking wet pants. Ms.Bates walked right behind me covering up the fact that it looked like I peed my pants. Unfortunately, It got worse.

    "Okay, make a left here", Ms.Bates ordered me. We walked into the cold office, keyboard typing echoing in my ears. Why are we in the office? I questioned myself. Did I do something wrong? I pondered the thought and tried to think of any reasons I would get in trouble, I couldn't think of any. I followed her to the room that either solved my problems or made them worse. We went through the back entrance of the office and walked into the nurse's office. "Why am I at the nurse's office?" I questioned Ms.Bates softly, I did not want to come off as rude. "Honey, ya can't go back to class wearing wet clothes. Unless of course, you wanna wear wet clothes to class?" She informed, but yet questioned me at the same time. I shook my head, there is NO way I am going to class wearing soaking wet pants. The nurse came out of the medical closet and asked what she could do for us. I looked up at Ms.Bates, waiting for her to answer the nurse. Ms.Bates nodded at me, "Um... I don't really know" my voice trailed off as I started picturing the fall in the back of my head. All of the sudden my wrist started stinging, It hurt so badly! I grabbed my wrist trying to keep my pain to myself. I put my hands behind my back, I just want to go home! "Well you see Mrs.Norris, Annie slipped in the cafeteria," Ms.Bates told the nurse. "Then why is she soaking wet?" Ms.Norris asked. It took her a few seconds to put the puzzle pieces together.

"She slipped in water" answered Ms.Bates, just in case Mrs.Norris still didn't get what happened. "Are you sure it was water?" asked Mrs.Norris with doubt in her voice. "Well, No. I didn't see" said Ms.Bates. "Come on in sweetie," Mrs.Norris said to me. I walked into the room and sat on the chair she was pointing at. "Are you in any pain?" Mrs.Norris asked me. "Um. No" I lied, I just wanted to change the subject, I thought, grabbing my wrist tightly. "But I would really like to get out of these clothes," I told Mrs.Norris looking down at my drenched pants and the lower part of my top.

"Oh yes, of course" she quickly walked over to this small closet hidden in the back of the room. She pulled out three large bins full of used clothes. I walked over to her, "Help me look for clothes for you. What is your size darling?" I turned my shirt around to look at my tag. "I am a children's 8-10" I answered shocked that my shirt was that small. "Ok darling, I don't know If we have that size in girls, I'll check though" she answered digging through the boxes of clothes. I helped her look, all I could find was young boy jackets or 2nd-grade girls tights. None of this stuff will fit me! Then I pulled out a huge zip up footie with snowmen printed on them. Oh my gosh, it was the most hideous pajamas I have ever seen. "Oh how cute! What size are those?" asked Mrs.Norris.

I quickly glanced at the tag. Oh no, it's my size. The only set of clothes in the boxes that will fit me. "It's size 14," I told Mrs.Norris and quickly shoved them into the bottom of the box. "They look awfully small for 14," Mrs.Norris said reaching for the box, she grabbed the footie and read the tag. "Wait, Honey, these are your size, you finally get to change out of your wet clothes!" Mrs.Norris was excited to get me back to class. "Go into, the bathroom and change" she pointed to a bathroom at the end of the hall. "Do I have to?, I can just wear wet clothes, there are only a few more hours left of school" I begged her not to make me wear the evil snowman pajamas. She gave me a look that I did not like. "Somebody went out of their way to donate those so we can use them!" "I think they donated them because nobody wanted them," I said glancing at the ugly footies that are soon to be my outfit. "Just go try them on, you might like them" she ordered me, once again pointing to the bathroom. "I doubt I will like them" I muttered. I picked up the rough, felted material and dragged myself into the bathroom. I slid the snowmen footies on and shivered. "I hope they are clean." I slowly opened the door without glancing in the mirror. I did not want to see myself wearing footie pajamas. "Oh!" Mrs.Norris gasped. "You look SO adorable" she shrieked. I look hideous, I thought to myself.

      Mrs. Norris walked me to my class. I stood outside the door for a few seconds which felt like hours. Finally, I had the nerve to knock on the door and make my grand entrance. On the other side of the door, Mrs. Howell proceeded to say "Please refrain from laughing at Annie". I opened the door with hesitation and there I was presenting myself in my snowmen footies.

No one refrained from laughing, even I was laughing. And till this day, every time I put on pajamas, I smile and remember the vivid memories of the faded, snowmen footies.