Wheels

Chapter 3: Caught

"I'm sorry. I'm making you late.", The hallways were empty, the bell for second period had already wrung. The shool was silent with the exception of the sound of Kara's slightly rusted wheels rolling along. "I should've just told you how to get there."

"Gym's not that important to me, anyways.", It really wasn't. I wasn't in shape and I never felt the need to be, so if I wasn't required to have a gym class, I am one-hundred percent sure that I wouldn't be taking it. I felt guilty for staring. I kept finding myself looking at her. She was in a wheelchair, but she looked perfectly normal. How could anything be wrong with someone so normal? There were lots of things wrong with me and I'm far from normal. Wait, is it wrong for me to say somethings wrong with her?

"I'm still sorry.", Kara sighed. It was interesting to watch her thin arms move the wheels. They were so little, barely any muscle. I wondered if she was becoming tired. Would it be rude to ask to help?

"Do you want me to push you?", Dammit, I didn't even give myself time to think about how she could react.

"No.", I was quickly shot down. I should've thought that through. "We make a left at the end of this hallway and the elevators gonna be on the right.", She seemed annoyed. Did I offend her? Maybe she was just very independent. When I was four, I broke my arm and I wouldn't let anybody help me eat or tie my shoes. Maybe she's like that. Is it rude to make that comparison? I'm an awful person.

"Is the gym class boring?", I asked, trying to lighten the mood. She's the first potential friend here I have and I don't want to ruin it. Not to mention, I felt somewhat of a need to impress her.

"It's literal hell. I'm forced to be as active as all the other kids with working legs, and I can't tell you how annoying it is to be thrown in the middle of a stupid class versus class basketball game.", Kara began rambling about how much she'd hated gym class. It's not that I wasn't listening, I just was paying more attention to the sound of her voice than to what she was saying. At my old school, gym was hell, too. Actually, despite rejecting my offer, Kara seemed to be very open about the ability of her legs. From what she's said, I'm gonna take a guess and say that she's immobile. "-And I once had to roll to first place for a softball match. Do you know how hard it is to swing a bat in a wheelchair? And I got so dirty-"

"Do you wanna skip?", I didn't even notice I had interrupted her. She stopped rolling. I took a step back because I'd ended up in front of her.

"What?" Disbelief was the only thing I could sense coming from her.

"Skip.", She looked so shocked. Had she never skipped before? I skipped math at least once a week at my old school. "You know... ditch the class? Not show up?" I couldn't skip gym because that was the only class I had friends in. Still sucked, though.

"Do you know who you're talking to?", Her face reminded me of a deer in headlights. I slowly scanned the hall to make sure no one was watching. The coast was clear.

"Not really. I just met you." A joke. Again, no laughs. It was funny to me. Most of my jokes are funny.

"My parents would kill me.", She looked tense. "I have a clean record.", I don't. "I need to be a perfect student so I can end up in a good college.", I now realized that she was the type to be pressured to do great. She'd probably be great on her own. Well, I don't want to go to gym and she needs a break. So, it's settled. She couldn't get in that much trouble, anyways. I'd just tell the principal I made her. It's not like it'd be unbelievable. I stood behind her and grasped the handles of her wheelchair. Fingers crossed that she doesn't scream. "What are you doing?!" She didn't seem as mad as she let on.

"I saw a nice shady tree outside on my way in.", I began running, she was holding on for dear life. I remembered the tree. It poked out from behind the school. Kara was mumbling little objections as I took her down the hall, to the left, and past the elevators. I made sure to go fast, but not fast enough to potentially hurt her. The exit doors were close by. I remember that. "We can go relax."