Forever | Protector 3.2 | Wattys2017

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Nolan

       "Don't tell me you're stressing out again," Jerome said as he walked down the stairs and to the kitchen where I was.

       "Why would you think I'm stressing?" I asked.

       "Because it's eight in the morning," he said. "You refuse to get out of bed any earlier than that, and you're eating sour cream and onion chips. Those are your stress eating food."

       I looked down at the bowl in my hand and sighed. "You know that poetry reading I have today?" I asked and he nodded. "Yeah, I can't stop thinking about that. I really like my poem, but I can't speak in front of people. My hands are too shaky, my legs feel wobbly, and my mouth gets dry way too easily."

       "Do you have to read it in front of people?" Jerome asked.

       I nodded. "Yeah. Our whole class has to read the poems we wrote. If we don't, we'll get a zero in participation, and that will effect my grade a whole lot."

       "Well, that's not fair," Jerome said. "Too bad you don't have to do it."

       I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I just told you it's worth marks."

       "Yeah, I know," Jerome said. "But your doctor said you shouldn't force yourself to do anything, even for school, that would make your anxiety really bad, so I asked him to write a doctor's note just in case because knowing you, you're going to be stubborn and do it anyway."

       "But participation...."

       "But nothing," Jerome interrupted. "What's more important? Your health, or school? And don't even think about saying school. We'll go to that poetry reading, give your professor the doctor's note, and if she has any problems she can call your doctor. But she won't have a problem because it's what your doctor is saying. Tell me, is she a strict professor?"

       "No."

       "Then she'll most likely be fine with you not reading your poem, and she won't take marks off."

       "I hope you're right about it."

       "Uh, I am right about it. Now come on. We'll go lay in bed and watch a movie to help you relax."

       "With my chips?"

       "Yes, with your chips."

       The poetry reading wasn't even going to be for another five hours, at my classes normal start time of one o'clock, but I was still stressing out over it. Even if my professor was going to be okay with my not doing it because of my doctor's note, that wasn't going to stop me from stressing out until it actually happened.

       Jerome picked a movie for us to watch and we were laying in our bed to watch it. Though I wasn't really paying attention. I was just eating my chips and staring at the food.

       "Nolan," Jerome said, pausing the movie. "I promise you everything is going to be okay. You really need to stop overthinking these things."

       "I can't help it," I said. "It's how my brain works."

       Jerome sighed. "Yeah, I know. Okay, since you're not paying attention to the movie, how about we try going back to sleep until we have tog et ready to go."

       "I'll try," I said, so Jerome turned off the TV and I set the bowl of chips on the nightstand. I then rested my head on Jerome's chest and he wrapped his arm around me.

       I somehow was able to go back to sleep until my alarm went off at eleven-thirty. Jerome woke up then too, and he got out of bed to make us some lunch while I stayed in bed.

       After we ate lunch, we left our house and headed to the university. The poetry reading was going to be taking place in the cafe, so we immediately headed there.

       I was still a bit nervous to talk to my professor about not being able to read my poem. I didn't want her to still force me to do it anyway.

      I had to get it done and over with, though, so I headed over to where she was sitting. "Hi, Nolan," she said when she saw me. "Are you ready to read your poem?"

       "Uh, actually, no," I said. "Whenever I have to be in front of a lot of people, my anxiety gets really bad and my doctor really doesn't want me to force myself to do things that will cause it to get really bad due to....other reasons. I have a doctor's note too."

       I took it out of my bag and handed it to her. She read it over before handing it back to me. "Alright," she said. "I'll call your doctor to confirm things afterwards and if he does confirm it, then I won't take of participation marks."

      "So....I don't have to do it?" I asked.

      "No, you don't," she said. "Not if your doctor is giving you a reason not to. It is a shame, though. You did show me part of your poem so I could see your progress and I was looking forward to hearing it. Is there anyone you know that wouldn't mind reading it for you?"

       "I could do it," Jerome said.

       "Really?" I asked.

       "Yeah," Jerome said. "I'm used to being in front of a lot of people, and I want people to hear your poem as well. It's really good."

       "Okay," I said. "Thanks."

       "What's your name?" my professor asked. "I'll need to know since I'm going to be the one announcing who's going up next."

       "It's Jerome Prince-Roy," Jerome said.

       She wrote it down on the piece of paper in front of her. "Alright," she said. "I had Nolan's name listed to go first, so you'll be going first. Is that okay?"

       Jerome nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine with going first."

       We then sat down at a table since it was almost one. I took the poem out of my bag and handed it to Jerome so he could quickly look over it. He already read it before, but he just wanted a reminder so he could get into the 'feeling' of the poem.

       As soon as it was one o'clock, my professor stood up on the small stage where a microphone was set up. "Hello, everyone," she said. "Thank you to those who are here to listen to my class read their poems. Up first, we have Nolan Prince-Roy's poem, which will be read by Jerome Prince-Roy."

       Jerome got up from the table carrying the poem and went onto the stage, standing in front of the microphone. "So, this poem is called 'I Was'," Jerome said before he began reading my poem.

       My professor told the class that the best kinds of poems are the ones created by personal situations, so that was what I wrote about; everything I went through because of who I was.

       Writing has started to be my escape for the past few years, and I released a lot of my feelings by writing this poem. I didn't even care that it was telling all these people what I went through. It was what made me the person I was today and I couldn't be more proud.

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Lol, I actually imagined what the poem was like in my head while I was writing my English exam, so I'm going to be posting it in the bonus content book once this is published. :D I still have to finish it, though, and I'm horrible at poems. cx Oops.

You do not know how tempted I am to write a third book for Jerlan and I most likely will because I will never be able to let them go. cx

BECAUSE JERLAN FOR THE WIN.