Renata

Chapter 1

When she woke up it was 8 and she lifted the covers to find her hands were trembling, expected. But the calm was fading and she was getting panicky. She showered and threw on a long sleeve shirt which was a little tight, she hoped no one would notice her. She put on the jeans from the previous day and tied her hair in a messy bun. Before leaving to take the bus she injected herself again, taking a syringe with her in her back pack. She would hate to get the shakes in class. She ignored the signs her body was giving her.

Again the same view from the bus window, except this time she had George watching with her, although he wasn't paying attention to the scenery, he was going on about some new girl who was apparently in all of Renata's classes. She hadn't noticed.

She went through the motions of the day, ignoring the sick feeling she was getting and the light film of sweat that was forming on her face. In the sixth period she asked to be excused and tried to hide the now obvious shaking. She was deathly pale. She didn't get to the women's bathroom, she knew she wouldn't make it and went into the janitors closet a hallway from the class. She fell on the floor once the door was closed, her hands shaking uncontrollably and her temperature rising. She struggled with the syringe she'd thrown in her bag, tears unwillingly forming.

"fuck" She said quietly.

Just then the door opened and she met a pair of green eyes. He was tall, something or other at the school. She never paid attention. She knew he was definitely wealthy because of who she'd seen him with a few times. His black hair fell just above his now wide eyes. She saw him look from the needle in her shaking hands to what her pale and probably sickly face.

"Hey... Are you okay?" He asked moving into the little room.

"I'm okay, just a little sick" She said struggling to keep her voice level.

"I'll get the nurse or an ambulance-" He said backing out, seeming shocked at discovering her.

"No! She said quickly. "Just-" Her voice sounded so strained, "Just help me please... My hands..."

He moved in again as though debating it and judging her reaction.

"What is that stuff?" He asked suddenly suspicious.

"Its my meds, please" She said quietly as the light headedness set in. She realised the stuff must have been laced with something else, she was allergic.

"Ok..." He said moving forward.  He took the syringe, his own hands slightly trembling and with her worn out guidance injected her with a shot of clear liquid.

After a minute she felt her body relax. She felt better as the calming drip started. He waited there watching her. She got up, holding on to the supply cupboard.

"Thanks uh..." She said trying to figure out this name.

He looked slightly taken aback. "Michael. You're Reena right?" he asked still looking shaken up.

"Renata." She said shifting from foot to foot, suddenly hearing the slight Italian accent in her speech.

He nodded then gestured to where she'd just been sitting, looking like her life was on the line. "Those weren't meds."

She stared at him and shrugged. "Like it matters." She said ready to shove past him if she had to.

"School rules say I have to report you, Renata." She sighed when he said her name, it didn't sound right.

She found herself trying to respond by pleading and reasoning instead she shrugged again. "Okay." She looked him in the eye as he did her. He seemed to be unbelieving of her response and very uncomfortable.

"Renata Borrelli. Mr Field's class." She said picking up her back pack. She did so with quiet grace. Everything about her seemed so quiet.

"Is that French?" he found himself asking, suddenly curious. She smiled at the common question.

"Italian." She said and half blushed when her accent came on stronger. She might as well be an immigrant,, she thought.

He smiled at the blush, thinking it was because of him. "Well maybe I can let it slide but you need to get help"

"I don't need help." She said walking past him. She went to her next class, hoping he wouldn't report her.

When the bell for the end of school rang she was the first to leave the class. She got into the crowded hallways and people pushed passed her, she hated being so close to all these people. When she finally got outside she passed by a group surrounding a nice looking BMW. She spotted Michael with one of the girls and kept walking. Then someone called out to her, loudly. She noticed the group by the car turn to look.

"Renata! Dude, wait up!" George yelled loudly again.

She turned and waited, slightly bothered by people looking at her. George finally got to her.

"I forgot to tell my mom I have basketball and she wanted me to drive her somewhere. You don't mind-"

"I'll pass by and tell her." Renata said playfully punching his arm. "See ya." As she walked away she heard him join the group with Michael and his friends. She heard one ask why he talked to her.

She sat down at a window seat as usual when she started shaking again. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene; there were at least ten people she knew on the bus. SO instead she watched the beautiful houses roll by and pushed the stop button. She got off holding on to the metal bars. When she was outside she felt a little better but it was still there. She found a park and she sat down to search her bag for a forgotten epi pen when the shaking came on stronger. She stopped searching her bag when some well dressed people who were passing by looked at her oddly. She wished she'd just gotten off at home but 20 minutes in an enclosed space... she wouldn't have made it without incident. She tried to calm herself and looked around at the well kept park, the bird fountains, the neat pathways, the surbubian mothers and their children, the IPod clad joggers. This was like a parallel universe to her part of town, she always thought. These people were obviously wealthy but no one really talked to anyone. Some could very well be neighbours, but with high walls, you couldn't get much neighbouring done. She thought about their wooden fence which was as high as her waist and how people would talk to each other while on their porches. Ironically their crime rate was higher there but no one really put up fences or security systems. Perhaps it was a money issue.

Her attention was back on herself when she started feeling hot. She could feel her fringe sticking to her forehead. She tried to get up and fell back onto the bench, dizzy. Some old ladies passing by gave her a disapproving look. She wondered if it was obvious that she wasn't from around because anyone else would've thought she was sick. She dug for her phone, trying to steady her hands. When she got it she spent almost 10 minutes trying to dial her mother’s number. She needed to get an epi pen or something, she thought, she must be allergic to the stuff. She finally got the number right when she noticed someone standing in front of her. She looked up at green eyes, again.

"Do you need help?" He asked sounding sheepish.

"No, I'm fi-fine." She said when she saw his face swirl. She needed to do something. She stood up, fighting the need to sit back down and instead sway as she tried to get her bag and disappear.

"Are you sure?" He asked looking at her pale face and the shaking hands.

"Yeah." She said and took a step. Next thing she knew the world had gone unstable and she couldn't keep it straight. She took another step and the light headedness hit her like a wave. Then everything went black.