Love, Ari

Chapter One

 It seemed like everyone was staring at me. Everyone from every class and the school year watched me walk from class to class. It was starting to make me uncomfortable. I felt as if I needed to scream. Scream at everyone to leave me alone, that they had no business staring at me. I wanted to cry. I wanted to crawl into the ditch next to the schoolyard and wait. Hang out with the junkies and the smoke. Dance around the fires the homeless built.

But that's wishful thinking. My parents would kill me if I start turning into my older sister. Skipping class every day and running off to god knows where. But God, I wanted to so badly. Just the running part. Run. Run. Run. That's all I wanted to do. How am I supposed to run when I can barely walk? When I need medication for the pain I still get from the accident? All I do is look down and hope no one notices my limp.

I forgot I was in class today. Not sitting in the nurse's office because I couldn't get the prosthetic to work. I'm finally in class after two months of being out. I really just wanted to be asleep. Or still in a coma. I wished I had died in that accident.

"Miss. Lesterfield!" I jumped and leaned back in my chair as the teacher yelled at me. I can't remember her name. I can't remember many things actually. I blinked. The class laughed and I just looked down. 

"Yes, Ma'am?" I tried to be as polite as possible these days. I guess almost dying does that to a person. The teacher just sighed and turned back to the whiteboard. The more popular kids in the back kept giggling at pointing at me. I didn't pay attention to them but they wouldn't fade into the background. My hand shot up and I almost smacked my desk partner in the face. They laughed harder.

"Miss. Lesterfield?" My hands shot down again and I stood and rushed to her desk.

"May I go to the nurse?" I pulled up a part of my pants. A small portion of my fake leg showed. "And I have a really bad headache." The teacher sighed and pulled a small paper slip from her desk. She didn't need to write anything. All the teachers know of my situation. I grabbed it from her and gave her a weak smile. I didn't even grab my stuff. I just walked out. They'll have someone from my next class bring it.

That's the only good thing about being a cripple I guess.