Out of Breath

Chapter 10

I just want to spend the rest of the day hiding in the bathroom, but fourth period is gym class. We are going to swim, so I can't miss this. I love to swim in the ponds of the swamp. Swimming in a pool will be much nicer since I won't have to worry about water moccasins. I have never swum in a public pool before.

"Don't worry about your swim suites today," the gym teacher instructs. "Everyone go out on the bleachers. Today, we will talk about pool safety."

We groan. We don't care about pool safety. We just want to swim. I wouldn't have come if I knew we wouldn't be swimming.

Good thing it's an all-boy class, and I don't have to worry about Clairlion. I sit on the bleachers. No one sits next to me. I am not used to this. I have never been the most popular, but I have always had friends. My eyes sting to the strong chemical in the room.

Mr. Adams drowns our lives out with his long lecture of pool safety. No one listens. No one cares. Instead of paying attention, the ginormous pool mesmerizes me. The crystal-clear water invites me to jump in. I want to dive into it badly.

"Alright, when I count to three, I want everyone to hold their breath. There is a second-hand on that clock on the wall right there. Count how long you can hold your breath. One...two...three." Mr. Adam says.

I am not going to do well at this. As an asthmatic, I can't hold my breath very long. Is this going to be a requirement for swimming? I have no trouble swimming in the pond, but I come up for air often. Maybe to get an A, you have to stay submerged for a full minute. Suddenly I don't want to be in swimming. What if I fail because of my dumb disease? That will give the kids one more thing to tease me about.

I hold my breath and count. One...two...three...four. As I count, something seems weird. Things are off. I look around me.

Everyone is frozen. Like statues.

It is happening again!

Time has suspended. But why?

Freaky. Why does this keep happening? I take a breath. Life returns to everyone. They are still holding their breath, still counting in their heads, but there is obvious life to them now.

I look around. Why do things keep becoming frozen? Since everyone is still holding their breath and counting, I hold mine again.

Just like before, everything stops.

Suspended in time.

I breathe. It starts again.

I hold my breath. It stops.

Breathe, it starts.

Hold my breath, it stops.

I control this!

I am stopping time!

I recall the instances at home when this happened. I had held my breath when Terry farted in my face. I had held my breath with I was in the bathroom.

Time stops when I hold my breath!

Exhilaration explodes! A fire of emotions breaks out in me.

What a strange thing to have happened.

For the rest of gym class, I keep holding my breath, then releasing it.

Fascination. This is surreal.

I eventually have to stop because I am lightheaded, and my lungs are rebelling. I am having trouble getting air fully into them. The chemicals swirl in my lungs, calming them with my third hit of the inhaler.

...

I sit down in the lunchroom by myself. One thing about being poor is that we get free meals at school. They aren't the best, but it sure is nice to get full. I look around. No one sat by me. This is all Terry's fault. He shouldn't have made me come to school last week when I was so sick. If I hadn't puked everywhere and also smelled up the office, I wouldn't have alienated myself to the entire school. I hate Terry! This is going to be a long year at school.