Adopted by Heathers Cast

No One Sees The Me Inside Of Me

I was listening to the Heathers soundtrack in the backseat of Elle's car, trying to distract myself. We had stopped at a 7-11 to get a slushie on the way, so there were about 10 empty slushie cups on the floor from past hospital trips. 

Suddenly, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, and it suddenly cramped up. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Barrett..." I said, my breath getting heavy. "Open the window, please." I sunk back down in my seat. Barrett opened the window and said, "Is something wrong?" Elle turned around and said, "You okay there, Sunshine?"

I nodded, and said, "Probably just nerves." I sighed, as it got a little better. I put in my earbuds and started where I left off, in the middle of My Dead Gay Son. Then, it started again, and I started crying in pain. Elle pulled over and unbuckled her seat belt.

"Sunshine, what's wrong?" she asked. 

I managed to say, "My stomach...it hurts..." Elle switched places with Ryan for a few minutes and gently rubbed my tummy for a bit, which didn't help. But it did help me relax. I took a deep breath and Elle got back in the drivers seat. I eventually fell asleep in pain, but relaxed. 

I woke up in the same amount of pain. It hadn't gotten better. I was in the parking lot of the hospital, and I curled up in Barrett's lap, scared for what was about to come. Elle got out of the car and switched with Barrett. She kneeled in the backseat with me and said, "Sunshine, I know you're scared, but you have to trust me." She hugged me and said, "We'll all be there with you. See? Katie and Alice are parked next to us." I sighed and Elle started singing Kindergarten Boyfriend. 

"Why does that calm her down so much?" Jessica whispered to Elle. "Like, you're a natural with this kid, you know exactly what to do when she gets upset." Elle nodded, and said, "The song is what Katie sung when she went under anesthesia for the first time. It's what got her to relax and go to sleep. And what I said to Barrett about the breathing thing...it gets her to focus on one thing and not have her mind jump to a million different things at once." I saw Jessica nod, and I reached out for Elle's hand. Elle grabbed it and I stepped out of the car. 

"You're safe. You're with us now." I heard someone say. It wasn't Elle, I turned around and it was Katie. I smiled at her and then leaned into Elle. 

Ryan tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I know we haven't been here with you since the beginning, but we hopped on this wild ride and we're not getting off. It's just us. We'll always be there to fight with you, no matter what."

Alice smiled and said, "You're never going to fight alone." I felt someone pick me up and carry me on their shoulders, and I looked down to see Ryan's head. I nuzzled my face in his hair and he started singing, "I've been through 10 high schools, they start to get blurry." 

I giggled and sung, "No point planting roots cause you're gone in a hurry." 

We both started singing the rest of the song, until Barrett started singing too. Then everyone joined in. 

Even though I was heading into the hospital for the third time this month, I was with my family, and that was all that mattered. 

When we got into the hospital, I got an X-ray (anesthesia free, thank God.) and I found out I had broken my arm, and hurt my leg. As for those sudden cramps I got in the car, they were apparently just due to anxiety. I got a brace for my leg and was told I had to take it easy. 

Elle hugged me and tickled me, and said, "My brave Sunshine. 3 trips to the hospital in two weeks. 2 times getting put under anesthesia. A broken arm." I hugged Elle and said, "I never could've done it without you. You and the rest of the cast." I felt myself getting wrapped in a group hug, and then Barrett said, "Hey, how's your stomach?" 

I realized that the stomach cramps had gone away. I guess I just needed a distraction. I looked at Barrett and said, "It's feeling better." 

"Pizza?" Alice said, and we all cheered. We had a race back to Elle's car, and Ryan won that. We all got in our respective cars and drove off. 

AN: Finally, a happy ending for Catlynn! Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen for at least a few chapters. Hope you enjoyed! Catch ya later!