Still Believe

Chapter 14: September 11th, 2001

I'm not one to complain or anything, but I'm getting pretty tired of passing out all the time.

At Cedar Point, a couple of people stopped to see what was going on. James and Jennifer got off the ride and went to the exit. They saw me and ran to me, calling 911. But when I woke up, I assured them I was okay. The ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital. They gave me some water and let me go back to the hotel. James wasn't allowed to go into any girls' hote room, so he decided to come back later.

I took a nap, and when I woke up I saw Jennifer. She had just gotten out of the shower.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked me.

"I'm alright." I said.

"Listen, they wanted me to ask you something. Have you not been eating?"

Where was this coming from? "Um.....I have been eating." I said.

"You keep losing balance and passing out. Something's not right."

"I'm alright, really." I said. "I just didn't drink any water today, that's all."

"Oh yeah? What about when you lost your balance at school?"

"And when I passed out at Alana's?"

"Leslie, you have to do something. You can tell me anything and you know that."

"I'm okay, Jennifer. I just didn't drink enough water. That's all. I don't know what's wrong with me but it's probably this heat, it'll go away once it gets cooler."

Jennifer sighed. "Okay, but if this keeps happening you're gonna have to tell me."

"I will, Jennifer. I would tell someone if I wasn't okay."

I'm not okay. But I'm okay enough to where I'm not passing out because of lack of eating. I'm passing out for an unknown reason, but it's probably just the heat. I'm okay.

--

James left the next day, and we left too. We all went back to school. I told James I was okay, because I was. I wasn't not eating, I just needed to drink more water.

I got to school one morning and felt more disey than I had remembered ever feeling. I brushed it off, and went to homeroom. Then to math, where my teacher was extra cranky today.

"Leslie Fell, you're late."

I looked at the clock. "By a minute."

"Are you talking back?" she asked.

"I'm tired of you always treating me like I was last year. i've changed."

"Sit down." she said.

I sighed and sat next to James. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm alright." I snapped. "I'm sorry, today just really isn't my day."

A couple of minutes went by, and for some reason the principal was in the hallway, calling kids out of their classrooms. It turned into madness, and everyone was freaking out. Our classroom was the only one that didn't know what was going on. Our teacher continued teaching, but when the principal pulled her out into the hallway, she came back in crying.

The principal came in our classroom and told us the horrifying news. "Everyone, there's been an attack. In New York."

My mouth dropped. New York? I raised my hand.

"Yes, Leslie?" he asked.

"Um.....what part of New York?"

"The Twin Towers." he said. "Everyone needs to evacuate and return home....."