Thin Lines

Thank You

Xela

When I was eight years old I remember having a bowl of strawberries, before I knew I was allergic to them.  When my dad found me, I was barely able to breathe and was rushed to the hospital. Right now I can feel my throat closing up just like it had when I was eight.

The first thing I do is try to get the hell away from the cafeteria, instantly running into Natalie who doesn't seem to want to let me leave. "You don't like it?" She says, batting her eyelashes. All of the sudden Natalie bursts out laughing, my hands shooting up to my swollen face.

I try to move, to run, but as I blink I feel myself spinning. I haven't eaten all day, and the first thing I do eat is practically poison for me. Not a good combination.

I hear muffled arguing, but I'm barely paying attention to what is happening. The lump in my throat is growing as my body lightly sways. Out of the corner of my eye Annie is screaming at Natalie. Max is in front of me, trying to talk to me but I can barely hear what he is saying.

The last thing I remember is getting a glimpse of Denny shoving Ryder from across the cafeteria, until I finally get through the sea of people and am able to inject myself with an epi pen I keep with me.

"Holy shit are you okay?" Annie runs after me, stopping and catching her breath in front of me. I am on the floor, trying to think of anything but the pain from stabbing myself in the thigh.

I try to say I'm fine but the words can't come out. "We need to go to the nurse or something" she tells me. I shake my head, "No, this is all I need." I say, my words shakier than I would like them to be. I close my eyes and drag the back of my head on the wall, feeling Annie give my arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Are you okay?" A voice belonging to Denny says, my eyes shooting open to see Denny and Max just stepping into the hallway. Right behind Denny is Ryder, who looks pissed.

"I'm fine" I croak, my hands feeling my throat, pleased to find it doesn't seem to be swelling more. "Why is he here?" Annie questions, her tone a little on the rude side. Ryder gives her a nasty glare, which she returns to him. "He just followed me." Denny tells us, making Ryder open his mouth to defend himself, but Max cuts him off.

"What even happened?" Max asks, although it looks like he is talking to Annie rather than me. That's fine with me, though, because I feel like shit.

"The bitch gave her strawberries, knowing she was allergic" Annie explains to them, making them all look shocked, except for Ryder. "But you already knew that, right?" I say to him, now catching him off guard. "Excuse me?" He narrows his eyes at me, looking extremely terrifying at the moment.

I can't get myself to bring more words together, right now I'm just focused on a head of sweat I can feel on my eyebrow.

"You knew this was going to happen?" Denny accuses his brother angrily, who just scoffs. "I didn't know she was going to react like this. Natalie just said she would get all puffy and shit. I was in a mood for a good laugh."

I close my eyes, not fully registering his words, until a female voice erupts throughout the hallway. "Ms. Smith?"

I open my eyes to see a woman who appears to be a school nurse looking down at me, her eyes full of concern. "I got quite a few messages saying you were having a reaction?" She squats next to me, the back of her hand pressed to my forehead.