Purple Velvet: Diaries of a Rainbow Teen

5.

Sunday June 18th 1995
Jessie
I am so glad to be at the school for the blind at last. I'm so tired of feeling like I'm the only one around here who is blind. I do get to talk to Tori every night or every night when she's not sick and I'm not sick. Which for me isn't that often. When I was younger I had to have my shunt revised, that means they do something to the tube or replace it. Usually fluid on the brain drains naturally. But for me I have a tube that goes to the stomach and drains.
But now I'm healthy and have no problems with it. We've just arrived at the school and Alex Tori and I get to share a room since the larger dorm where we stay is getting fixed. So in a dorm where most people have a room this is a nice change. Desks have been shoved here and dressers and stuff.
Right now we're all unpacking and getting ready for the night's activities. Alex is sitting on her bed listening to her Walkman completely oblivious as usual. tori is talking to a staff member and I am here writing as usual.
I've thought about stopping this journaling stuff but I dare not because tori has too and I don't think it's fair. There are others in the dorm. There's Angie and Carrie and a couple others that only go to summer camps.
those of us who live here or stay here all year round consider ourselves the lifers and those who aren't staying here every chance they can are the temps. We are being called to get our swim suits to go swimming.
Tori is very active and loves swimming and running and I don't. Alex is being tapped on her shoulder which is something that Alex can't stand. Alex started to scream and Tori got up off her bed and came over gently to stroke her hair, "Alex its ok, its probably a staff that doesn't know." She then turned on the staff member and says, "Alex can't be touched unless you do it like this." "Otherwise it will scare her and make her anxious." "She doesn't like people touching her."
"Alex are you ok?" Asked Tori, "Yes." Said Alex shakily, "She was just here to tell us we're going swimming." Alex jumped up and clapped her hands, "Swimming!" She squeaked and took her cane and started walking out the door, "Alexandra." Said the staff member. Alex froze, "She also doesn't like to be called Alexandra either." Said Tori. The staff member was getting annoyed. I think she had every right to. Most of the time we don't ever ever talk back to the staff members.
I remembered the staff member's name now. Its Stella and she's calling me to stop writing. So Laters for now.
Monday June 19th 1995
Swimming was fun but Alex kept me up all night with her music. She should have gotten in trouble for it but she didn't. Today we'll be doing work on stories to read at the talent show the night before we  leave. We had spaghetti last night and had a movie night with the boys. They didn't want to watch what we did, and we didn't want to watch what they did. So we drew papers and one had an x on it. A new girl named Rachel got to pick the movie.
She chose Pocahontas so we went to the movie theatre to see it. It wasn't bad at all. But there was so much excitement. I think Tori liked it best though.
This morning Tori woke up wheezing and had to take a breathing treatment. I don't ever get sick but I was the one who took her to the infirmary. We had to walk slowly because she was coughing and having a hard time breathing. The nurses there all knew what to do. They sat her down and hooked her up to the breathing treatment machine. They weren't paying attention to me because Tori was having a bad asthma attack. Her allergies must have been bothering her.
She sat down and breathed in some medication that turned into mist thanks to the machine. She was coughing and wheezing so bad I thought she'd have to go home. I was praying and praying that she would stay at the school. After her breathing treatment she coughed a bunch but said she was feeling better. She went to lay down in one of the infirmary beds for a while. I went back to the school and began writing my story.
When lunch was over I went back to see Tori. She was eating lunch by the nurse's desk. "Hi tori are you ok?" I asked. Tori smiled and coughed and said, "I'm all right." "Are you sure?" I asked. "Yes I am sure." "Tori will have to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon." Said the nurse Betty, "Why?" I asked, "Because her asthma's not completely gone." "Remember to come back at 4 o'clock all right?" "I will." Said Tori and we started walking out.
Our canes tap tap tapped on the sidewalk and we almost ran into Alex. She was sitting on a swing looking completely upset. she was pulling hair out of her head. She'd grab a strand and then just yank it. She was crying which is something she never does. "Alex Alex, what's wrong?" Asked Tori as she ran over to her. She coughed and wheezed a little but not like she was earlier, "You didn't come back." "You were gone all morning." "I was worried." Said Alex between sobs. "I was sick Alex." Tori said, "I couldn't help it."
Alex was so mad that she stamped her foot, "I don't want you to go home." "I don't either." Said tori. "I just have a problem with my breathing, you know that." Alex tried to slow her own breathing down but she was really upset. "Hey Alex." I said trying to help, "Tori can't breathe sometimes and sometimes she needs to rest and take lots of medicine and." "I know I know!" Alex yelled, "Well you don't have to yell at me!" I yelled back.
Tori started to say, "guys." "Guys." But then Alex said, "I'm not a guy I'm a girl." "I know." Said tori, "Then don't call me a guy!" Said Alex, "She didn't mean it Alex!" I yelled. "But you meant what you said!" Yelled Alex.
"Girls!" "Stop it this minute." Said Stella one of the staff, . "What is going on here?" "Alex why are you pulling out your hair?" "I was mad because Tori didn't come back after she went to the bathroom, she was gone all morning and didn't eat lunch with me." "Jessie?" Asked Stella, "i was just angry because Alex started yelling at me." I said, "Tori?" Asked Stella, "I was just walking with  Jessie." She had to stop and cough.
"So the two of you came over and Jessie and Alex decided to get into an argument?" Asked Stella, "It wasn't an argument." Said Alex, "Yes it was." I said, "No it wasn't." "Yes it." Girls!" Said Stella, "I think the two of you need to spend time away from each other." "But Tori!" We both wailed, "Tori will spend time with both of you I'm sure."
I have to go now to finish the rest of my punishment. After we argued we had to write why its not good to argue. Bye for now. Or whatever.