Within [Rewriting. Please don't read.]

Chapter Six

• Chapter Six •

Alice

***

After I had finished grade three,

My parents switched me out of the school

I was previously attending

And had come to adore.

 I was enrolled in the public school

 About a block away from our house.

 They thought I had

 "Learned the basics",

 And needed to figure out how

 To adjust to the real world.

 To get used to being around people

Who weren't like me.

 Let's just say that

 I wasn't exactly thrilled.

 Having the role of the "new kid" is always tough.

 Now imagine being

 The weird,

 blind girl

 Whose mom chose her clothes for her,

 Who couldn't participate in gym class,

 Who always had to have someone

 Accompany her out of the classroom

 So she wouldn't get

 Hurt,

 Lost

 Or both.

 School was a living hell.

 And I counted down the hours,

 Minutes,

 Seconds,

 Until the last bell of the day rang,

 Just like all the other kids.

 Except that,

I wasn't counting down to

 The time I could hang out with my friends.

 I was counting down to the time

 I could finally be set free of everything

 That had happened that day,

 By the turning of a page.

 Who had teased me,

 Who had pushed me,

 Who had secretly moved to another table

 When I attempted to eat lunch with them.

 The mental list went on forever.

 A list I wanted to watch