Wings

Chapter Two

I sit in the main office, staring at my trembling hands. I try to wipe away the tears that have already dried on my rosy cheeks.

The office is mostly silent except for the constant tapping of the admin's pencil on her desk. It's quite annoying actually.

"So," she says to break the silence, still tapping her pencil.

"Yes," I ask sweetly.

The admin continues to tap her stupid pencil when she asks with a big smile spread across her face. "You had another episode, didn't you?"

I look back down at my lap and wipe my nose. "Maybe."

The administrator chuckles softly before taking a long sip of her water, making a loud slurping sound.

"Well, at least it's not as bad as last time," I say.

"What happened last time," she asks.

"I-" My sentence is interrupted when my mother steps into the office.

"Katheryn," she whispers breathlessly. "What happened?"

"She fell asleep in class," the admin answers.

Mom crosses her arms in annoyance. "So, you called me from work just for something as little as that?"

"Well, her teacher was just concerned because she, well..." her voice trailed off.

"She what," my mom asks stepping closer to the desk.

The admin looks at me and then back to Mom. She kneels in closer and brings her voice to a whisper. "Katheryn is sort of a restless sleeper."

Mom scoffs, "Don't you think I know that?"

"Wait, what exactly happened while I was sleep," I ask now curious. If they had to call my mom in, there must be something really wrong with me.

The admin looks past Mom and at me. "Don't worry about it," she says, still tapping her stupid freaking pencil.

"What do you mean, 'don't worry about it'? This has everything to do with me." My voice has risen only slightly and I could feel the agitation building up.

"She's right," Mom agrees but before she could finish her sentence, the cup of water that the admin was drinking tipped over suddenly and spilled all over her shirt.

The admin cursed under breath and tried to dry herself with Kleenex. Mom looks behind me with wide eyes.

Don't look at me, I didn't do anything. All three of us were no where near the cup when it fell, it just... tipped over on its own.

***

"You really can't be sleeping in class," Mom says once we're out of the office. We stand in the hallway outside of my next class.

"I know Mom, but I can't sleep at home and I can't sleep here. Whether I sleep or not... I'm a mess," I say. "And I hate it."

Mom caresses my cheek. "Do you want to come home and relax?"

Of course I want to go home. The last thing I want is for everyone to stare when I go back to class, but I also don't want to stay home all by myself.

"No, Mom it's fine." I give her a small smile. "I can handle them."

Mom kisses me on the forehead and gives me a quick squeeze before leaving me alone in the hallway.

The rest of the school day was just as I expected, hundreds of eyes on me and many whispers. I should have just stuck with my first mind and gone home.