Hey ! XD Five chapters left. This is CRAZY. This one is kind of short :D Stay STD free and PLEASE PLEASE VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!!! <3
I could hear the horrendous sounds of people groaning in the nursing office. The smell of anesthetics and a form of cough syrup filled the air. The chilliness in the air made me clench my hands on my arms. Hands were covering very specific spots on each highschool patient’s body. Yes, I’m talking about specific private parts. That’s because every student in the nurses’ office was infected with an STD. A particular STD, Chlamydia.
Juan Seguin Highschool broke out with a nasty case of Chlamydia this year. It’s the most common curable disease for nurses passed around antibiotics and students were good to go only to face the wrath of their parents.
Upon my discovery of this issue, I automatically jumped at the chance to go on an STD Trace, to figure out who started it, who was the initial culprit. I went undercover, pretended to be people’s dates, disguised myself as a guy, became a spy, was a rock star, and even tried out for the cheerleading squad to retain the information.
With each person I encountered, there was a new way to get the secret out of them. Some required doing personal tasks, or just merely asking.
Overtime, I got closer and closer until finally finding the culprit. Yet, after all of that work I went through, it wasn’t about who started it anymore. My STD tracing led me to discover more than just a guilty person, but it helped me discover so much more about life.
I’ve gone to more parties, met more people, and had so many good times that I can’t even count on two hands alone. I’ve discovered myself through this journey, and I learned a ton about the students of my school.
The popular students of my school have hidden talents such as painting and protesting for their rights. The outcasts are smart and the coolest people to talk to. I broke social barriers along my journey—I made friends, and for once, stepped outside of my own comfort zone.
I now know what it feels like to be a part of my school. I’m no longer an outside party member—I’m not inside the lines along with everyone else. With each person I met along the way, finding out who they spent their time with was just as intriguing as anything else.
Of course I hope my school never encounters an issue like this again, but I’m glad it happened. It was a wakeup call for everyone to be careful, to be more mature about the decisions they make. And it helped me see the world in an entire new way and experience what it really means to be in highschool.
Juan Seguin Highschool’s students are all cured of Chlamydia and many are forever changed. My STD trace is now marked with a beautiful: Case Closed.
I smiled, slipped my article into the envelope along with my transcript and sealed it. This holds my future—this holds the rest of my life. I handed it over to Bruter so he could mail it.
“Is this final this time? Do we have to waste seven more envelopes for you to make more changes on it?” Bruter snorted.
“No, I think it’s perfect.” I nodded my head.
My first drafts consisted of me talking about my journey tracing the STD’s but with this new draft, I am satisfied because my tracing was more than just finding a culprit, I learned so much more. I hope all goes well, nothing I can do now.
“Alright, I’ll see you all later.” He planted a kiss on my mother’s cheek and walked out of the front door. I shook my head and ran upstairs to get dressed.
Funerals to me were simply depressing. Everyone cried and held memories close to their hearts and other people got ready to party afterwards to bring good tidings. Or was that Christmas? Whatever. I dislike funerals and anything gloomy, like the rain. There was nothing romantic about rain. Good thing it wasn’t a rainy day today or I’d be in an extra bad mood.
I shook my hair out, adjusting my black pencil skirted dress. With a sigh, I grabbed my matching bag and made my way downstairs to join Lucas, Gabby, and my mom.
The ride to the church was quiet and I couldn’t stop fidgeting once I was sat in the pews. The church was lit with these beautiful candles and decorated with black and white bows. The church choir was even pretty dang good. Winston and his immediate family sat in the front, his mother wailing every now and then.
It pained me to see her so saddened for she did just lose her mother. Mr. Francis held her hand and Winston stood straight ahead, his face dead and emotionless. He was probably holding it all in like he always did. He had a bad habit of doing that.
The pastor said all his loving words and then they opened the casket for that last glance, that last view. Winston’s mother lost it.
“Oh God, oh God help me! I can’t do this, Rick, I can’t.” She pulled away from Mr. Francis, trying to get away.
“Sarah, Sarah, this is the last time you get to see your mother,” he pleaded with her.
“No! No, I can’t!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face.
A lot of the people busted out into tears at her outbursts, her cries of agony unlocking the cages they had on their hearts and sending them all into grief. I put a hand over my mouth to stifle my own sobs. I don’t think I can look either.
I’ve never been to a funeral where I actually was close to the person. She was all I had growing up, she was that loving mother for me and now she was gone. No one was going to replace her and it was hard. God it was hard to take in.
Winston stood up and grabbed his mother in his hands, whispering something to her. After a while she calmed down and grabbed his hand, walking over to the casket with him. He practically had to drag her as her form shook with grief at the proximity of her dead mother. When her eyes landed on Grandma Francis she sobbed and Winston rubbed small circles into her back, looking down for a quick second at the woman he once loved and then looking away again.
I finally took my turn and she was still beautiful. Her face was serene with a hint of a little smile on her face, her white hair framing her cheeks. God, that woman was divine. I closed my eyes and let a few tears fall. Lucas squeezed my hand and I squeezed back.
The funeral ended and everyone talked amongst themselves about how they were getting together for a big feast but my stomach wasn’t up to it at all. If I ate anything I’d hurl and ball my eyes out. Grandma Francis was the best cook that ever lived—I couldn’t eat a thing right now.
My mother was talking to Mrs. Francis and I spotted Winston standing next to a random car outside of the church. I walked up to him.
“Hey,” I whispered.
He jumped, startled a bit and then settled at the sight of me. “Oh, hi.”
“How are you holding up?” My voice was so small, so quiet.
He gave a bland smile. “I’m okay,” he whispered.
“No, you’re making that face.”
“What face?” He didn’t turn to look at me.
“That tight scrunched up face you make when you are holding something in.”
“Maybe I’m constipated.” I rolled my eyes and then busted out laughing. For the first time in a long time it seems like, I saw him smile.
“Not feeling the idea of food?”
“No one beats—”
“Grammy’s cooking?” I finished for him. “Yeah, if I eat I think I may die or something.”
“Me too.” He smiled. “Uh, I’m going to go walk somewhere, you want to come?” He scratched his head.
“Sure.” I shrugged. He looked up into my face as if looking for something and then he led the way. The walk was filled with an impenetrable silence.
A little meadow sprang out from behind the trees and Winston sat down in the grass and I sat next to him, staring at his shaking hands.
“Winston?” I placed my hands over his and he snatched away.
“I just don’t get why someone so amazing had to go,” he yelled. “I mean the criminals, the rapists, the ungrateful, they live for so long. The money hungry bastards live forever, yet my grandma had to go. What’s wrong with this world we live in? I believe in God but sometimes I don’t understand him. Shouldn’t those that do right be allowed to live out their lives? This is so fucked up and so utterly wrong that I could hit something! I just want to literally punch somebody in the face or like take an ax and knock down all the trees I can find. God, I want to scream into the sky and shake my grandma until she stops playing around and wakes up. I can’t handle this—I can’t lose another woman in my life.”
My tears overflowed and I held a hand to my mouth as I sobbed. “Winston, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, but I can’t do this.” I stood up to run but he grabbed my arm.
“I should have fought for you, Hannah—I should have made you mine. You know what my grandma said to me before she died? She told me, ‘You go get that Hanners, Winston, she knows you the best and you can’t let a girl like that go.’ That’s what she was worried about before she died, you and I. She was the most unselfish woman in the universe. Hannah, Hannah, God I’m so sorry.” He wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “I hope Ryder makes you happy, I swear I do. Take care of yourself, Hannah.” He planted a kiss on my forehead and then dropped his hands from my face, walking off back through the trees, leaving me all alone.
That was a feeling I was becoming all too familiar with these days.