Learning How to Swim
Smother Me
“Kara?” I called, running down the hall and looking in every classroom. She was nowhere to be seen.
The bell echoed throughout the hallway, but that didn’t matter. I could be late to class once in my life. I ran into the bathroom, knowing that she cut class every so often and went there.
“Kara?” I called, closing the door behind me. I saw her sitting with her back propped up against the wall. She looked at me, irritated.
“What?” she barked, pulling her bony legs to her chest.
I finally allowed myself to take a breath. “Why are you skipping class? Lila’s worried, and I don’t see how you’re ditching without someone or another hounding you about it.”
She grabbed her book bag and unzipped it, yanking out a pile of half-sheets. The top one said:
Please excuse Karolyn Roe from 11:30 to 1:40. She has a doctor’s appointment.
—Theresa Roe
I gawked at her as she shoved the papers back into her folder. The signature was nearly flawless! “Kara, please, you need to go to your classes. I won’t breathe a word about the pills, but please do this for me.”
“Stop acting like our mother,” she muttered dryly, examining her fingernails before biting them. They were already down to the nub.
“I’m just making sure you’re safe,” I argued, frowning.
“Stop watching me, Alyssa!” she yelled, standing up suddenly. “I don’t need you hovering all the time! God, you’re just—you’re insufferable! I turn around, there’s Alyssa. I take a drink, there’s Alyssa. I take a break from the horrible school day, there’s Alyssa!” She headed out the bathroom door, leaving me all alone.
I dragged myself out into the hallway, her words still echoing in my head. I was supposed to save her—she told me to. I had to watch her, I mean someone had to. She probably wanted to drown so her life would be over, but I couldn’t sit back and watch.
She had told me to save her. And I was going to do just that.
I headed back for class, taking the teacher’s lecture with grace, and taking my seat. Kara stumbled in, glaring at me the entire way to her seat in the back. The teacher said nothing to her and continued with her lecture on proper note-taking skills. Kara dropped her head to the desk, smothering her face with her notebook. I could have sworn I saw her twitch.
The bell echoed throughout the hallway, but that didn’t matter. I could be late to class once in my life. I ran into the bathroom, knowing that she cut class every so often and went there.
“Kara?” I called, closing the door behind me. I saw her sitting with her back propped up against the wall. She looked at me, irritated.
“What?” she barked, pulling her bony legs to her chest.
I finally allowed myself to take a breath. “Why are you skipping class? Lila’s worried, and I don’t see how you’re ditching without someone or another hounding you about it.”
She grabbed her book bag and unzipped it, yanking out a pile of half-sheets. The top one said:
Please excuse Karolyn Roe from 11:30 to 1:40. She has a doctor’s appointment.
—Theresa Roe
I gawked at her as she shoved the papers back into her folder. The signature was nearly flawless! “Kara, please, you need to go to your classes. I won’t breathe a word about the pills, but please do this for me.”
“Stop acting like our mother,” she muttered dryly, examining her fingernails before biting them. They were already down to the nub.
“I’m just making sure you’re safe,” I argued, frowning.
“Stop watching me, Alyssa!” she yelled, standing up suddenly. “I don’t need you hovering all the time! God, you’re just—you’re insufferable! I turn around, there’s Alyssa. I take a drink, there’s Alyssa. I take a break from the horrible school day, there’s Alyssa!” She headed out the bathroom door, leaving me all alone.
I dragged myself out into the hallway, her words still echoing in my head. I was supposed to save her—she told me to. I had to watch her, I mean someone had to. She probably wanted to drown so her life would be over, but I couldn’t sit back and watch.
She had told me to save her. And I was going to do just that.
I headed back for class, taking the teacher’s lecture with grace, and taking my seat. Kara stumbled in, glaring at me the entire way to her seat in the back. The teacher said nothing to her and continued with her lecture on proper note-taking skills. Kara dropped her head to the desk, smothering her face with her notebook. I could have sworn I saw her twitch.