Mad World

Frank visited me everyday after school for a week. He brought me food occasionally, he brought me poems he wrote, and if I was asleep and he woke me up, he'd try to put me back to sleep by whispering to me and kissing me and touching me.

Other people visited too. Stacy visited, apologizing for being a "heartless bitch" as she puts it. I forgave her. Principal Barlow visited, apologizing for being so careless about my feelings. I forgave him, too. Mom and Dad visited everyday just to make sure I was still kicking and screaming. Frank's parent's visited too, with Frank of course. Frank's dad hired a lawyer, but Frank said he wouldn't press charges and neither was his mother. His father didn't budge.

Another person visited that brought me back to my familiar self; feeling like the old artistic shy kid.

"How's it going, kiddo?" Mrs. Carlisle said as she walked in with a tote bag on her shoulder. I smiled back at her. The closer she got, the more I saw the tears strolling down her face.

"Don't cry." I giggled nervously. "I'm okay."

Mrs. Carlisle laughed nervously and wiped her eyes, taking a seat to my left. "I never thought I'd see one of my favorite students like this. You look like the living dead." She nervously laughed again.

"I'm not dead. I just look that way. What's in that bag?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Gifts, for you."

"Show me. I can't move much."

Mrs. Carlisle reached inside the tote bag and pulled out a sketch book, a box of sharpened colored pencils, tubes of acrylic paint, paint brushes, font stencils, and a manila folder with a document inside.

"What's this?" I asked, carefully reading the document.

"I submitted some of your cartoon sketches to a comic book agency. This is an application for the job. I signed myself under references and recommendations and they want to see more of your work." Mrs. Carlisle explained with a smile on her face the whole time. I smiled back, speechless. "How long will they keep you here?" she abruptly asked.

"Until my lung heals along with the stitches on my chest. Once I'm off this respirator," I inhaled deeply to emphasize my point. "I'll be free."

"Hang in there, kid. I'm rooting for you." she paused and wiped away oncoming tears. "It's so horrible what Kaleb did to you."

Not even Mrs. Carlisle can keep the monsters away.

"Gerard, if you need anything, I'm begging you to come to me for help, guidance, an escape, what ever you need. Come to me. If you feel like you have nowhere else to go, I'm here until they out me in the ground."

"Thanks, Mrs Carlisle." I replied.

"You can cal me Raina outside of school, Gerard." she chuckled. "I'm here for you and Frank, okay. I may be just some teacher to you, but my students are my best friends and I protect my best friends; watch over them, ya know?"

"I know." I whispered. Raina put all the items in the tote bag and set it at my feet.

"My second hour misses your company. They're, like, mourning you."

"Well, you can tell them I'm still alive." I said as I nestled under the blankets Mom brought for me from my room.

She checked the clock on her phone and stood. "I have to get back to the school. I'll have the class sign a card for you. Maybe something better, like get well soon video. We'll see how creative the class can get."

"Bye." I said as she walked out.

I slowly drifted to sleep after a few minutes. I hadn't expected her to visit. In all this mess, I almost forgot about her. Though there were counselors at school we were required to talk to when we had problems, I always came to Mrs. Carlisle. Except when...you know...