It was bright early in the morning. A school day that was different from Madison. She felt embarrassed. She had to be sent back a grade because she couldn’t understand 6th grade work.
It was difficult for her even when she had tutoring. She just wasn’t getting it. Since she wasn’t, they were putting down a grade and back into the 5th grade. She was no longer in the middle school, but elementary again. Which was a big shame to her.
“I feel so stupid.” Madison thought to herself. She was walking with a secretary to the new classroom she was going to be. She felt ashamed of herself for not being able to understand the 6th grade. Her mother didn’t seem to be upset with her, but more worried about her husband. Madison’s father who was in the hospital. Her father was having health issues and had to be in the hospital a lot. Since he has, Madison’s uncle began to live with her and her mother and helps out.
“Don’t worry, Madison. No one will make fun of you.” The secretary said trying to make Madison feel better. She didn’t feel any better. They made it to the classroom and Madison came in. The secretary left.
“Attention class. This is our new student, ‘Madison Pocket’.” The teacher said. Madison felt weird standing in front of the class. They all were looking at her. The students didn’t seem to notice Madison was actually from the 6th grade and had to be held back. They thought she was a new student. No one laughed. “Take a seat over there next to Bryan.” The teacher pointed to the desk next to Bryan.
“What? I don’t want to sit by her!” Bryan snaps. Madison glares.
“I don’t want to sit by him either!” She said getting mad.
“Do you two know each other?” The teacher asked confused. “Just sit down over there. No complaining.” Madison sat down at the desk next to Bryan. He felt mad that she was sitting by him. He didn’t like it. “Alright class, let’s begin. Everyone pull out your big English book and turn to page 72.” Madison felt confused already.
“Their already in the book that I don’t even know what’s going on. This is going to be trouble for me.” Madison thought to herself.
Max was in the nurse’s office in school. Robert and Ronnie were walking by and happen to hear the nurse talking to him. “Max, here’s your medicine.”
“Max? He’s in there?” Ronnie asked nosy. Ronnie peaks in and saw Max in the nurse’s office with the nurse. The nurse saw them both.
“Are you Max’s friends?” She asked. “Or do you need something?”
“Yeah, I need something.” Robert answers coming into the nurse’s office along with Ronnie.
“What are you doing in here?” Ronnie asked Max.
“Taking my medicine. What else?” Max responded.
“What kind?” Ronnie just was curious about Max.
“He’s taking his high blood pressure medicine. He has high blood pressure. He should have came in earlier to take it, but he didn’t.” The nurse tells Ronnie.
“You got high blood pressure?” Ronnie asked.
“Yeah, is that a problem?” Max asked annoyed.
“No.” Ronnie answers and Max left the nurse’s office.
“Now Robert, you said you needed something. What is it?” The nurse asked.
“I got a headache. I want to lay down.” Robert said. The nurse lets Robert lay down on the bed and left the room.
“Why are you laying down in here? Are you trying to ditch class?” Ronnie asked Robert.
“I am.” Robert replies closing his eyes. Ronnie left the nurse’s office and went to follow Max.
“Robert is ditching class. What about you?” Ronnie asked Max.
“I don’t know.” Max went into the bathroom and Ronnie followed him. “My head is hurting today.” Max put his back to the wall.
“I hate migraines.”
Madison was sitting at her desk. She felt embarrassed that she had to go back a grade. “This is so embarrassing.” She thought to herself. The teacher had made everyone be partners with the person they were sitting by in the class. They had to work on a homework sheet together. Madison’s partner was Bryan.
“You’re so stupid. You don’t know the answer. Do you?” Bryan asked Madison.
“I am not stupid!” Madison snapped back at Bryan. She felt like he was rather annoying to her as he would say mean things that she didn’t like.
“Answer the question to #3 on our worksheet. I already got #1 and #2 done for us.” Bryan said and went looking down at his paper. Madison sighed and took a look at the question.
“I don’t understand this.” Madison thought feeling upset. She sighs and looks down.
“Hey, it’s 3.” Bryan said and was writing it down on his worksheet. Madison wrote the answer down that Bryan told her.
“I am just having a real bad day today.” Madison said to Bryan. At recess, Madison was sitting there. She was thinking about what had happened to her. Bryan was sitting there on the bench outside. Madison sits down by him.
“You aren’t playing? Why not?” She asked him confused.
“Can’t.” Bryan answers. Madison was confused on why he couldn’t.
“Why can’t you?” She asks him. He looks down.
“My body is in pain.”
“In pain?” Bryan stood up slowly and went over to a teacher that was standing outside. Madison stares as the teacher walks with Bryan to the door to unlock it for him to let him in the school building. “Maybe he’s having a bad day too.” Madison thinks to herself.
When recess was over, Madison had gone inside. When she got to class, she noticed Bryan wasn’t there. “I wonder where Bryan went?” Madison thought to herself. Throughout the whole class, Madison noticed Bryan wasn’t in class. After school was over, the teacher came over to Madison when all the kids were leaving the classroom.
“Madison, can you give Bryan his homework? He’s in the nurse’s office.” The teacher said.
“Okay.” Madison was wondering why Bryan was in the nurse’s office, but she did knew, he said his body hurt. Madison got her things together and left the classroom after she took Bryan’s homework. She went to her locker and was putting her things in her backpack and then put it on her back. She took Bryan’s homework with her to the nurse’s office. She saw Bryan sitting in there on the bed.
“School is over. Time to go,” The nurse tells Bryan.
“Okay…” Bryan said looking down. He slowly got up off the bed.
“Here’s your homework. Why didn’t you come to class?” Madison asked handing the homework to Bryan. He takes it and looks at Madison and back down.
“Body hurted.” Bryan responded and left the nurse’s office.
“Why is his body hurting? Is it wrong for me to ask? Sorry.” Madison felt so curious.
“Bryan has cerebral palsy. It’s something he was born with. It makes his body hurt and sometimes he walks with a limp.” The nurse explains to Madison.
“I didn’t know.” Madison thought. She never did pay much attention to Bryan when he walked. Madison was now walking with Katie. She was going to go to her house to get help with her homework.
“Where were you in school?” Katie asked Madison.
“They held me back. They put me in a grade behind because they don’t think I’m ready for the 6th grade anymore.” Madison replies looking down.
“That’s sad. But don’t worry, I’ll help you with your homework and maybe if you start to get it, they will put you back up a grade.” Katie said with a smile. Madison smiles a little for hope, but still felt like she had no hope for that. She didn’t understand nothing in the 6th grade. 5th grade was also a little challenge for her too, but she was willing to try it.
At home, Robert and Ronnie were there with Bryan and Lacy. Brice was at work and so was Abbilynn. James had gone over a friend’s house. Bryan was laying down in his bedroom. Robert came in there. “Doing okay?” Robert asked him.
“No.” Bryan responded. “I might try to sleep.” Bryan tells him. His body was in pain and all he was tying to do was relax.
“Did you take your medicine?” Robert asks.
“I did.” Bryan responds.
“Good.” Robert left the bedroom. Bryan was falling asleep on his bed slowly.
“I feel like I am hurting so…bad…” Bryan thought to himself. Robert went into the living room.
“Where’s Lacy?” Robert asked Ronnie who was drinking a soda on the sofa.
“I think in the attic.” Ronnie responds. Robert went into the attic and saw Lacy sitting on the floor looking out the window.
“You like looking out that window a lot, don’t you?” Robert asked and shuts the door behind him.
“It helps me think.” Lacy responded. She felt upset and didn’t know if she wanted to tell Robert about it.
“Thinking about something? What is it?” Robert asked curiously and was walking over towards her. Lacy stared over at him and then back out the window.
“I…I… don’t understand why I did that with you and Ronnie… and…and am I wrong for what happened between Steven and me?” Lacy asked and started to cry.
“What happened to you and Steven wasn’t your fault. What Steven did to you.” Robert said and knelt down by Lacy. She was staring at him. Robert touched her face. She blushes at him.
“Steven is a crazy guy.” Lacy thinks to herself and looks away from Robert. Robert lets go of her face.
“You’re still worrying about your mom’s ex-boyfriend? Don’t worry, he can’t get you. He’s in prison.” Robert reassures her.
“I know that but…” Lacy had more tears running down her face. “I feel so disgusting! I hate myself!” Lacy gets up and ran out of the attic.
“If Steven were to ever get out of prison, I wouldn’t let him touch you, Lacy.”