Chapter Twelve: Pressure

'Hey mom! I'm home!'

No response.

'Mom?'

My dad walked our instead, 'Working late.'

'Isn't she a nurse in training? Why would she still be at work?'

My dad shrugged, 'I don't know, she said something about a lot of patients are admitted in and that they need even trainees.'

I rubbed my chin, 'How strange. Wouldn't this be on the news?'

He pat my shoulder, 'Stop stressing, she's fine kiddo.'

I looked at my dads hand, 'Yeah, of course.'

Going into my room, I threw my bag against the wall and plopped myself onto my bed, 'Paaaain.' Rolling over, I debated dressing into something else or taking a shower. Pulling out my phone, I began to scroll through the news. No matter where I looked, no station had anything health related. I was worried about my mother. She had finished college late because dad had to get her pregnant and delay her from going to college and medical school. She eventually finished, but now shes working as a trainee, or assistant, before she'll be able to do it for greater pay. The fact that she had to Stay and help, is what worries me.

My phone started to ring.

The caller ID displayed to me was, Sarah North, my mom.

Answering, I put it on speaker.

'Hello sweetie, how was school?'

'Wonderful.'

'Did something happen at school?'

'Learning and my club meeting.'

'Oh, well if dad forgot to tell you, I'll be home late tonight.'

'But why!? You're just a trainee?! Are you okay? Safe I mean.'

I could hear my mom chuckling, 'Yes sweetie, I'm "safe,"' she sounded sarcastic.

'If you say so,' I faced away from my phone.

'Well I best get back to work. Tell Josh I said hi,' she hung up.

Perfect timing. I turned and started crying into my pillow. My mother felt unsafe in her current condition, but I couldn't do anything. With a sudden burst of motivation, I hopped off my bed, got naked, grabbed a towel, and gone into the bathroom. 'First; I'll take a shower.' Turning it on, I dropped my towel and got in. With the water hitting my head and trailing down my slender body, I had my hands on my head. Grabbing the bar of soap, I raised my left arm and rubbed the soap along it. Doing the same for my other arm, I then moved to my legs. Putting the bar away, I grabbed the bottle of shampoo. Putting some in my wet hair, I moved my fingers through it, scrubbing my head. After some time, I rinsed my hair and grabbed the conditioner. Repeating the process, I then switched the shower to start filling the bath. Resting on my rear in the tub, I let my head sink into the water. Leaving my eyes and nose above the water, I was just resting there.

Drying my hair, I took a breather, 'Now homework.'

'Sarah, you're so stupid,' it's been hours since I started my homework and I had fallen asleep doing it. Pulling a blanket over me, Josh criticized me.

Feeling like a mess, I stretched as I awoke. Grabbing my phone, I saw I had been alseep for sometime now. Missing a call from Sammy, I called her back. No answer. Shrugging it off, I left my room for dinner. Eating alone at eight o'clock at night didn't seem that weird. Walking out to the kitchen, I glanced at the couch and saw my mother. I wanted to badly talk to her, but she seemed that she had past out due to exhaustion.

Before long, it was the next day. I went through my morning classes as usual till lunch. 'And I'm still lonely,' since Sammy and I broke up, I always say alone at lunch.

'Sarah?'

I turned to the source of the voice, 'Marely! How long has this been your lunch?'

'A hell of a long time,' she pat me on the back, 'Where have you been sitting?'

I looked at her stupidly, 'Alone.'

She grinned, 'Then come meet my friends.'

I was now sitting with a bunch of seniors. As a cute freshman, I was nervous. Eating, I kept away eye contact and stared at the puppy on my sweater.

'Why isn't your friend talking, Marley?'

I my face froze to the mans words.

'She's just shy,' Marely touched my exposed thigh since I was in a skirt, 'I swear they don't bite, just me,' she giggled.

Looking up, my face was filled with horror, 'H-h-hi, I'm Sarah Scones Northwest Terrance,' I gulped down a bite of my burger.

'Oh yeah, she's nervous,' the guy laughed, 'No worries kid, I'm Howard McMillan,' he gave me his hand.

Shaking it, I calmed down a bit.

'Howard's bisexual,' Marley chuckled.

'And you're a degenerate.'

I was doing my best hold in my laugh.

'Sarah,' Marely wrapped her arm around me, 'Laugh, I fucking dare you,' she sounded stupid.

Bursting into laughter, she let her face fall into her hands.

'Why? It wasn't that funny.'

'I bet you smacked her ass, haven't you,' Howard took a sip of his milk.

'She did!'

'I did not,' Marley crossed her arms, 'Ok, maybe.'

Once more, I was saved from feeling alone.

'SARAH!'

I looked out towards the fence separating us from being able to walk away. Sammy was holding onto the fence with a bloody knife. 'S-S-Sammy?'

'I'm here to help, are they bullying you?'

We all stared in shock.

'I know I should've been stronger....AND SO I'LL BE STRONG NOW!'

Kids had pulled put there phones and started recording everything. Security eventually came out to see what was going on.

'I'll be back Sarah! JUST WAIT,' Sammy stabbed a member of security who approached her, 'Don't touch her!' She began to make a run for it.

I cupped my hands over my mouth. I hadn't known how to react.

Marley pulled my face into her breast, 'It's ok, just calm down,' she caressed my hair, 'Shshsh.'

I was freaking out. Sammy seemed so sad and distraught the other day. Now she had gone and shown up to school like a psychopath, and she proceeded to stab a man?! Did she kill someone else too? She preached that she was going to protect me, but I was hoping she hadn't struck another down. I was hoping. Hoping that none had died because of my weakness.