I heard the familiar click of the front door as it shut behind me, locking automatically.
I passed my brothers in the living room behind the couch, catching a glimpse of the TV screen.
I enjoyed the plush carpet against my bare feet as I headed upstairs, leaving my bedroom door slightly ajar.
I placed my after-shower clothes on my bed, pulling my shirt over my head as the shirt lingered on my forearm before settling in the palm of my hands as I balled it up, making a basketball and dunking it into the hamper across the room, swish it went as it bounced around the empty hamper, unraveling once it touched the bottom.
I was drawn to the ground as a sensational sting in my neck rushed me to the floor. Holding my neck, I tried to regulate my breathing, gasping deeply as I tried to focus my eyes on anything around the room, trying to stay conscious.
I hadn't realized I was screaming until I saw my bedroom door flash open.
I couldn't raise my head any longer without feeling dizzy, and my grip on my neck prevented further movement.
All I could see were many sets of feet surrounding me.
I sat fully down on the floor, leaning against the duvet of my bed.
I let my neck go and slowly raised my head, allowing it to lay on the side of the bed like the rest of my body.
I couldn't open my eyes yet, and my ears were filled with music. I raised my hand to my ear, but my headphones were on my desk near my phone.
What was that sound, then?
As I stopped flicking at my ears, I let my hands rest by my sides.
As my left arm moved down, I felt a twinge leave my neck, travel down my spine, up through my stomach, out onto my shoulder, bubbling down the same left arm. My eyes caught on, following the sensation through my arm under my skin, halting directly into my left palm. Excruciating pain soared through my entire hand. Laying it flat, palm up, right there etched into my skin.
"P."
