Evelyn Parker

Chapter One

As the school year trudged to a close, the students of Oakwood Valley Middle School were itching to swap their textbooks for beach towels. The summer sun was calling, and everyone was ready to answer — except for Evelyn Parker, who was stuck in the Bermuda Triangle of geometry class.

She despised math as it was perhaps the least enjoyable and least favorite subject she had ever taken. She fought the temptation to sleep, but given how dull the class was, the fourteen-year-old eighth-grader found it nearly impossible to stay awake. She had given up on the assignment ten minutes into the lesson. She simply couldn't concentrate.

Her ADHD had become worse over time, but it seemed particularly awful today. Her mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts and ideas.

So, once again, for the sixth time, she took up her assignment, determined to complete it this time.

Despite the constant boring lectures, she was, nonetheless, extremely excited. Today was the last day of school, and she couldn't wait for the summer to begin.

Her imagination was already on vacation, surfing waves, scaling mountains, and binge-watching movies. The holiday horizon was so bright, she needed sunglasses. But first, she had to survive this hour-long headache of a class without going insane with boredom.

Caught in the clutches of a particularly nasty algebra problem, Evelyn's foot tapped out an SOS on the floor. She wasn't impatient; she was just... eager. Very eager.

Evelyn glanced at the clock. At least forty minutes left. She observed that everyone else in the classroom appeared to be working. Or, at the very least, pretended to.

Exhaling a sigh that practically screamed "save me", she knew her only option was to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm.

With her chin acting as a convenient stand for her palm, she doodled mindlessly in the notebook's margins. Her eyes, weighed down with desperation, stayed glued to the clock, trying to Jedi-mind-trick the hands into moving faster.

Her headache was reaching unbearable levels. She was ready to escape, regardless of whether the class had officially ended.

As the high-pitched trill of the school bell synchronized with the clock's stately minute hand striking twelve, it marked the end of the last school day. The humdrum ambiance of Mrs. Green's geometry class was instantly replaced by a burst of adrenaline-infused chatter.

"Alright, everyone, pencils down and eyes up here," Mrs. Green's voice cut through the classroom chatter like a warm knife through butter. "Don't forget to turn in your final assignments. Have a safe and splendid summer!" Her smile was as bright as the June sun streaming through the windows.

Evelyn, already teetering on the brink of her seat in anticipation, barely registered the collective groan that echoed through the room. The call of her name, however, stopped her in her tracks as effectively as a lasso.

"Evelyn, a moment, please?" Mrs. Green's voice held her grounded, and she swiveled around, her sneakers protesting with a squeak.

Mrs. Green had been the family's primary source of assistance in dealing with Evelyn's condition. Evelyn had always felt at ease in her company, which had become a rarity since her ADHD was diagnosed.

"Yeah, I mean, yes, Mrs. Green?"

"I just wanted to check in with you, dear. After the whirlwind of these past weeks, I've been concerned. How's your head? The headaches easing up?"

Evelyn shuffled her feet, her gaze drifting. "Oh, they're... you know, they come and go. But I've got some tricks up my sleeve now. They're not winning as much."