Paper Thin

• 17: Dizzy •

Melody

I woke up in the morning to grey skies, and I thought maybe it would be a cool day. I hated grey skies though they often matched what I was feeling on the inside. I dragged myself out of bed. My legs shook as I stood up and an all too familiar wave of dizziness hit me, making me sigh.

Today would be a long day.

I pulled on a pair of boyfriend jeans, and a long-sleeved black shirt. I left my hair down but did my makeup and grabbed a hair elastic in case it got hot. I put on a pair of black sneakers and headed downstairs. I grabbed an apple from the kitchen, as Leslie was there, but I didn't want to eat it.

It took me a little longer than usual to get to school, as I practically stumbled all the way there. As I walked, the clouds dissipated, and the sun began to shine, making it hotter than I expected it to be, and even hotter than yesterday.

I made it to English with a minute to spare and flopped into my seat, my legs shaking with agony. Carson's head whipped around to face me, but Mr. Garcia began teaching, making him turn back and pull out his book.

I couldn't concentrate on what we were reading, as there was a faint ringing in my ears that would vanish and come back periodically. I also felt overwhelmingly hot, so I rolled up my sleeves, but it didn't really help. I also noticed Carson kept glancing up at me, which made me too self-conscious, and focused on how I looked reading, rather than actually reading.

After class I packed my things slowly and waited until most people got out of the classroom to stand up. My legs quavered but I ignored it and grabbed my bag. When I had just stepped out of the room, Carson's voice startled me.

"Were you okay last night?" He asked. There was a slight edge to his voice, as if he were nervous or something. I had to be mistaken.

"What do you mean?" I replied in confusion.

"I texted you," Carson said. My eyes widened, and I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

What're you up to?

Carson White; 10:01pm

"Oh, sorry! I was sleeping already," I told him, my face heating as I spoke. His face brightened, and his lips curled into a half smile.

"That's okay, I'm glad you were resting," Carson said. "Anyways, we should get to class before we're late." I nodded and regretted it immediately as the light-headedness hit me again. I tried to read his face, hoping he didn't notice it before we went our separate ways.

***

I was dizzy and hot in history class, but the lights were off, and we continued watching yesterday's movie, so I felt a bit better – especially when I rested my head against the desk. However, the downside was that when I did get up at the end of class, I was so light headed I sat down again, pretending I was looking for something.

I slowly stood up again and grabbed my stuff, ignoring the questioning glance I was now getting from my teacher, Mrs. Dunn. I blushed and left the room hastily, ignoring the wobble of my legs and the ringing in my ears.

***

I sat in the art room with Ms. Foster for lunch once again and was grateful that the classroom remained set up like yesterday. However, I knew that meant we'd have to spray paint again today, which was partially why I wore plain clothes. On the other hand, I was a little more stressed than I normally was to spray paint, as the fumes had bothered me last time and I felt worse today than I did yesterday.

I folded my arms across the table in front of me, and rested my head on them, trying desperately to cool down and shake the woozy feeling away. Ms. Foster ate her lunch and as she entered in grades on the computer, while glancing at me occasionally.

"Tired today?" She asked after twenty minutes of quiet.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

It wasn't a lie; I felt completely drained of energy, but it wasn't in the sense of sleep deprivation. I knew that's what she meant, but I wasn't going to tell her that I was dizzy, and my legs felt like noodles.

After that, we were quiet again, except for the sound of her fork hitting the glass container of her lunch, the clicking of the mouse, the tapping of the keyboard, and the distant sound of voices in the hallway.

"Are you okay?" Ms. Foster asked, startling me. My wild heartbeat said otherwise, but I sat up slowly and nodded. I took out my sketchbook and began doodling in the corner, hoping not to concern her any more.

Luckily, the bell soon rang, and students began pouring into the room. I went over to my easel beside Emma and we began spray-painting once again. Students were excitedly moving about, spray-painting, getting stencils, and chattering. It made the room hotter, and the fumes were definitely affecting me more than yesterday. My ears were ringing, and I felt extremely light-headed.

I got off my stool and my legs quivered with every step I took towards Ms. Foster.

"Can I go outside?" I asked quietly. She eyed me worriedly, but I didn't want to tell the truth, though I definitely didn't feel okay.

"Of course. I'll be hovering near the door if you need me," Ms. Foster replied.

"Um, sure." I quickly turned around and stepped outside the room. I slightly stumbled towards the wall before leaning against it. I glanced down at the floor but seeing how dirty it was I decided to remain standing. I rested my head against the wall. The wall was cool, which helped to cool me down a little. Then I noticed Carson walking towards me.

The concern on his face was evident, and I could hear it in his voice once he spoke.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Carson asked, standing in front of me. He was wearing his gym clothes, and I wondered why.

"We're spray-painting in class and the fumes were too much," I responded. My voice sounded as if it didn't come from my mouth, like it was far away. I felt oddly disconnected from my body and couldn't feel my arms and legs.

"Maybe you should sit. You look pale," Carson noted. I opened my mouth to respond, but my knees buckled, and everything seemed to go bla–

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A/N: Hii! Surprise! A second upload 2 days later! It's a short chapter but I left you on a cliff hanger!! Hehe! I definitely want to know what you think! So blow up the comment section! I'll respond to every comment! :D

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Dess for being super awesome!