Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Life and Times of a Not-So-Skinny-Kid

I feel the vibrations of my feet hitting the sidewalk run up my spine. I feel the pounding of my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I feel everything when I'm afraid, but this time, it wasn’t fear. It was pain. The pain in my tired lungs. The pain of overexertion. No! No! No! I don't want to do this! I think.

A whistle blows, and I stop running immediately. I fall to my knees with a loud thump, raising my chubby hands to the sky, silently thanking God. I’m sweating buckets, and I try to look at my feet, embarrassed… But I can’t see them. My stomach is blocking my view

Oh, the pain. The pain that I want to wash away. No, not with sleep, but with Doritos. I want to lick the heavenly cheese flavored goodness off of my fingers.

“Uh, why are you licking your fingers?”

“What?” I raise my eyes to stare at a classmate, index finger in my mouth. I’m salivating like a dog, covering it in spit. Grabbing the attention of the other shorts and t-shirt clad students., I astonish the boy by screaming, “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!?!?” I yank my finger out of my mouth, sending saliva soaring towards his face.

“Nooooo!” He yells in fear, and falls back, trying to escape from the cascade of slobber. But it’s too late, and his whole left cheek is covered in a luminescent liquid dribbling down his neck. “Gross!” He screams like a little girl, going insane with disgust. I spit at him, causing him to run away, horrified. Shrugging, I walk through the path cleared for me, the mob of disgusted looking faces watching my every move.

But before I can get very far, I’m called over to the gym teacher, who says harshly, “YOU THERE! FIVE MORE LAPS!” I fall to my knees again, but this time cursing God, yelling, “WHY?!?!?! WHY?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!”

Then I stand up and waddle away to the track, where I start my slow and painful five laps.


-pen prodigy

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