It was finally time for the Biology presentations. I was first and just wanted to get it out of the way, because my project was so poorly done that I wasn’t even sure I was going to pass. Regardless, I had to present something. The only other thing would’ve been to tell Mrs. Smith why I couldn’t do it right, but she would’ve just taken it as validation for her argument for sending me somewhere to get “help” that I didn’t need or want. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

“It’s presentation day!” cheered Mrs. Smith. She was always so happy to see us walk up and spout out information we had learned. “And first up is- oh… Um, Diane?”

She gave me this concerned, worried look and rushed over to me before I could even get up. Typical. She probably wanted to have some chat before I presented.

“Are you sure you can do this?” she whispered. “I’ve seen you have some trouble-”

“I’m fine.” I interrupted crassly. I wasn’t about to admit I couldn’t stand up and talk for a few minutes.

“I know you think you’re fine, but I’m worried. We can talk about how to make up the marks later, but I just don’t-”

“I. Am. Fine.” I hissed. “I’m not crippled, and I’m not disabled, so treat me like a normal student please.”

“Could you at least sit down while you present?” she pleaded. “Diane, dear, I really don’t think it’s a good idea to push yourself by standing right now.”

“You do it all day, and so does everyone else. Please stop treating me like I’m just going to shatter into pieces at any second!”

I grabbed my project and marched to the front of the class. I wasn’t about to let her treat me like some glass figure. I could stand and talk with my poster board and notecards like everyone else. I turned around and faced the class, getting a full view of everyone. Mrs. Smith’s worried expression, Lucille’s sneer, and Robin’s face that I couldn’t quite read.

“Look at them. All judging you for putting yourself on display like this. I mean, you can’t even bother to look presentable!”

“Ok Diane,” sighed Mrs. Smith. “Start whenever you’re ready.”

Finally! I got started on my presentation immediately. I mumbled and stumbled through some of it, probably because I didn’t actually get to practice presenting it too much, but overall it could’ve gone worse. Probably. I knew that turning back to my poster board for info would give me vertigo after a while, so I had to squint at my cue cards in my shaky hands. But my vision started getting blurrier and blurrier until I was almost closing my eyes from squinting so hard.

About five minutes in, my sight was too swirled to see the cards right. I started mixing up lines and stuttering and stumbling even harder. My brain felt all fogged up, and I could hardly concentrate on what I was doing.

“Come on bitch, just fucking do it!! Clean your fat ass’ act up or you’re just going to prove that teacher right! So get your shit together now!!!”

Things only got worse from there though. I was getting light-headed and dizzy, and when I reached for something to steady myself, my hands came up with nothing. Even while struggling so much, I had to keep my presentation going!

“Your fat ass looks challenged. Stop looking like such an idiot!”

I’m really trying here.

“You never were good at doing anything right. That's why I’m here.”

“Diane!” Mrs. Smith snapped. I think she had been trying to get my attention. The class was snickering. “Go sit down.”

“What?!” I cried. “B-but I’m only halfway through, and-”

“Don’t argue. We will talk about this later.”

I stood there for a second, stunned and angry, before grabbing my stuff and walking back to my desk. I was so pissed off. She basically didn’t even give me a chance, and now I was definitely going to fail! I was almost back to my desk when that hell of a headache just released all of its tension. It was probably just the best feeling in the world, and it was so good that my vision went black and my body stopped supporting me. Wait no, I was just passing out, and I couldn’t stop it.

Even if it was just for a few seconds, I lost consciousness and hit the ground. At least I didn’t have to feel the initial pain from the impact. When I came to, my headache was back, all my classmates were staring, and Mrs. Smith was kneeling over me. I was trying to fully understand what had just happened, but everything was spinning in my head. I tried to listen to the talk all around me, but it was like cotton had been shoved in my ears.

“Diane?” said the calm, muffled voice of Mrs. Smith. “Diane, listen to me, honey. Does anything hurt?”

“Mmm…” I was mumbling and trying to force out words, but I mostly just nodded. “...e-everything… h-hurt…”

That definitely wasn’t a lie, because my entire body felt like it was on fire. My muscles had been fed up with me I guess, and just decided to cause me as much agony as I could process. Not to mention that constant migraine throbbing around harder than ever now.

“Diane, listen to me, because I’m only asking once. Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“Say no, bitch!”

She probably knew I was going to drop, and that’s why she’s so calm! This was her plan all along! She really wanted me to go just so she could be proven right! I tried declining, but what words I could force out could’ve been articulated better by a newborn. She took it as a yes. Mrs. Smith turned around to the class.

“Everyone into the hallway, now. Make proper room for paramedics!” she ordered around. “And Emily, tell the office we need an ambulance, and call T-99.”

T-99 was just a team of teachers who were trained in first aid and handled situations like these. Everyone flooded out of the room while a girl got a hold of the office. Robin was the only student who stayed, and she got on her knees next to my head.

“Can I stay?” she asked, almost begging.

“Yes, of course!” Mrs. Smith said. “If you have no problems with it, Diane?”

I tried to talk, but just slurred a bunch of nonexistent words together and nodded. With what little I could feel, I mostly had anger that Diana was making me push towards them. Deep underneath it all though, I was scared. I was secretly terrified every day that my body would reach its breaking point. And that something like my heart would give out, and I would have to lay there unable to do anything as my friends and family watched me die. Sometimes it kept me up more than Diana. 

“Charlotte, what’s happening?” I heard one of the T-99 teachers ask Mrs. Smith.

“It’s Diane,” she said. “She’s got bad anorexia.”

“It’s not severe!” I argued back, finding the strength to talk again. Well, it was more just Diana using my mouth at this point. “You’re just severely nosy.” Mrs. Smith wasn’t having it.

“Like I said, she’s got severe anorexia and I think that’s why she passed out.”

“Did you call an ambulance?” the other teacher asked. Mrs. Smith nodded. “Well, we can’t do much for anorexia, but maybe we can get her something to eat?”

“No! I can’t! I don’t want it!” It was still just me spouting out Diana’s words though. She was shielding me against anything that might’ve damaged my figure. The honest truth was that I would’ve killed for just a crumb of something if she let me. I was so hungry inside…

Despite my shouting and protesting, the teacher went to the first aid kit and pulled out a granola bar from a small baggie. She tossed it to Mrs. Smith, who started to unwrap it. I could feel Diana going absolutely ballistic in my head.

“Don’t fucking eat that, bitch! One bite and you’re a dead girl!!”

I pulled my head away and screamed about how I didn’t want or need it. There’s nothing more I would’ve wanted than to take a bite, but Diana would’ve never let me get past it. She refused to allow me.

“Please Diane,” begged Robin. “Just a bite won’t kill you. We’re trying to save you!”

I still kept refusing to let the food pass my lips, and Mrs. Smith eventually stopped, handed the food to the teacher, and whispered something in her ear. Then she coldly turned back to me.

“Fine then, if that’s how you want to be, the paramedics will be here soon. They’ll take care of you whether you like it or not.”

“They’re not going to take care of you! They’re gonna make sure you’re laughably overweight!! You have to go, NOW!!”

I tried my best efforts to get up, but it just wasn’t happening. I wasn’t strong enough to list myself up right now, and even if I could, Robin and Mrs. Smith would’ve pulled my right back down.

“LAZY ASS BITCH, GET UP RIGHT NOW OR YOU’LL PAY HELL FOR IT!!!”

I tried my best to get myself up, and right when I was starting to rise, Robin saw what I was trying to do. She rushed to hold me down.

“Diane, stop!” she exclaimed. “This is for your own good!”

“No, no, no!” I screamed like a toddler, struggling to do what I could against Robin. “When have you known what’s good for me?! When have any of you?! They’re just gonna take all my control away and make me so fat!”

Robin was getting ready to tell me off, probably about how it was only going to make me healthy or something, when Mrs. Smith signaled her to not. She probably knew I only had so much energy to resist, and that it was only a matter of time before I tired myself out. And that’s exactly what happened, because about three minutes later, I was lying there, silently crying, while Robin comforted me. I was so afraid of the moment those paramedics would walk through the door.