Page 206 - The Life of A Teenage Girl (Stories About Finding Your Way)

THE LIFE OF A TEENAGE GIRL

And there I was, alone, standing in the middle of the hall, confused
about where to go. I started to panic—and when I panic, the enzymes

in my body start to rise, making my body boil. I started hallucinating. I

didn’t know what to do at all. But that’s when I heard a voice saying,
“Dahlia! Over here!”

I turned to see who it was, and it was a teacher standing at a
classroom door, waving at me. I went to her and asked, “Uh, is this the

Science class? That’s my first period.”
She smiled and said, “Yes! Come on in.”

I went in and saw all the kids staring at me, whispering to each

other, and giving looks. I didn’t know if they were talking about me,
but it was giving me bad vibes. I sat beside a short, dark-haired girl,

and it seemed like she knew me.

I mumbled, “Uh, hi… I’m Dahlia.”
She smiled and said, “I know. Everybody knows you.”
“Really?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yep. The principal came to the class yesterday and told us you
were coming. She said you even have an… enzyme problem, right?”

Wait—if she knows, the class knows, and the teacher knows, that
means my parents told them. They told them about my health problem!

Great, now everyone knows about my Fabry disease.
“Uh, yes, I do have a health problem,” I answered with a little

frown.

“I’m Mara, by the way. Nice to meet you!” She extended her hand,
and I shook it.

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