Chapter 36: The Morning of Uncertainty

A few weeks had passed since Ashley moved in with Karen and her family, and now the day had finally arrived for her to start at her new school. As she stood in front of the mirror, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She had been looking forward to this moment, but now that it was here, she felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. Ashley slipped on her brand new Air Jordans, the ones she had been saving up for, and her new clothes, which Karen had helped her pick out. She looked at herself in the mirror, trying to boost her confidence. But as she turned to walk out of her room, she felt a sudden wave of nausea hit her. Her stomach churned with anxiety as she thought about walking into a new school, meeting new people, and trying to make friends. She felt like she was going to be sick. Ashley quickly walked to Karen, who was making breakfast in the kitchen. "Karen, umm... I'm not feeling well today," Ashley said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Karen turned around, concern etched on her face. "What's up, sweetie? You look a little pale." Ashley stuttered, trying to come up with a believable excuse. "Ahh... umm... I don't know... I just don't feel right, I guess." Karen put down the spatula she was holding and walked over to Ashley. "Do you think it's nerves about starting school today? You're going to do great, Ashley. You're going to make lots of new friends and learn so much." Ashley shook her head, trying to appear as if she wasn't feeling anxious about school. "No, it's not that... I just... I don't know... my stomach is just upset, I think." Karen nodded, but Ashley could tell she wasn't entirely convinced. "Okay, well, why don't you take it easy today and we can talk to the school about maybe starting tomorrow instead?" Ashley hesitated, knowing she didn't want to go to school today. But she also didn't want to keep putting it off. She needed to face her fears and just go. But for now, she was grateful for the reprieve. "Yeah... that sounds good, I think," she said, trying to sound relieved. As Karen led her back to her room to lie down, Ashley couldn't help but feel like she was just delaying the inevitable. She knew she would have to face her fears eventually, but for now, she was just going to have to pretend to be sick.