CHAPTER SEVEN: ATHENA

Weeks have passed, and my silent partner has continued to sit next to me without saying a word. It's as if we have an unspoken agreement between us; ever since he arrived, he has only ever sat next to me. He enters the classroom, sits down, and plugs in his earphones until the teacher enters. I've tried to talk to him, but I can't seem to work up the courage.

Last week, the teacher assigned us a task that required us to write a brief poem about anything we wanted and present it in front of the entire class, which was worth a lot of points. The presentations were one aspect of English that I disliked. When I have to speak in front of people, I get nervous, and when I get nervous, I get sick.

Everyone took turns giving their presentations until Leo and I were the only two left. I went first, blocking out everything as the words came to me; my poem was about my life and all the pain I'm going through.

"I am fear and pain, I wonder if those are all I feel, I hear the voices in my head yell