Chapter 9

RAE

Not everyone in Eastown was sadistic like the three cows that started the round of laughter. Three Cows. That was what I’d call them. Forget their names; they didn’t need that much effort from me.

But it appeared a good number of similar residents had ended up in Beverly’s that morning. With my stupid tingles all over the place, I could sense their pleasure at seeing me laid out on the floor. Like, what did I ever do to them?

My back felt like it had split in two, but no one came to help me back up. I was used to the laughter whenever I went on campus, but not at the cafe. That was usually my safe space.

“She looks like a beached whale,” Cow One snorted, and the laughter got louder.

My embarrassment turned to anger. People had been afraid to say anything wrong to me not long ago. Before the doctor had sectioned me for the last time, I hadn’t feared death. I hadn’t feared anything. My meltdowns had been rather public affairs, and scrubbing those images from people’s memories