"Micheal?" I hear a familiar voice say.

I open my eyes slowly and look up. I see Jack sitting right next to me, his face sad and worry-filled. I'm still wrapped in the warm comfortable towel my mom put around me. Which must mean..... I'm still in my birthday suit. I sit up and feel my hair. Mud free. I have to thank my mom for cleaning me like that.

"Micheal?! You're okay?!" I hear Jack say as he perks up and looks at me.

I cough and say "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I tell him.

"Rachel told me you weren't going to make it. That you would die because of the mud in your lungs. How are you feeling?" He says.

Why would Rachel tell him that?

"Doing okay. There is a lot of mud in my body, but it will work it's way out of me in a while. What time is it?" I ask him.

"You've only been out for a few hours. It's 6:24, Pm." He replies.

"Wow, I was out for 3 hours?" I ask Jack.

"Yeah, when mom put you in our house, I came to sit here to make sure you were okay. I didn't want you to die." Jack says as he starts tearing up.

I sit up and wipe his tears away while saying "Don't worry little brother. I'm okay. Thanks for staying with me."

"No problem Micheal. So should we go outside?
mom just put you in here and left, sobbing. Maybe we should tell her you're okay?" Jack suggests.

"Good idea! We have to be careful though. We need to find the safest path to mom, only, we don't know where she is." I say.

"Lets try and get Selena's attention!" Jack says enthusiastically.

"Ok, let me get dressed though." I say.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you outside the door to our room." He says.

He sits up, off our bed, and walks down the stairs. While he's walking, I take the towel off me and look in the mirror. I see a bruise on my chest, clear as day, and one on my head. Where did I get those from? I open my clothes drawer and pick out a blue shirt with black skinny-jeans. I put on my underwear and my muscle shirt. Then, I apply deodorant and put the clothes I picked out on. Should I get my phone? Another accident like today's and it would be ruined. Oh well, I might need it. I grab it and put on a pair Devaul Shoes. I think I have everything I need. Walking down the stairs, I look for Jack. I don't see him anywhere, he must be outside already.

Then, I hear two voices outside. Very familiar ones.

"I can't believe he wants to go to high school. After what just happened, he wouldn't last a single day. Pathetic." I hear a girl say.

"Well, we can give him a chance." I hear a different female voice say.

"He'd get crushed into tiny bloody bits in High School, you know that but you don't want to tell him because it would crush his little dreams. Just tell him already Selena." I hear the voice say again.

Selena?

"I know he wouldn't last. I don't want him to go to High School, he'd probably get bullied, or stepped on. And, I honestly don't think he's smart. But I can't tell him that Rachel!" Selena says.

I gasp at what these girls are saying about me. I breathe quickly and lose my balance. I tumble down a few steps and hit the floor. I start hyperventilating. I try to get up, but I feel like my arms have turned into spaghetti noodles. I can't feel my arms. I can't believe what they said about me. I could last in High School. With Selena, I could!

"Just tell him already. Plus, that bug would follow you around, always asking YOU for something. He'd never leave you alone. He'd be killed in the first two days." Rachel says.

"He's not a bug! At least, I think so. Maybe you're right about this. I don't want him to be following me around, asking for annoying things. I guess I'd better tell him. Thanks Rachel." Selena says.

"You're welcome." Rachel says as I hear foot steps walking away.

I can't breathe. Is this what everybody thinks? I wouldn't survive the first day in high school?! I hear the door open and I crawl under the bookshelf.

"Micheal? Are you here? Are you in your house? I have to tell you something." She says.

I see her yellow flats and parts of her ankles come closer, to look in the house.

"Micheal?" She says out loud.

"Micheal?! Where are you? Micheal!" She shouts.

I stand up, and run over to her shoe, and kick it really hard. She looks down at me and sighs.

"Thank god," she says.

"I would last in High School! Without your help! I could make it! Just because I'm small, it doesn't mean I'm mental or dumb! I'm a person! Not, a bug!" I yell at her with everything I'v got.

She has a look of sadness on her face. She reaches out to pick me up but I slap her fingers away and run under the bookshelf. Into the deepest darkest corner. Why would my own sister say something like that about me? Doesn't she believe in me?

"Micheal, I'm sorry but.... It's true. Face it, a boy like you couldn't last in High School. I mean you're very smart, but your size will affect everything. How you get around, how you turn your homework in. It just doesn't seem possible. Especially after the incident today. You have to be more careful." She says in a soft tone.

I try holding my anger in, but I just..... pop.

"I crawl out from under the bookshelf and look at Selena.

I shout "This was your fault! If you hadn't had stepped on me, and pushed me in the mud in the first place, I may have had a chance to go to high school! This wasn't my fault! You didn't check to see where you were going and you almost killed me! I could make it in High School! Size doesn't matter! It's what I have on the inside that counts! So leave me alone! No good sister would call me a dumb, idiotic bug, like you did!"

I see her face twitch. She looks down at me, with tears pouring out. A giant salty-tasting tear fall right on my face, like a soft punch. I stumble back and fall.

"I stepped on you? I almost killed you? I.... I..... I'm sorry Micheal. I didn't see you there. I ruined your only chance to actually go to high school. I'm so sorry." She says.

She slowly moves her hand towards me and gently carries me to her. She's crying.

"I'm sorry Selena, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I just....." I stop mid-sentence.

I feel something coming up. Out of my stomach. It's a lump, traveling up my throat. I grab Selena's index finger and move my head away from her hand. I throw up a brown liquid pile of mud. I cough, and try to stop it, but more just keeps coming out. Tears come out of my eyes, from the pain of the dirty, nasty mud coming out of my mouth. Lumps of twigs, leaves, and dirt come out of me, I never knew they were inside of me. When I feel like it's all gone, I let my head drop onto Selena's thumb.

"Micheal, are you okay?!?" She asks me, wiping her tears away with her left hand.

"I think...." I cough the words out, "I could use some water though."

Selena keeps me safely in her palm, as she opens the door and walks to the kitchen. She grabs a barbie doll playhouse cup, that was painted gray or me, and she fills it with water. She hands it to me and I hold the cup to my lips and drink all the water. I breathe and I think the mud is out of my system. Thank god.

"Thanks Selena. I'm sorry for making you feel bad. You really are a good sister." I say looking up at her beautiful face.

"I'm sorry Micheal. I didn't mean what I said. Should we go tell mom you're ok?" She says.

"Yeah, lets go." I say.

She picks me up carefully, and walks to my mom's room. I haven't asked for my birthday wish yet, and this might not be the good time, but I'm going to ask my mom my big question. If I can go to high school, or not. I'm super scared right now.