You Never Know

She did as she was told, sprinting around the track. Bex felt the heat of the day digging deep into her chest, squeezing air out. As her body forced her to slow down, she wondered what it was about her that was so wrong. A fly appeared out of nowhere and blurred her vision, so that everything melted into each other when Bex turned her head. She heard the laughter and shouts of her classmates and gym teacher, and her eyes welled with tears. "Grin and bare it," she thought as she bit her lip to keep from crying. But as usual it didn't work and Bex sobbed as she ran the mile and the world spun around her. The heat continued to cut into her chest as her head pounded. Bex's feet stumbled. Her tennis shoes seemed to press against her sweaty feet and trap them, so that they turned into tight, swollen balls. For a minute Bex lost her balance and fainted. Slowly, black curled around her. The last thing she heard was a giggle from one of the popular girls. "I'll never be good enough," Bex thought, as a tear streamed down her cheek. Then she was enclosed by the darkness.