“I’m… I’m sorry, I’m not feeling very good. I might be in here for a little bit.”
“Oh! Well uh, my bad, sorry for trying to open the door on you.”
Christina heard the girl take a step back, while another teen tried to stifle a little snicker. Then a voice whispered that maybe they should find another restroom.
“Uh yeah. Yeah,” said the teen who had first addressed Christina. “We’ll leave you with some quiet, you know? Sorry again and uh, hope you feel better!”
The sound of the door swinging open arose again and Christina heard the group leave, whispers and light giggles growing quieter as they exited. Relieved, Christina took a deep breath and let her feet back down to the floor.
Back to waiting I guess, she thought.
***
Christina had been sitting on the toilet long enough that her butt started to feel numb. It had felt like a full day had passed, but she knew that was a trick of her mind. It couldn’t have even been thirty minutes, but having nothing to do but concentrate on her situation the minutes had passed by slowly.
Another set of footsteps sounded through the corridor, the slight echo reaching all the way into the restroom. Christina jerked her legs back up as the door squeaked back open.
“Christina? Christina, it’s me.”
“Oh thank god!” she blurted out. “I’ve been driving myself crazy in here.”
A plastic grocery back slid under the stall door and Christina could see a shirt packed in on top of everything else. Her hand darted down and she quickly pulled the shirt out.
“I’m surprised no one came in here,” Sara said.
“Well,” Christina answered, pulling the shirt over her head, “some girls did, but I told them I wasn’t feeling very good and they left.”
“Well that’s clever!”
Christina pulled a pair of jeans out of the bag next and stood up to step into them. Slipping her feet through the legs she pulled the waistline over her ample hips and zipped them. Finally sticking her feet into the sandals Sara had brought she opened the stall door and stepped out. Sara met her, having changed out of the shirt and into her own t-shirt and a skirt.
“Thanks again,” Christina said, relieved to finally be dressed again.
“Well of course, I wasn’t just going to bail on you. You feeling alright?”
“I’m okay now, but… honestly I feel really drained. My heart’s been racing since I left the shower, it’s just starting to slow down.”
“I know what you mean, I’m beat too.”
“Would you be upset if I didn’t want to hang out tonight?”
“No, I was going to suggest skipping it myself. I just want to get dinner and get straight to bed.”
Christina nodded. She’d been thinking the same thing herself. The two girls left the restroom together and barely said a word as they walked out of the school. Christina looked across the sports field where the school’s female soccer team were practicing. The park she crossed through to get home was just on the other side of the field. She saw Sara glancing towards the far side of the school building, towards her home.
Turning back, Sara slipped her arms around Christina and gave her a strong hug. Christina hugged back, and said “maybe we can get together tomorrow night instead?”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan!”
They broke their embrace, and Christina watched her friend turn away and start walking home. She slowly spun on her feet, facing the park, and took a deep, calming breath as she started heading to her house.
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