The Guardian Read Online Free Page B

to die.
    With every step forward, I fall further and further behind, until I’m the last person to finish the mile. Mr. Collins has returned to the gymnasium by the time I make it back. I walk past his office without stopping, knowing I’ve failed the run any way.
    Inside the locker rooms, there are only a handful of girls left: showered and fresh, make-up reapplied and hair dry. I walk to an empty shower stall and turn on the hot water, which is lukewarm, at best. I realize, standing there, naked and shivering, trying to wash the rain and sweat and grime away, that it would’ve been better had I not showered at all. I take a few ragged breaths before shutting off the water. I grab my towel and inhale again as I wrap it around my body. I wait for my heart rate to slow, but it doesn’t. It continues to race as if I’m outside, sprinting. Something heavy pushes against my chest. I emerge from the shower, alone in the locker room. I dress quickly, but the more I move, the harder it becomes to find air. I suck in what I can until I’m wheezing. My body shakes. My head feels light, and the room begins to swirl, the fluorescent lights sparkling. I stumble to the sink, grabbing on to the porcelain before I fall.
    My lungs are on fire.
    No matter how hard I try to fill them, I ’m drowning from the inside out. I sway until my body touches the wall. I press my weight into it, sliding to the floor. Breathing. Gasping. Suffocating. I bury my face in my hands, a wave of panic washing over me. I want to cry, but inhaling alone is taki ng every ounce of my strength. My skin tingles, vision blurring.
    And then, on my shoulder, a gentle touch.
    My head jerks up.
    There’s a guy. A strange guy in the girls’ locker room, crouching by my side.
    I should scream, but my chest tightens. I gulp, chok ing.
    “Are you okay?” he asks. His dark brown eyes fix on mine, anxious.
    I shake my head, unable to speak.
    “I didn’t think you had asthma.”
    His voice is low and soothing, his words left floating between us.
    Another raspy breath. Another. I shake my head again.
    “I’m going to get you out of here, okay?” he says. “Do you trust me?”
    Do I have another choice?
    I nod.
    He scoops me in his arms. The motion is effortless, and in a moment he’s on his feet. I wrap my arms tightly around him, burying my face in his neck, breathing in the smell of wind and pine.
    He pulls the door open and moves quickly through the hallway.
    “What’s your name?” I ask between breaths.
    His jaw tightens as we enter the gymnasium. “Mr. Collins!” he calls out.
    I lift my head in time to see my gym teacher jogging toward us.
    “Seth,” he whispers into my ear as he carefully lowers me onto the bottom bleacher.
    “Seth,” I repeat. “Don’t leave me.” Unexpected tears fill my eyes.
    “I won’t,” he replies, tearing my arms away.
    “Genesis?” Mr. Collins asks, kneeling in front of me. “What happened?”
    I shake my head.
    “She’s having trouble breathing,” Seth explains.
    He lifts my chin, examining my lips. “Go in my office and call for an ambulance,” Mr. Collins orders. Seth jumps up and sprints across the gymnasium, the motion so fluid he appears to fly.
    “Breathe through your nose, okay? Try to take slow, even breaths.”
    I obey.
    “You shouldn’t have dressed for PE today, Green. I had some papers in my office you could’ve filed for me instead. Of course, you have to decide which is worse: filing papers or running a mile. Breathe.”
    I take another deep breath. “They both sound pretty great,” I choke.
    Mr. Collins smiles, his youthful, tan face lighting up. “That’s good. Your sense of sa rcasm is still intact. Breathe.”
    I inhale.
    “Hang tight. We’re gonna get you checked out, okay?”
    I nod.
    A few minutes later a paramedic enters the room. That’s when I realize: Seth is gone. He left to make the phone call, but he never came back.
    The even ts following happen in such a rapid