Chapters My mom flicked on the light, snapping me out of my dream. “Rise and shine, dear! It’s time for your first day of school, remember?” She said, walking over and giving me a hug as I climbed out of bed.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Is something wrong, Pastel?” She asked.
“I don’t… like school.” I finally said; cerebral palsy makes it hard for people to speak and unfortunately I wasn’t an exception.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you to your class. You’ll be fine! So hurry up. I made pancakes and they’re better hot.” My mom said, before walking out.
I smiled a little. Those were my favourite. I put on some clothes I hoped the kids at school would like and then went to the kitchen. There, sitting on the table, were two stacks of pancakes. Sitting next to one of them was my dad.
“Hi Pastel.” He said, as I pulled my wheelchair up to the table, “You’re all dressed up today.”
“Yes, Rocks Glass, she’s starting her next year of school today. I marked it on the calendar last week.” My mom said, putting her own plate on my other side.
My dad ignored her. I don’t know if it was because he was still tired from being up all night bartending or if he was still mad at the argument they had last week. But I don’t think he’d be very happy either way; when he heard I was taking a Religious Education class, he started yelling about how he hated Christianity.
Eventually, he and I finished eating and my mom finished her cup of coffee just about the same time my dad had his third. She then turned to me, “Well Pastel, are you ready to go?” She asked.
I glanced over at my dad. He looked like he was going to fall asleep and use his last pancake as a cushion. I wanted to say goodbye but I really have a hard time talking, especially when I’m nervous.
“Bye.” I eventually said.
My dad waved goodbye as the minivan pulled out of the driveway. My mom didn’t look up. I wanted to wave back myself but I was too busy getting the straps on my wheelchair done right; because I can’t walk, it's easier for me to ride in the back in my own chair.
“Pastel, is something wrong?” My mom asked, a minute or so later, once we were driving to school.
“No.” I stuttered, “J-Just nervous.”
“Okay then. Just remember that if any of the other kids are mean to you, you need to tell me.” My mom said over her shoulder.
“I understand.” I managed to say. We spent the rest of the ride in silence.
Just as she promised, she wheeled me right to the classroom once we arrived at the school. The words “2T” were written on a chalkboard attached to the door.
“This should be it.” Said my mom, “Mr Aptitude Test’s class. Have a fun day and remember to make a good impression, alright? I’ll be back at one thirty to fetch you.” With that, my mom gave me a kiss on the forehead and walked out the door.
I waved her goodbye, not wanting to draw any attention to my slurred speech if I didn’t have to. The classroom itself look nice, with cheerful posters on the walls, a few beanbags and bookshelves in one corner and a board with row of names and stars on another.
Before I could get a closer look at anything, the bell rang and kids started walking into the class. None paid any attention to me; they were all happy talking to each-other and discussing how their holidays went. My desk was right in the back too, and the only other child in that row, a girl with curly pink hair and an old-fashioned looking dress, was talking to somebody in the row in front who looked like her sister.
About a minute later, once everyone had found their desk, the teacher walked into the classroom, hanging a bright red coat on a hook by the door as he did. After setting his briefcase on the desk, he turned to us, and clapped his hands to get our attention.
“Good morning class!” He said.
“Good morning Mister Aptitude Test.” Everyone else but me said.
“Now, I’m told we have a new student joining us this year. Let’s all give a warm welcome to Pastel Palette.” He said, nodding to me.
Instead of saying anything, I just stared down at my feet. Suddenly my new tennis shoes didn’t look so cool anymore.
“What’s wrong with her?” One boy whispered to the girl next to him.
“Yeah. She’s really weird.” Said somebody else.
“I know right, what’s with that chair?” A boy sitting in front of me said.
“There’s nothing wrong with being shy everyone. We all get scared when we have to meet lots of new people all at once. Now why-”
Somebody’s hand shot up. Then, before Mr Test could finish, she stood up and started talking, “Teacher, is she stupid or something? I don’t think she doesn’t want to talk. I don’t even think she can.”
“Now Rarity that was very mean. You shouldn’t-”
“But if she can’t talk, why is she even here? Is she retarded?” The girl said, crossing her arms and stamping a foot. A tear rolled down my cheek. That really hurt!
“Sit. Down. Now. We’ll talk about that later.” The teacher said, spotting me, crying, in the corner. I wanted to go home.
“You okay?” The girl sitting next to me asked.
I shook my head.
“You’ll get used to her, she's okay once you get to know her,” She continued.
I tried to talk but I could only shake my head. Then I shot up in my chair, and started to shake harder. I was having a seizure! Why now, of all the times?
“Teacher! Teacher!” The pink-haired girl said, waving her hand in the air. He spotted it, and rushed over, saying a word my parents yelled but I wasn’t allowed to say as he ran.
“Alright.” He said to the class, “Please stay calm and wait outside, like we practiced.”
The rest of the seizure lasted only half a minute, but it was awful. I was so embarrassed that everyone saw me like that. I thought my mom had told the teacher what to do if that happened.
Author's Note
This is about my life so please be nice and not rude comments
Later that day on the playground, the pink-haired girl, whose name I later found out to be Pinkie Pie, wheeled me out onto the playground, then knelt down to my level.
“So what do you want to do?” Pinkie asked me.
Because of my seizure earlier in the day it was difficult for me to talk; but even more difficult than when I’m nervous, so instead of saying something I pointed with a hand to the merry-go-round that was situated in the middle of the playground.
“Oh, do you want to go on the merry-go-round?” Pinkie asked me.
I nodded my head, so Pinkie wheeled me to the merry go round and picked me up. Then that she laid me on the merry-go-round and started spinning it slowly, so as not to upset me.
“Weeeeeee!!!!!” Pinkie squealed.
A crowd of people of varying sizes and shapes had gathered near the merry-go-round to see what was going on. Unfortunately for me, one of them was Rarity, sitting, and looking rather annoyed.
“Hey Pinkie, let me have a turn!” a purple skinned girl called from the crowd.
Pinkie stopped the merry-go-round but didn’t pick me up. I looked at Pinkie in confusion.
When the girl approached the merry-go-round she took one look at me, and suddenly made a beeline for the slide.
“Hey, where are you going?” Pinkie called after her but the girl didn't turn back.
Pinkie looked at me, shrugged, and picked me up to put me back in my wheelchair.
“There you go,” Pinkie said, once she got me positioned correctly.
“Pinkie, I don't feel good!” I said with a grimace.
“What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, concern evident in her voice.
“I…..i…..d...don’t...kn...know,” I managed to get out.
“Hey!” a young girl with orange skin and a cowboy hat called, greeting me as she walked over.
“Hey there, Applejack,” Pinkie greeted the orange skinned girl with a friendly grin.
“Well, hi there!” the other girl, who I inferred to be Applejack, greeted me.
But instead of saying hi I just turned my head away.
“Aww, don't be shy sugar,” Applejack said when she noticed that I was not looking at her.
“Well, if it isn't the little retarded girl!” Rarity yelled from behind me.
“Hey, Rarity just leave her alone!” Applejack said when she noticed Rarity was yelling at me.
Rarity walked away not looking back. When Rarity was gone I started to cry.
“Don't cry,” Applejack said as she hugged me.
“It's gonna be ok, sweetie,” a very sweet voice said from behind me and a gentle hand on my shoulder.
I turned my head towards the voice.
“Hey there sis,” a girl with Rainbow coloured hair told me.
I was so excited that I started screeching with excitement.
“Hey, just calm down, I knew you would be very happy to see me again,” Rainbow spoke as she took a napkin from her bag and wiped the drool off my mouth.
“You come home after school today?” I asked my sister once I had calmed down enough to be able to talk.
“I'm sorry but I'm not coming back home,” my sister apologized. I was getting upset about my sister not coming back home, my hands were shaking and I couldn't control my breathing.
“Pastel, are you ok?” Pinkie asked me as I started rocking back-and-forth.
“Not OK.” I mumbled.
“Why?” Pinkie asked me.
“Not coming home!” I screeched.
When I came back into the classroom I was still screaming and I kept repeating one sentence to myself.
“Not coming home!” I kept repeating out loud while I was rocking back and forth.
“Who is not coming home?” My teacher asked me.
“My sister Rainbow!” I said not making eye contact with the teacher.
“Pastel, please look at me, everything is ok,” my teacher said.
Pinkie who had accompanied me inside was sitting at her desk.
I was drooling on the table of my electric wheelchair.
My teacher went to get a towel to get rid of my drool.
Once the teacher came close to me so he could get the drool off of my face, but I didn't want him to be so close to my face so I just hit him.
“OW, Pastel, don't hit me!” My teacher scolded me.
“Was bad?” I asked when I saw my teacher’s face.
“Yes,” Mr Aptitude said holding his left arm.
I started to spit at my teacher.
“PASTEL PALETTE, If you can’t behave you’re going in time out!” Mr Aptitude said pointing to the corner.
“Me go!” I said driving into the corner, and turned my electric wheelchair off.
“I will get you when the timer goes off, I'll set the timer for 12 minutes, ok?” My teacher told me setting a timer on a table and put on 12 minutes.
I nodded not looking at Mr Aptitude.
After the 12 minutes were up, my teacher came and got me, then he proceeded with the lesson.
“Today we will learn a recipe for cooking class on Wednesday with Mrs Wind, she is our head cook and she will be teaching you how to make apple pie,” Mr. Aptitude said as a woman with gray hair tied in a bon, came into the classroom, mrs. wind had a long flowing dress on, her eyes were a nice shade of yellow.
Rarity rolled her eyes at Mrs Wind, behind me the girl in the old fashion dress was furiously scribbling away in a notebook, but I didn’t dare turn my head to ask what she was drawing for fear that Rarity was going tell on me.
“So who can tell me what goes into an apple pie?” Mrs Wind asked in a sing song type of voice I noticed.
I raise my hand to get the teachers attention.
“Yes, Pastel,” Mrs Wind said.
I was hesitant to speak, because I know the other students would make fun of me.
“Um, for an apple pie you need,” I trailed off when I heard the other students behind me starting to mimic my voice and my slurred speech.
“Go on,” Mrs. Wind encouraged me.
I looked at Pinkie who nodded in approval and agreement, so I took a deep breath and continued explaining.
“So, what you need for an apple pie, you need apples, preferably the ones from Sweet Apple acres, and then you also need sugar,” I continued to explain.
I couldn’t pronounce the word sugar properly, so what came out of my mouth and what the other students heard was suwar, some of the students were laughing while others were making funny faces.
But much to my disappointment the teacher didn’t notice.
“Hey,” the girl with the old fashion dress on whispered, so I turned around, but as soon as I turned around.
Rarity, noticed that I had turned around and she got Mrs. wind’s attention.
“Mrs Wind, look, Pastel is passing a note,” Rarity said so loud that the other students could hear.
Mrs. Wind walked over towards my desk, mrs Wind came down to my level.
“Pastel, did you pass a note just now?” Mrs. wind asked me in her calmed possible, I shook my head no, because the girl behind me was only showing me her drawings but I didn’t have the guts to tell mrs Wind that.
“Ok, Pastel you need to tell me if somebody passed you a note,” mrs Wind address to me.
I turned around looking at that girl in the old fashion dress who had a small grin on her face.
“I should’ve known you were too stupid to say yes, you little klutz,” she whispered to me.
Then Rarity and the girl in the old-fashioned dress who I presumed to be named Petunia because of one of the petunia petals in her hair, whispered to each other and giggled, and I knew that Petunia was not to be trusted, because if she was working for Rarity’s dad, who was a business owner of large businesses, anything could go wrong with those two.
Author's Note
I can’t wait for more feedback and I hope that you like the story so far, next step will be Pastel moving to one of the higher classes, in America that would be middle school.
Actually the elementary school, the middle school and the high school are all in the same building, just in different classrooms, but now I need to figure out how Pastel will move middle and high school classes, because they are in the same building, you have any suggestions on how I can pull that off please leave them in the comments below.
When I was done with my last class of the day.
Pinkie wheeled me out of the school and to the little red van that was parked outside, then the driver of the van, took me to the back of the van and loaded me in the back, as we waited for the other students Pinkie got off of the van after the driver had put me in the back.
“Hey, Pinkie, where are you going? Are you coming with me?” I asked with a noticeable strain in my voice.
“No, I can’t, this is the special-needs van, I go in a different van, but I will see you tomorrow, ok?” Pinkie answered getting off of the van and closing the sliding door.
For the first time in a really long time I felt alone, I felt like nobody wanted to be my friend, not even Pinkie.
“Seatbelts everyone,” The driver called, the van started going.
“Hey, look, there is the spastic!” a boy shouted as he pointed at me. All of a sudden the van ride felt like it would go on for an eternity, I literally felt sick to my stomach.
The first people that were dropped off were Jonathan and his brother Julius, they both had cerebral palsy.
When I was enrolled in elementary school on the first day I met Jonathan but his brother Julius came a year later to the school.
The second person to be dropped off, was the boy who had called me a spastic, I think his name was Sebastian. And after Sebastian got dropped off, the van ride became very peaceful, Sebastian’s friend Simon got dropped off before me because we lived on the same street.
“See you tomorrow,” Simon said as he got out of the van.
I didn’t say anything, because I knew that the minute I open my mouth Simon would be gone.
The van started to go, and the driver put on the radio.
The song that was playing on the radio was called the first cut is the deepest by Sheryl Crow, she is a very good singer, I love her work.
After we dropped off simon, the van continued on its way now the only person left in the van was me.
I lived 12 blocks from Simon, so the van ride home from Simon’s, wasn’t very long.
When the van pulled up to my house, my dad was waiting outside for me, once I got out of the van my dad walked over to where the van was.
“Hi, thanks,” My dad said to the driver, the driver gave a small smile before he got back into the van and drove away.
My dad took me inside and help me out of my coat and gloves and hat, then he took me up to my room and laid me on the beanbag, the reason why I had to lie down three times a day because sitting in the wheelchair too long would make me very stiff.
“How was your first day of school, sweetie?” My dad asked me, sitting next to me on the beanbag.
”I...had a very good day,” I lied to my dad which I have never done before.
“Did you make a new friend, today?” My dad asked when he saw my small grin.
”Yes, her name is Pinkie Pie,” I managed to get out.
“It’s nice to hear that you made a new friend, hun,” my dad praised as he hugged me.
”Dad, where is m...m…mom?” I asked after my dad put me in my wheelchair, so that had more mobility and could move easily around the house,
“She’s going to talk to you later, ok?” My dad acknowledged avoiding my question.
“Yes, I understand,” I wearily stated.
“Do you want your iPad?” My dad asked me.
I nodded.
”OK but let’s get you in bed first you look really tired, ” my dad said as he picked me up and placed me in bed.
Once he had placed me in bed.
He took the iPad off of the charger, and placed it on its stand next to my bed then he turned it on and put in the password, once the iPad was loaded my father turned on a video for me and he gave me a switch with which to turn off and on the video.
My father also gave me another switch so that I could choose the video that I wanted to play next.
Three hours later my mom came into my room, I was lying on my bed trying to look at my iPad that was mounted on a stand at the side of my bed, because I can’t physically hold the iPad, my dad or whoever is with me at the moment needs to turn on a video or whatever, I want them to turn on or if I want to play a game they have to set up the switches so that I can play the game.
My mom sat down on the edge of my bed, I did not look at her because I was ashamed that she would find out that I lied to dad.
“Pastel, I heard that you had a seizure today, is that right?” My mom asked as she waited for my response.
“Yes, I'm sorry that I lied to dad, my first day was horrible the other kids don’t like me!” I screamed almost knocking over the iPad stand.
“Shh, don’t be upset, your dad also told me that you made a friend today.” My mom calmed me down.
My eyes welling up with tears, I knew that the van ride was horrible and that the other kids at school didn’t like me but how could I tell my mother that, I did not tell her about Rarity, because I did not know how my mother would react to me telling her that I’ve been bullied.
My hands were clenched as I just laid there and cried, I was hurting but I couldn’t tell my mom that.
“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry that you had such a bad day, is there anything I can do for you?” My mom calmly asked.
I just shook my head, because at that very moment it was too hard for me to verbalize that I was hurting.
A couple of minutes of silence followed the only sound that could be heard was my silent crying.
“I’m sorry honey but if you can’t tell me what’s bothering you I can’t help you,” my mom said as she got up to leave my room, “I'll be back in a few minutes, ok?”
I nodded.
Rocks glass was sitting in the living room reading a book when Cherry came into the living room and sat down in the arm chair on the opposite side of the rug.
“I don’t know what to do about Pastel, she won’t tell me what’s wrong,” Cherry complaint.
“Let me talk to her, I might know what’s going on,” Rocks glass said as he got up from the armchair to go to Pastel’s room.
‘But you just have to be careful, when I left she was very upset she nearly threw her iPad casing on the floor, and she nearly knocked over the iPad stand when the iPad was still on it!” Cherry said getting up and going after Rocks Glass.
As I heard my father coming up the stairs I knew that couldn’t mean anything good, I was still a bit upset but I couldn’t bring myself to tell my father or my mother what had happened at school that day.
“Pastel honey, we have to talk to you about what happened at school today, please open the door,” I heard my mother's voice from outside the door say.
After a couple of minutes I finally opened the door and looked at my mother and my father with the tears still streaming down my face like a waterfall.
Both my mother and my father embraced me into a tight hug.
“Now tell us what happened at school today that made you so upset?” My dad calmly asked me when my parents had finished hugging me.
“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me,” I lied as my father got up and got a tissue for me.
“Are you sure sweetheart, you were pretty upset when you came home,” my mother added.
“Yeah you know you can tell us anything,” my father added.
“Mom, dad I’ll be fine, me tired, go to bed now,” I yawned.
“Ok, good night sweetheart,” my father said before giving me a kiss.
My mother also gave me a kiss and then turned out the lights and her and my father left for the evening to leave me alone.
The next morning I woke up to my mother knocking at my door, usually I said that she could come in but this time, my mom just came in my room.
“Hey Pastel, how are you feeling?” My mom asked knowing what happened yesterday.
“I…I...ok,” I struggled to get out but the truth was that I was not ok after what happened yesterday.
“Something is seriously wrong, isn’t it?” My mom asked with concern evident in her voice.
“I’m fine really!” I yelled.
“Ok, please just stay calm, let’s get you ready for school,” My mom said picking me up and laying me on the floor to get me dressed, because that was the only way she could get me dressed,
Once I was dressed and in my wheelchair, I made my way downstairs and sat at the dining room table eating some cereal.
Then at 7:00 AM the bus came to pick me up so that I could go to school. My father who had gone by then left me a note in my lunchbox with a little heart on it.
My school was all one level, but the elementary classes were in a different room to the middle school and High school classes, Rarity was in middle school at the time, it was a mixed school so people with physical disabilities and people with mental disabilities would have classes alongside each other, which sometimes got a little bit complicated, because most of the students that I had in my class were severely autistic, some of the students were in wheelchairs because they had the same disability as me or something similar.
The playground that Pinkie took me to when it was recess was also divided into one more section, on the elementary school side of the playground they had a box of toys and a sandbox and a swing.
Now on the middle school and High school side of the playground, they had better toys than we had on the elementary side, they had a jungle gym while we only had a measly swing and a sandbox, so I was also very jealous that they had the jungle gym and we didn’t so I used to go over there, even though I knew that once I went over to the high school side of the playground I was in the danger zone of getting bullied.
Once all of the students came into the classroom we had circle time which was a time to tell each other and the teacher about weekends and our days after school, and my closest friend in that class was a boy named Jack who had spinal muscular atrophy and he was from Turkey, and we used to race around the school when we had recess.
And Pinkie was also in my class because she was very hyper active so her parents believed that it was because of her mental disorder, which was a high functioning form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome.
“So Pastel what did you do yesterday after school?” Mr Aptitude asked me.
“Play on my iPad,” I answered, not looking at my teacher.
I didn’t feel like being here. I felt like all of the students were judging me because I couldn’t speak properly and I couldn’t read or write, even though my teacher Mr Aptitude always reassured me that it would be fine, I know that it wasn’t.
“So...what...else...did...you..do...on...the…weekend?” A boy wearing a white T-shirt and black pants sitting across from me asked.
“Nothing!” I said with no emotion in my voice.
The classroom that we were in was very lovely decorated it had desks and chairs on one side of the room and toys and books on the other side of the room against the far left wall, on the walls there were many many paintings from students that had either graduated or moved up a level, most of those paintings were pretty good to say the least, the walls were painted a nice shade of green.
Some of the desks didn’t have chairs for the children in wheelchairs, the desks were a very sharp gray and the legs of the desks were red, the desks themselves were made out of plastic that was painted gray, when one walked into the classroom it did not look very inviting at first.
The boy who spoke to me, also had cerebral palsy but unlike me he could walk but he still had to use a wheelchair for long distances, and he had a speech problem.
Most of the kids spoke to me as though I was three years old but by now I was 10 years old and not three.
I felt ashamed to even go out for recess on the playground because my bullies were there, even though they were in a different class to me we share a playground.
I heard a very sharp scream next to me, so I covered my ears and started rocking back-and-forth. Now most of the children would say that I have a form of autism but I don’t have autism.
In a split second Mr. Aptitude was over by the boy’s side and escorted him out of the classroom, Mr. Aptitude always told us to stay calm in situations that were going to escalate.
When Mr. Aptitude told us to stay calm that reminded me of my first day when I had a seizure and all of the students ran out of the classroom, granted that was in elementary school and now I am in middle school but still I did not like it.
“Listen up class, today we have cooking with Mrs. Wind,” Mr Aptitude said, just ignoring me, and the fact I was not feeling well.
“When?” I asked.
“After lunch, first we have art class with Mr Apple Wood,” Mr Aptitude said as he wheeled the students in wheelchairs to the art room, some of the students with mental disabilities followed, but not all because the boy who got mad earlier stayed in the classroom rocking back and forth.
“Charlie, I think I’m going to stay, in the classroom, Midnight isn’t doing so well,” Pinkie said to Mr Aptitude.
“Midnight, be on your best behavior for Pinkie, ok?” Mr. Aptitude said.
“Your best behavior?” Midnight repeated, still rocking back and forth slightly.
“Good, i’ll see you later,” mr. Aptitude said as he left the classroom.
“So Midnight what would you like to do?” Pinkie asked,
“What would you like to do?” Midnight repeated, going over to the toy chest and opening up.
“Do you wanna play with toys?” Pinkie asked.
“Play with toys!” Midnight happily announced.
“Hey class, so how are y’all doin’ today?” Mr. Apple wood who was a back man with green hair and thick rimmed glasses graded his class.
“I…bad today, Mr. Apple Wood,” I announced.
“Sorry you’re not doing well Pastel, maybe some painting would just be good for today, I was actually hoping that we could work on our clay sculptures, I guess that would be too much work though,” Mr. Apple said.
“Where is Midnight?” Mr. Apple asked Mr. Attitude.
“He’s back in the classroom with Pinkie, he had a meltdown.” Mr. Attitude answered.
Pinkie was in our classroom with Midnight after his meltdown earlier.
Midnight was a very handsome young boy with green eyes and black hair, his skin was as white as a ghost, he was very thin as a result of not getting enough food as a baby. His mother abandoned him because she didn’t know how to take care of him, but luckily he has found a great home.
Midnight has a condition called shaken baby syndrome which was caused by his mother shaking him so hard that his brain didn’t get enough oxygen so it results in brain damage. The symptoms include extreme fussiness or irritability, difficulty staying awake, breathing problems, poor eating, vomiting, pale or bluish skin, seizures, paralysis and in some cases coma.
But for Midnight it caused him to have autism and other developmental disabilities.
“Hey Midnight, I know how much you like music so I put together a playlist just for you,” Pinkie said as she walked over to him and sat down.
Midnight didn’t respond to her instead he just sat there drooling and slightly dozing off.
Author's Note
Hope you like it, please let me know what you think.