I am going into sixth grade this year, and that means...middle school! I am kind of excited, especially to see my friends again. But I’m nervous, too. Mostly I’m nervous for PE because in school, that’s probably my biggest challenge. To me, PE feels like a massive obstacle right now. I have an APE—adapted physical education—teacher who modifies PE activities to make them easier for me. I know you’re probably thinking, That’s a good thing, right? And it is, in some ways. The problem is, an extra PE coach hovering around me makes the other kids stare at me like, What’s wrong with her? Why does she need an extra PE coach? And I hate that, because some other kids think that I can’t see them staring at me. But I can. I know that they’re staring at me. There is a good thing, though. The good thing is that I have a lot of my friends in my PE class. They know that I have feelings and they’re too nice to stare at me. They wouldn’t really care that I have an extra PE coach. I’m so glad I have such awesome friends!
Another problem is that after my Botox injection, my physical therapist wants to cast me. The casts are thick and itchy. They’re uncomfortable and it makes school even harder. The casts make me feel like I’m a magnet for kids’ eyes.
However, the bright side is that everyone can sign my casts if they want to. That makes my casts look a little better than just plain white, at least. I guess the worst part is the comments. One time I was walking in Home Depot with my casts, and one lady was like, “Honey, you broke both of your legs?! My goodness!” That was so embarrassing. My casts help my legs, and that’s a good thing. If casts will help, then I’ll learn to get through it.
