One Step at a Time

Isla woke up to the buzzing of her alarm, the world around her still dark. She groaned and reached for her phone. 7:00 AM. Late again. Her heart gave a small jolt. She could already feel the day stacking up against her.

School was the usual mix of everything, classes she didn’t care about, people she barely knew, and the low hum of anxiety in her chest that never quite went away. 

In the first period, English, the teacher handed out a new assignment. Everyone was talking about it, and Isla could feel her heart rate rising. They had to work in pairs. Her palms began to sweat. She didn’t have a partner. The thought of asking someone made her feel sick. What if they said no? What if she looked stupid? 

"Isla?" Mrs. Miller's voice cut through her thoughts. Isla blinked, feeling the eyes of everyone on her. "Do you have a partner?"

Her breath hitched. "Uh... no."

The room felt smaller. The walls felt like they were closing in. Her pulse quickened. Sweat started to trickle down the back of her neck. The classroom seems louder now, voices blurring together, growing too big for her to handle. 

Her fingers trembled as she reached for her water bottle. She could feel the panic creeping up, crawling through her body, a pressure building in her chest. The cold water didn't help. Nothing did. She felt dizzy, the air too thick, too hot. She wanted to disappear, to run. 

"Isla?" 

It was Tyler, standing by her desk, his face concerned. "Are you okay?"

She wanted to tell him. She wanted to scream out that she couldn’t breathe, that everything was wrong, that she felt like she was drowning. But instead, she just nodded, her vision blurring. 

"I’m fine," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I just... need a minute."

The bell rang, and Isla stood up, wobbly at first, but she managed. She grabbed her things and forced herself to walk out of the classroom, her heart still hammering in her chest, but somehow, the worst had passed. For now.

She stepped into the hallway, leaning against the wall for a second, and took a deep breath, reminding herself that the day wasn’t over. That she could keep going. 

One step at a time.