Sonya and Michaela Starting Over

[Ishigreensa]

As she was standing in line to go back to class, someone noticed that she smelled sort of.

"Do you take baths?" one boy asked her.

Imelda gave him a look that caused him to look down.

"Don't mind hi...." but she smelled the girl, too.  She also knew from sitting next to her, that she had not smelled like that earlier.  She sighed and decided not to say anything.  It was hard enough to be in a new school without everyone knowing she peed her pants!

"How about later, when you get settled, we come to each other's house?" she asked her trying to ignore that the other girl really did smell bad from peeing her pants.  She must have gone pretty bad in them, but Imelda didn't see a wet spot.

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela turned red, embarrassed by what people were saying about her. She suddenly felt very self conscious. School wasn’t getting off to a great start. That was for sure. 

She looked down and shrugged when Imelda mentioned seeing each other out of school. She didn’t wanna go to someone else’s house if she couldn’t come over to her own house. They didn’t even really have a house at all. 

“Maybe. I dunno if my mom will let me.” She lied, not wanting to admit that she didn’t have a house for Imelda to come over to. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, of course we have to ask our moms, but it's hard to be the only one out.  I know.  I started this school a couple of years ago, and that was really hard.  It's hard to make friends."

She thought to herself.  Especially for you, you poor thing.  I can't see it, but I know you've peed your pants.  I'm not going to say anything or ask you about it because you must already be scared....

They walked back into the classroom, and Imelda took her seat next to Michaela.

"The teacher is going to read to us.  You can draw or put your head down.  The only rule, is you can't talk while he's reading."

[Shy-Diapers]

(Sorry been super busy.)

Michaela shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t think my mom will let me have anyone over or go to someone’s house.” She lied. She knew her mother would love if she got to go to a friend’s house, but Michaela didn’t want to go to someone’s house if she couldn’t invite them back, especially because they didn’t have have a house. They barely had an apartment. 

She nodded in the classroom, being thankful that Imelda was telling her the rules for everything. She felt very nervous about her new school and the new rules. She sighed and sat back in her chair. Her legs were getting tired, her braces and crutches weren’t helping her as much as they used to. She really should go get her wheelchair, but she didn’t want to be the girl in the wheelchair that everyone stared at. Her crutches and braces made her seem more normal than the wheelchair, because it proved she could still walk like other kids  

Michaela sat down and tried to listen to her teacher, but her mind was so distracted. She wondered what dinner would be like tonight, if she got any at all. She knew she had the small half of her lunch still, but it wouldn’t fill her for dinner. She didn’t like telling her mother when she was hungry though, she felt guilty because she knew her mother was stressed and tried hard to meet Michaela’s needs with no job or second parent. 

[Ishigreensa]

The kids around her kept pointing at her and making rude signs like plugging their noses making a few of the kids giggle.

Finally, Mr. Robert finally noticed the giggling and put his book down.

"I didn't read anything funny," he said looking around the classroom.  "What is going on?"

He stood up closing the book and putting it on his desk.

He walked up and down the rows as all the students stilled themselves for a scolding.

"Well?  What's so funny?" he asked.

No one seemed to want to answer.

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela frowned the entire time, trying to keep her head down and not cry. She hid her face as tears ran down her cheeks. She was so embarrassed. She just wanted to disappear. 

When Mr. Robert walked down near her, she tried to hold back a sniffle, not wanting to be a tattle tale. She’d never been made fun of at her old school, but like any 8 year old, she knew not to tell on people or else you’d be seen as a tattle tale. 

She rubbed her eyes, trying to make the tears go away. 

[Ishigreensa]

Mr. Robert noticed that her eyes were red and that she looked upset.

"Imelda, would you please take Michaela to the counselor?  I'm not sure what is going on, but it seems that the giggling and the mischief has something to do with her, and you are the only one I trust not to be mean to her."

Imelda nodded and stood up waiting for her new friend to come with her.

Then he turned to the rest of the class, but he didn't say anything until she was out the door.

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela kept her head down, feeling like a baby and a tattle tale, even though she had been doing her best to keep her head down and out of trouble. 

Afraid of getting in trouble with Mr. Robert, Michaela followed Imelda to the counselor, unsure of what was going to happen. She followed Imelda silently, trying to hurry along as best she could, but it was hard with her braces and crutches not fitting too well. 

When she arrived in the office and was greeted by the secretary, she stayed a few steps back behind Imelda. She didn’t know what anything was supposed to be like. She didn’t like these feelings of uncertainty. 

[Ishigreensa]

Imelda saw her friend being shy, so she approached the front.

"My friend is a little bit dirty, and the other kids were making fun of her, so the teacher sent her to the counselor," she said to the secretary.  "I don't think she's in trouble though."

The secretary smiled and nodded.  Then she smelled the little girl.

"Honey, come here," she called to Michaela.

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela turned bright red when Imelda was explaining things. She slowly and quietly approached the secretary, unsure what was going to happen. 

She looked nervously up at the secretary, worried that she was going to be in trouble. She was already so upset and worried about things, she didn’t need to be worried about being in trouble on top of it all. 

Michaela stayed completely silent too, not wanting to say the wrong thing or further embarrass herself. Her first day really wasn’t turning out nearly as well as her and her mother had hoped. 

[Ishigreensa]

Robyn, the lady that ate lunch with her earlier, came out of the office.

She looked down at the two girls.

"My friend had some trouble in the classroom, and some kids were making fun of her, so the teacher sent her here with me," Imelda explained again.

"Some trouble?"

Imelda looked down.

"Some of the kids think that she doesn't take a bath," she said not wanting to say her friend had peed her pants.  "They were all making stinky symbols around her and making her upset.  Then the teacher heard them giggling and figured out it was about her."

Robyn smiled.

"Thank you, Imelda.  Why don't you wait in the office for a bit until he's done with the class.  He obviously sent you because you were not one of the people being mean."

She then turned to Michaela.

"Honey, come with me."

She gestured her into the office.  "I think you and I have some stuff to talk about, don't we, sweetie?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela turned red, feeling very embarrassed and upset about the current situation. She was embarrassed especially that people thought she smelled. Even if she hadn’t had an accident, she’d probably still smell somewhat because she wet the bed frequently and it was difficult to get clean in such a small bathroom. 

Michaela silently followed the woman into her office, unsure what to expect. She kept her head down, hoping nothing bad was going to happen. 

She sat down when instructed to and hung her head, nervously playing with her hands in her lap. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean ta cause trouble.” She squeaked out quietly. 

[Ishigreensa]

"You didn't cause any trouble," Robyn told her.  "You were the target of bullying.  Regardless of the reason for it, bullying is not acceptable here, honey.  And we don't blame the victim here.  However, we should probably talk about your hygiene a little bit, sweetheart."

She sat next to her.

"I noticed at lunch, that you smelled a little bit but I didn't want to upset you and figured that no one else had said anything, so it would be alright, but now, it seems, your classmates were bullying you.  Did you take a bath this morning, honey?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela stared at her lap. She’d never been bullied or picked on before. She didn’t like it. She felt so upset and hurt by what people were saying, especially because she already felt self conscious about her Home situation and then her accident. 

She nodded. “Uh huh. I took a bath this morning.” Michaela said, trying  to adjust her legs so they weren’t as in much pain from her braces. It wasn’t really working though. 

Michaela felt so scared and worried about being in the counselor’s office. She’d never been called down to an office like this before. She still felt she was in trouble though. 

She frowned and looked at her lap. She felt a little ashamed of her current situation. She was living in a tiny section of a house with just her mother and they had to rely on the home owner’s to constantly step in and help them. 

Michaela sighed and pushed her hair back behind her ear, trying to imagine she was anywhere but there. 

[Ishigreensa]

Brenda bent down by the girl, and she took both of her hands.

"You and your mother are having it really hard, aren't you?  I'm no expert, but these crutches don't look like they are the right size.  You are way too much huntched over, it seems to me.  Does your mother know they are too small for you?"

She stood up straight and went and got a stuffed animal for the little girl.

She came back and placed it in her lap.

"You're not in trouble, honey.  I want you to understand that.  I just want to help you, and you were sent here for help because the teacher knows that you're upset, sweetie.  Bullying is never a nice thing to have happen no matter what."

She squatted down by her again.

"Are you sure you took a bath, baby?  You smell kind of bad.  Is there something maybe you should tell me?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela frowned and looked down when asked about her and her mother. She felt guilty because she knew how hard her mother tried. She nodded and rubbed her eyes, trying not to cry again. 

She shrugged and looked at her crutches with a frown. “I dunno. But I wanna use them! I don’t wanna be in my chair. Everyone always looks at me funny when I hafta use it.” She said honestly. 

When asked about the bath again, Michaela frowned and hugged the stuffed animal tight. She wasn’t sure if she should tell the woman that she had leaked in her undies before she got to the bathroom. She nodded. “I’m sure. Momma washed me this morning.” She said, slightly embarrassed that at 8 years old she couldn’t wash herself because of her cerebral palsy. 

[Ishigreensa]

Brenda sighed and shook her head.

"Well, if your mommy washed you up good...," she decided not to say anymore.  It would just distress the girl, but she had to wonder if they had soap or if they had other problems.  Maybe the poor girl peed her pants out at recess or something so that no one could tell she was wet.  Whatever was the case, she had to fill out a report with the facts that she knew.

"Well, I guess that's all I need to know for now, honey.  Just play with that stuffed animal for a minute while I write this out, and then we can maybe do some testing or something to see how well you read and do mental math."

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela frowned and stared down at the stuffed animal in her lap. She was so embarrassed. She had had an accident on her first day of school, and everyone was saying how she smelled. Why couldn’t things just go back to the way they were?

She nodded and behaved, staying completely silent. She was already embarrassed enough. 

Michaela sighed and stroked the stuffed animal. “I can read and stuff.” She said a little defensively. People were already saying she smelled and now it felt like the counselor was calling her stupid. 

[Ishigreensa]

"I'm sure you can," the counselor told her.  "It's just a required step at school for us to check your level so that we know you are in the right classes.  You never know, there have been people who have been put in the wrong level because they were doing really well, but honestly, they were bored with the work because they should have been placed in a more advanced class.  We just want to make sure you are at the right learning level is all."

She smiled at her.

"Now, please just bare with me as the first few questions will be extremely easy because this is the nature of the test.  As you miss questions, the next one will be easier, but as you get them right, the next question will be harder.  That's how we find out where you are."

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela sighed and squirmed. She was pretty uncomfortable from everything. Her braces, her accident, and now the testing was all making her so anxious and uncomfortable. Nobody told her she’d be taking any tests on the first day! 

She bared through the tests, getting frustrated with some things. She was within the average range of all the skills for her age, aside obviously from physical skills, but because she was already upset and overwhelmed, she struggled more than usual with things she should know. 

“Am I done yet?” She whimpered at one point. She was tired and frustrated and overwhelmed and just wanted her mommy. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Yes, honey, you're finishied," Brenda said.

Brenda could see that she was uncomfortable, and she knew that the girl probably missed one or two because of nerves, however, she had not realized she was nervous that she missed more than two or three because of it.

She sighed when she saw that the girl's test put her two grade levels lower in reading and one grade level lower in math.  This was not going to be an easy conversation to have with her mother, but she would have to talk to her about it later.

"Do you think you can go back to class now, honey?  Or do you want to stay here until the end of the day?  There's only like an hour left anyway."

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela hugged the stuffed animal in her lap tight. She wanted to cry, but knew she had to be strong, especially when she got home. She sighed and stared at her lap when asked to go back to class. She was scared to go back in case she’d get laughed at again, but knew her backpack was still in the classroom. 

She shrugged at the question. She didn’t know what was better. She really just wanted to go home. Not to their tiny room, but her home back before everything happened. 

“Did I do good?” Michaela asked nervously. Her voice was quiet and shaky, scared that she had failed the test and would be in trouble for it. 

[Ishigreensa]

"It's okay, honey," Brenda told her.  "This isn't that kind of test, that you have to pass it.  It's just so we know where to put you when you read and do other general subjects so you don't get frustrated, honey.  You did your best, so that's all that matters, okay?"

She could hear the shakiness in her voice.

"Honey, do you have other things on your mind?  Sometimes, it helps to talk about them."

She eyed the little girl holding the stuffed animal a little tighter than ther kids did.  Something must have been bothering the little girl.

[Shy-Diapers]

Michaela looked down at her lap. She felt conflicted. On the one hand she wanted to say how her mom didn’t have a job and they were really struggling to get by. But on the other hand, she felt ashamed and embarrassed and even scared to mention such things. 

She shrugged and kept her head down. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say. “Everything is new and hard.” She said quietly. She wasn’t sure if she would get her mother in trouble if she said that they couldn’t afford things like food or their own house. 

[Ishigreensa]

"This is the first time you've ever moved, isn't it?" Brenda asked her.  "It's hard enough on people, just to move anyway, but especially your first move can be really upsetting."

She put a hand on her back.

"It's normal to miss how things were, and to be confused by the new environment.  Still, you have to move on, because it's either that, or be sad all the time, and being sad all the time isn't good for you, sweetie."

She rubbed Michaela's back a bit.