Teah The Wimp

• Marley Mcgee, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2012

Rushing to the toilets, Teah threw up in the pristine white bowl. Panting she flushed the toilet, then leaned against the locked door, feeling the salty tears creep down her cheeks. Nobody could see her like this. Nobody. Then they would know, she wasn't brave, funny Teah. She was stupid, wimpy Teah. She wished now she hadn't hung out with Erin and her stupid clones chatting on phones and smoking cigarettes. The word cigarette left her hurling into the toilet again.
"Stupid Erin!" She screamed, her tears flowing freely. "Stupid, stupid Erin."

Teah felt sleepy as they drugged her for surgery. Her dreams were horrible of gasses and Erin kicking and biting her. Abusing her. Bullying her.
She woke groggily and her stomach contracted with pain. She groaned and felt more tears tumbling down her coffee-coloured skin. Teah the wimp was back. She mentally slapped herself.
"No!" She told herself firmly. "I can live, I can get through this."

Walking into school ten days later Teah felt proud with herself. She went to the office and knock on the Principals door. A few minutes later she knew her life would be changed forever. Hurrying as fast as she could to assembly she sat with her class who all gave her funny looks, as they always did when she left school for long periods of time. The assembly rushed by, then it was almost finished. The Principal announced that Teah had a special story to tell everyone. Teah breathed deeply, then walked out the front.
"Hello," she began her confidence growing, "for those of you who don't know me, my name is Teah. A few years ago, I hung out with a group of people who I shouldn't have hung out with. I did everything they did, including smoking. A few months ago, I found breathing hard and when I went to get I check up, I was told I had lung cancer. I leave the school for long periods of time to have surgery and go to hospital. I have chemotherapy, and it makes me sick and feel horrible and I keep saying t myself "I want to die, I want to die!" but it's over and then I say, I got through that. I have to wear wigs and hats because chemo makes my hair fall out, but as long as I live, I will keep fighting.
"I'm telling you this because I decided not to be Teah the wimp any more, the girl who doesn't tell people things because she thinks they won't be friends with her any more. And I want you to make sure what happens to me never happens to you. It isn't an experience that any child my age or your age ever has to go through." There is silence for a moment and Teah began to panic. Was she going to have no friends now, then everyone burst into applause. She was Teah the Wimp no longer.