Carlie

"Wake up, sweetie." 

Carlie felt someone touch her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes. 

"How'd you sleep?" Her mother asked. 

"Okay...i guess." Carlie mumbled. 

"Good. Its time to get up." Her mother picked her up and placed her into the wheelchair that was next to the bed. Carlie reached for the cell phone on her bedside table. She turned it on. There was a text message on the screen. It was from Calum. It said: 

**What's up? I'm in class right now. Just wanted to say, good luck with school!**

She smiled then texted back. 

**I'm fine. Just tired. Just woke up. Thanks! I will call you later.**

"So what do you feel like wearing today?" Her mother was looking through the clothes in the closet. 

After her mother helped her get dressed, Carlie wheeled over to the full length mirror. She held a brush in her hand then began brushing her shoulder length dark brown hair. She had a round face, white skin and light green eyes. She was skinny and tall for her age. 

When she was finished, her mother pushed her out of her bedroom, down the hallway and into the dining room. She started eating a bagel for breakfast. 

Calum  

Calum sat in his desk, thinking of how weird Carlie acted the last time they hung out together. She was so quiet and looked kind of sad. He hoped she was doing okay. When class ended, he stood up and left the classroom. 

He walked through the hallway and into the crowded lounge area. 

There were tables, couches, and a flat screen TV. He spotted his friends, Luke and Ashton, standing by the vending machines. 

"Hey Cal!" Luke said. He was tall and skinny with white skin, blue eyes and blonde hair.

"Hey." Calum replied. 

"Whats wrong, Cal?" Ashton put his arm around Calum's shoulders. 

"Nothing serious. I'm a bit worried about Carlie." 

"Carlie? You mean that girl who was over your house with us last month?" 

"Yeah." 

"She's kinda hot for a girl in a...you know." Ashton grinned. 

"A wheelchair?" Calum finished his sentence. 

Luke asked. "How'd she get in the wheelchair anyway?" 

"Her family was in a really bad car accident when she was a kid. She  was paralyzed from the waist down." Calum explained with a sigh. "She doesn't like to talk about it. Okay? So don't even think about mentioning it to her." 

"Okay, okay." Luke said taking a step back. "But shit, thats sad!" 

"Yeah, but she deals with it so...Anyway she just likes to be treated like a normal person. I mean, *she is* normal." 

" Hey, you never let me finish." Ashton pushed Luke out of the way. Another silly grin crossed his face. "Do you think she's hot or what?" 

"She's okay." Calum mumbled. 

"C'mon...you can tell us, bro." Ashton nudged his arm. 

Suddenly, his cell phone made a noise. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket. It was a reminder that his next class was about to start. 

 

"I gotta get to class. See you guys later!" He rushed out of the lounge before they could say anything else.