The Good Sister

While Fern loved school for the structure it provided, she found the sensations related to being around a crowd overwhelming. She would come to school after the bell had sounded to skip the morning rush and sit in the front row in class, where it was quieter. One event at school was particularly difficult for her sensory processing issues: the swimming carnival. She would beg Nina to let her stay home during the swim meet, but her mother would say it was important for Fern to be present to support her peers. On the first swimming carnival she attended, the smell of chlorine in the gym and the loud sounds of students cheering began to immediately bother Fern. Though Rose held her hand, the gesture of comfort alarmed Fern further. Rose settled Fern near the top of the gym amphitheater where the teachers couldn’t see her and went away for her races. Unfortunately, the science teacher Mr. Macintosh spotted Fern on the floor and urged her to stand up and cheer. As the stadium erupted in a cheer, a boy grabbed Fern and spun her in a victory dance. Panicked, Fern accidentally hit the boy. When Mr. Macintosh grabbed her from behind to control her, Fern elbowed him and broke his nose.