The Side Effect of Life

Narrated by a schizophrenic teenage girl she talks about her thoughts and gives us her reaction to something that happens in front of her very own eyes.

The Side Effect of Life

 

  “Oh. How bloody ironic...” I mutter, as I watch the car full of youths slam into the elderly man cycling peacefully along the road.

 

Five Minutes Before

 

   I might have been walking. I’m not really sure what I was doing to be completely truthful; after a while I found myself just standing there doing nothing but listening to the voices running a muck around my mind. People were looking at me; probably wondering what the hell that idiotic teenager was doing out of the mind numbing ‘educational’ facility they seem to believe is actually helpful. I’d forgotten to feed the dog. Why was I here? My homework was only half finished.

   I felt like I was going to collapse. The already massive buildings either side of me seemed to get bigger and even more monstrous, swallowing the masses of people walking along without a care in the world in humongous gulps as if slurping an ice slushy that turns your tongue bright blue... I uh... Um, see... The thing is... Ah... Blue slushy uhm... I didn’t want to be here.

   In the book ‘The Fault in our Stars’ the main character believes that cancer and just about everything is ‘a side effect of dying’. But I realised (as did all of the voices) at this exact moment that, that’s wrong. Everything is a side effect of living. Everyone calls me crazy on a daily basis. Side effect of living. Never being able to make a homemade blue slushy. Side effect of living. But as I was lying there on the damp, stone hard ground I decided not to be sad about it. The soul crushing, madness intensifying, and dark, dank world that is full of side effects of living, I uh.. Spilt blue slushy down my favourite dress on Tuesday.

   “Excuse me, Miss? Are you alright?” I looked up at the elderly cyclist in dismay. Was someone talking to me? Was I being looked at by people?

   “I... uh... I’m... Yeah I... I like your shoes. Where did you get them?” The elderly man had let out an unmistakable sigh and gave up on me. Carried on cycling. I’m used to that. His disapproval hung in the air as the crowd of people around me just stared at awe. Maybe I was growing an extra limb out of my bellybutton. I could be slightly delusional. That man’s actions must have had a meaning, maybe I’m not welcome on this planet anymore and he’s just letting everyone know; I am an insignificant being and deserve to be ignored and damned into the depths of hell for the rest of my existence. Is that it?

   Through the excited chatter that is my audience I realised that yes, there is a side effect of dying. Very few people are the exception to this torturous thing and in my overworked mind they are celebrated for their bravery to carry out such a thing and take their life into their own hands. The one side effect of dying is not being allowed to choose how you leave the world...

 

   And that’s when the car rushes around the corner. 

(If you could give a review that would be great! Thanks :3)

Author's Note

I'm really just looking for any constructive criticism. What are your thoughts on the plot? Is my punctuation absolutely horrendous? Is there anything you think I should add to this piece of work to make it better? My teacher gave me a D for it, go you agree? Why?