my short story

the power of belief

The clock reads 8:43 PM on September 4th. I find myself sprawled across my bed, listening to 'Just Like You' by NF echoing in the background on a loop. The LED lights in my room - affectionately named Asher after my best friend - cast a gentle red hue that feels oddly comforting. I'm deeply engrossed in my new book about a girl grappling with blood sugar issues who unexpectedly finds love. Just as inspiration starts to flow, my mom bursts in.

"It's past 8; go to bed. You have school in the morning. And why are you writing? I've told you a thousand times that dream of yours is never going to get you anywhere," she admonishes, her voice cutting through my thoughts. Support has never been her strong suit. My aspirations often feel like whispers drowned out by her relentless reminders to pursue something more 'practical.'

"Okay, I'm going to bed, Mom. Good night," I reply, keeping my tone polite, though frustration simmers beneath the surface. As she leaves, my three older brothers - Noah, Adam, and Kai - wander into my room. Fresh from football practice at Riverside High School, they're still radiating the scent of sweat.

"Did you guys take a shower?" I ask, wrinkling my nose playfully.

"Nope, we wanted to check on you first," Adam shoots back with a grin.

"I'm alive, at least! Surviving Mom's nagging. But seriously, you three need to shower; it's practically an assault on my senses!" I throw a stuffed animal at them for emphasis, urging them to hurry along.

Once the door clicks shut behind them, I find myself staring at the ceiling, doubts creeping in. Maybe my mom is right. What if I really don't have what it takes to be an author? Uncertainty begins to gnaw at my confidence. I sit up and pull out my phone, shooting a quick text to my best friend Asher, or Ash, as I like to call him.

Me: Hey, you up? I think my mom might be right.

Ash: Hey, yeah, I'm up. What's going on? Don't let her get to your head.

His words bring a flicker of reassurance, reminding me that even in my moments of doubt, I'm not alone.

I have blood sugar issues, and as I talk to Ash, I suddenly feel dizzy and realize my blood sugar is dropping. Just then, Kai walks in with the monitoring app to check my blood sugar; he's my oldest brother, and I trust him with it.

"Hey, your blood sugar dropped," Kai says.

"I'm not fine. What if Mom is right? What if my dream is stupid?" I say, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Do you just want me to hold you for a bit?" Kai asks.

I nod. "Please?" I respond.

The next morning, I'm at school in English Literature when everything suddenly goes black. When I wake up, I'm in the hospital. My parents and siblings are there. "What happened?" I ask.

"You passed out because your blood sugar was low," Kai explains, while Adam and Noah chime in, "I wonder why?" They say it in unison. They are right; I was so stressed and convinced Mom was right that I hadn't eaten anything last night or that morning.

"What is that supposed to mean?" my mom asks, irritated. "You yelled at her last night because she was writing a book again?" Kai says casually.

"Okay, and that's not going to get her anywhere in life," my mom says snarkily.

"Have you ever read any of her books?" all three of my brothers say in unison.

"Well... no, but I know they're not good enough to make a living off of," my mom replies, searching for any excuse.

"Here, Mom, I have one in my bag at all times," I say, grabbing my book from my bag and handing it to her. An hour later, my mom finally speaks up, "Wow, this is amazing. I... I had no idea."