Young Introverted Panic

“Are you coming tonight?” Nicole Mendosa asked her husband Harrison. “Nah, I’m going to the gym,” he replied, “You girls have a good time at the party!” “Bye Dad!” exclaimed his two daughters Rayne and Arielle. Rayne was the older daughter by three years. She wished that she was just staying home. However, Arielle and her mother were excited for the party. There would be food, drinks, and people, which was a dream come true for them. “C’mon girls,” said Nicole, “Go ahead and get in the car.” Arielle shoved Rayne out of the way and called, “Shotgun! Haha!” Rayne just rolled her eyes and got in the backseat. There’s no point in fighting with her. Their mom got in the driver’s seat and pulled out of the driveway. Rayne stared out of the window thinking about how she didn’t want to be there. She just wanted to be home. “I’m way more productive and comfortable at home,” she thought glumly. “We’re here!” exclaimed Nicole cheerfully. There was a local bar in town celebrating their 50th anniversary, and Nicole had decided that would be a great way to end a Friday. There was a little place to drop off your kids, so Nicole dropped Rayne and Arielle off there. “Wait!” Rayne called out, but it was too late. She was by herself in an area full of kids. “Arielle, can we-” Rayne started but stopped. Arielle was already playing with a group of kids in the bounce house. A rush of panic and fear struck Rayne. She hated being with all these people. What if they were all staring at her? What if she looked weird? Sweat dripped down the side of her face. It was getting hard to breathe. There were so many people. She took a dart to the bathroom. Before she made it, she ran into human traffic. This time, it was far more intense. Adults looking at her as she dodged her way through them. All of a sudden BAM! She ran face first into some lady. “Oh my- I’m so s-sorry ma’am, if you’ll just excuse me-” “Where are your parents little girl?!? I’m going to find your parents! Come with me right now!” The lady grabbed Rayne’s wrist and started dragging her through the crowd of people. “What the heck is this lady doing? Where is she taking me? Am I gonna get in trouble?” Rayne’s mind was spinning with questions. She started to get very nervous. Involuntarily, she yanked her wrist free and began to run. After a while, she lost her in the crowd. The closer she got to the bathroom, the more crowded it got. Soon enough she couldn’t move because there were so many people. Then, they started to close in on her. She became smooshed and started to freak out. Rayne went down on her hands and knees. She crawled underneath people’s legs, desperate for fresh air. “I wanna go home!” she thought. Finally, she approached the bathroom. She went in and locked the door. She pressed her back against the door and slid down. Her heart was pounding in her chest, as if it was about to burst out of her. Her breath was short and she was trembling. She lay her head in her hands and began to sob. She was having a panic attack. Everything that she had been put through finally got to her. She felt like she was going to hurl out her guts. Then, there was a knock on the door. “O-occupied,” she managed to stutter out. “People are waiting for me to get out, I better leave…” she said under her breath. She dried her face and rinsed it off, trying to play it as if nothing had ever happened. She took a couple deep breaths and opened the door, trying to stay as calm as possible. Rayne carefully passed by the people in line, maintaining a straight face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother. Joy and happiness rushed over her body. “If anyone can help, Mom can!” she thought happily. She rushed over to her mother and gave her a big hug. “Excuse me ladies,” Nicole said to the women she had been talking to. “Why aren’t you with your sister?” Nicole asked Rayne. “She’s fine, I need to tell you-” “No, How dare you leave your sister!” “Please Mom! I don’t-” “I’m going to drop you off at the kiddie section, come with me.” Nicole grabbed Rayne by the arm and dragged her to the bounce house. “Now, stay here, and keep an eye on your sister.” “Mom, she already made multiple friends, and I haven’t made one!” “Why not?” “I don’t like being around these people! I’m- I’m shy.” “Stop being dramatic, and you’re not shy. You’re never shy around me.” “That’s because you’re my mom!” “I have no trouble making friends at all and neither should you.” “But Mom-” “I don’t wanna hear it! I’m leaving back to my new friends.” “Ok…” “And Rayne?” “Yeah?” “I love you.” “I love you too.” Nicole then kissed her on the cheek and walked off. Rayne just plopped on the floor, holding back the tears. The more she looked, the more kids there were. The more kids there were, the more she started to sweat. One little nine-year-old came up to her and asked, “Why do you look like you are about to cry?” And that was all it took to get the waterworks flowing. She had reached her breaking point. Rayne tried to control it, but it all came pouring out. Arielle approached her and said, “You’re such a big baby.” Arielle began to taunt her which made her feel even worse. Soon, all the kids started to laugh and make fun of her. She couldn’t handle it anymore. She felt so crummy the entire night that she threw up. The crowd of kids went from laughing to grossed out. Soon, Nicole came over and put them in the car. “Rayne, if you had told me you felt sick, you could’ve told me,” Nicole said. Rayne was too tired to even care. Once they got home, Rayne grabbed some chips and went to her room.  She locked the door behind her. “Home at last,” she thought. No one bothered her for the rest of the night, and she was all alone, just the way she liked it.