The next morning, when I woke up I jumped out of bed and was dressed and ready in record time. Mom was astonished that I was at the kitchen table before Joy. I was so excited about tonight. I was rushing everyone to get in the car. I knew the faster we started our day the quicker I could get to the evening. Once I had gotten to school, I immediately looked for Sammie. It took me about ten minutes to find her. We talked about the chapters we had read last night as we walked to first period. In science, we choose lab partners and Sammie’s last name was at the beginning of the alphabet so she got to chose before I had a chance. I was delighted that she chose me. I think I might have a friend.

We did not talk much in gym class for we were on opposite teams. In the locker room, I told her we had to change our plans for this evening. My mom had called during second period to tell me to ride the bus home for our car was in the shop. Sammie said she would ask her mother if they could take me home and she would let me know at lunch. Her mom said it was fine with her as long as my mom approved of her driving me home. I called my mother at work right before choir and she said that it was fine. My mom and Sammie’s mom talked while Sammie and I went upstairs to my room. We first talked about me being made fun of in gym. I told her how much I hated it and I wished it would stop. She told me if she had heard what Chandler had said she would have tried to help. This really made me happy to know that someone was willing to stick up for me.

After that I asked her if she wanted to know more about my condition. To my surprise she wanted to learn all she could. I told her that there are three differences in my body compared to her body. I told her the first was what we already talked about, the lack of cortisol. The second weakness I have is that I am unable to make enough aldosterone. Since I make very little the doctor calls my condition the salt-wasting type. This is not good for I lose large amounts of salt when I go to the restroom. I also told her that I dehydrate very easily so I drink a lot of water and then have to go to the bathroom a lot. Since I do not retain salt like most people I do not grow properly and at the right rate. Lastly, my body produces too much androgen. This hormone, made by the adrenals, make the body grow. If high levels of this hormone continue to be produced, I will grow too fast and then stop before I reach adulthood. Another thing we talked about was hormone therapy, which are the medicines I must take daily. They enable me to overcome many of the symptoms but cannot cure me. Just then, Joy knocked on my door and told me dinner was ready. Sammie and I raced each other down the stairs. After we had eaten dinner, we decided to go play on the Nintendo. We played “The New Tetris” game that Sammie had brought from her house. I thought it was a lot of fun. Next, we pulled out the sleeper sofa and Sammie and I watched the Lemony Snicket Movie “A Series of Unfortunate Events” that Mom had rented earlier in the week. When the movie was over, our fun came to an end for my mom said that dreadful word all parents love. Bedtime!!!

We decided to sleep upstairs. We left the living room mess for my mom to clean and went to get sleeping bags to sleep on the floor in my room. Once we were both in our sleeping bags, neither of us wanted to go to sleep, so we just talked about the movie and how it was similar or different from the book series. The last time I looked at the clock it was 2:00 in the morning. I don’t know who fell asleep first; but when I awoke at 4:00 to go to the bathroom, Sammie was asleep.