I got on the long line for the cashier. Suddenly hungry, I put my books down on the floor to hold my place in line, ran to the front of the store and grabbed a Twix bar from the candy rack. I returned to my place on line and quickly ate the candy bar. Afterwards, I became queasy and instantly regretted my lack of self-control. The line moved slowly as students argued over book prices and waited for financial aid credits to be confirmed. The lights flickered, the din grew louder and louder, my left temple began to throb.
I rolled my neck which had suddenly tightened up and took my backpack off. Damn. I realized I was getting a migraine. For a moment I considered sitting down on the floor right in the middle of the bookstore and sobbing. Instead, I just made an entry in my pocket calendar. # 1 September 5, seven p.m., moderate left-sided migraine with light aura and nausea. The first one this month. I could expect at least ten more before the month ended. I had been plagued with migraines since my late teens but they were becoming increasingly more frequent and severe.

After paying for my books I found a restroom. In the stall I opened an Imitrex injection and swabbed my thigh with an alcohol pad. The needle slid into my leg painlessly. One, two, three I counted silently; I held my breath and pushed the plunger. I winced as the medication shot under my skin like liquid fire.

I removed the needle and wiped a dot of blood off my thigh. Already, a small bumpy hive bubbled to the surface of my skin. As I walked back to my car my scalp tightened and the throbbing mercifully ceased. I sighed with relief as the medication took effect and the pain in my head subsided.
Back home, I gratefully ate the chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwich that Adam had waiting for me. I was feeling better and didn’t mention the migraine I had experienced earlier. "I’m going to love this class. I can’t wait to start reading Plath again. Maybe this will give me a new perspective on her poetry," I enthused.

"It sounds like you’re going to enjoy this semester. And it’s the last class so you can relax a little," he replied.

I shrugged. "I don’t know how much relaxing I’ll be able to do. Most of the class seemed to be English majors and I’ve never taken an upper level literature class before. I didn't even take the prerequisites"

Adam stood behind me his warm, strong hands kneading the base of my skull. "Don’t be intimidated. You’re as intelligent and as well read as any student in that class."

The last class, Adam’s words resounded in my head. What will I do with myself after graduation I wondered. A twinge I could not identify burrowed under my breastbone.
The Last Class Continues!
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Here Come The Wild Dogs
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