"Ready?" Lexi hoped for one of Lynn's cheerful quips in response, but her sister said nothing, only nodded. Lexi sighed. You'd think after a month she'd have adjusted to how much her twin had changed, but hope kept a tight hold on her.

Lynn spent three weeks in the hospital and one at home before she was cleared to return to school, whereas Lexi had been back for weeks. The stares and questions had died down, but Lynn's appearance would spark it all again.

It killed Lexi to come home from school every day and see Lynn sitting on the coach watching reruns of Friends and doing her homework. Lexi tried to convince Lynn to go to the park with her, watch movies, or invited friends over, but Lynn always insisted some other time would be better.

Lynn cringed as Lexi wheeled her up the wheelchair access ramp and held the door open for her. Just as she feared, as soon as she made it through the doors the stares started.

By the time she made it to her first period class, after practically removing Lexi's hands from her chair by force so she could wheel herself, she'd already been approached six times by people telling her how sorry they were and how happy they were that she was back.

The light in her eyes and the excitement in her voice may have faded in the past month, but politeness was engrained in Lynn, so she smiled sweetly as she made small talk with everyone who approached her, assuring them she was fine when she was far from it.

"Ms. Hartman we are so glad to have you back. I've found you a desk with no chair attached, so you can fit your wheelchair under it, and I want you to take as much time as you need on all your assignments. No rush at all," Mr. Hughes rushed to Lynn's assistance as she wheeled into her government class. She was acutely aware that every eye in the room was on her.

"Thank you Mr. Hughes, that was very nice of you. Don't worry, I've caught up on all of my assignments, and will be on time for the rest," she assured him as she handed him the folder of all the homework she'd finished and forced a smile on her face.

He and her next two teachers all coddled her in front of their classes, and by the end of third period Lynn was done. She was done with the pitying looks, done with the hovering, done with the questions, done with the halfhearted sympathies, done with the cliché lines, done with people trying to help her with every little thing, and definitely done with the whispers. Did people understand that partial paralysis didn't affect her hearing?

It wasn't easy to think of herself as whole, when everyone treated her like she was broken.

Thoroughly agitated and anxious to get to the library for her open period where she could have some peace and quiet, Lynn angrily spun the wheels on her chair. The more stares she got, the faster she pushed. She had a feeling Lexi was asking people to keep an eye on her, and that just pissed her off.

She didn't need help.

As she rounded a corner, entirely too fast, her chair tipped over spilling her and all of her books on the ground. A collective, crisp gasp rang out through the hall. Everyone's eyes were on the girl sprawled on the floor, but no one moved. It's like they thought helping her pick up her books was different because she was... well because she was crippled, disabled, pick your word. She clearly wasn't as fragile as glass because only her ego was shattered.

"Well since you're all being useless and not helping you might as well get to class," the voice's snarl woke everyone up and had them moving again. Lynn managed to roll onto her back, but when she tried to pull herself up into her chair, her arms gave out. Great her legs weren't the only things refusing to cooperate.

She stacked her books in a pile next to her, and was startled when a pair of shoes approached and the body connected to them squatted down next to her.

"Thank you," Lynn realized this was the first sincere 'thank you' she'd uttered all day. Whoever he was, and she thought she knew everyone in her grade, he'd made them stop staring, and for that she really was grateful.

"For what? Being a decent human being? Don't thank me for that, it's insulting," his words caught her off guard, but that wasn't nearly as shocking as when he scooped her up and set her down in the wheelchair as if she were lighter than a feather.

He handed her books to her and walked away. Tall, broad shoulders, dark cropped hair, khakis and a simple black t-shirt. She'd seen him before, but had no idea what his name was. It didn't matter, he was the first person not to coddle her, and for that he was good in her book.

Somehow the knowledge that someone still felt comfortable being short and a bit rude to her despite her 'condition', gave her the energy to get through the rest of her day.

Lynn made a point of wheeling herself out to Erick's car after school before Lexi could come find her and escort her. Ever since she'd overheard Lexi on the phone trying to convince the school to rearrange her schedule so she could have more classes with her sister, Lynn was determined to prove she didn't need a babysitter.

"How was your first day back? I tried to find you fourth period, but you weren't in the cafeteria," Erick walked up and hugged Lynn from behind. Lynn winced as Erick took the books from her lap and wheeled her over to the passenger seat of his car.

"I can do that. I went to the library," she reached for her books, but it was futile.

"Lynn you have to try and get back to normal. You used to love spending your open period talking with all your friends," Erick reminded her as if she forgot how things used to be. If only they knew how clearly she saw the differences between herself pre and post-accident.

"I just wanted some quiet time," Lynn tried to explain as her sister walked up instantly making Lynn feel small. Lexi towered over her looking stunning in her black jeans, red fitted tank, and curled caramel hair falling down her back. Her red lipstick completed the look and highlighted just how white her teeth were.

Lynn glanced down at the running shorts and t shirt ensemble whose variations had become her uniform for the past month. She didn't have the energy to pick out a cute outfit. Besides it's not like anyone paid attention anyway. The chair was all they saw.

"Lynny you've had quiet for a month. Our friends keep asking about you. I really think it would help—"

"Stop thinking it would help. Stop thinking you know what would help more than I do. You aren't in a wheelchair Lex. You don't know what's best for me, so stop acting like I'm a little kid who needs you to make decisions for me. Both of you. It's smothering me," Lynn didn't burst out in frustration. She spoke slowly and flatly.

Lexi desperately wanted Lynn to scream or cry. Some sort of emotion besides placation would be nice. Lynn hadn't shed a single tear since Dr. Young told her about her paralysis. She hadn't gotten upset, or angry, or frustrated at all. Lexi didn't understand how someone could accept that they were never going to walk again like it was a new shade of paint.

"Why don't we go home," Erick suggested.

"Fine," Lynn grit her teeth as they lifted her into the car before pushing the wheelchair in after her. Her parents were buying a van with a wheelchair lift, and Lexi was more than happy to drive it. No surprise it was actually Lexi's idea. Her parents were under the impression that if they spent enough money they could find a doctor who would suddenly say Lynn wasn't paralyzed. Of course they had no problem calling these doctors while they were halfway across the country on business.

Meanwhile Lexi was under the impression that if she waited on Lynn hand and foot it would somehow cancel out her guilt. Erick was operating under the same philosophy minus the guilt, and Lynn just wanted to tell all of them that their philosophies were making things worse. Her parents' false hope and her sister and boyfriend's hovering weren't doing any good.

"I was thinking we'd catch a movie this weekend," Erick suggested as they pulled out of the parking lot. Lynn's first thought was movie theaters aren't exactly wheelchair friendly. Sure they have spots, but then you're blocking the aisle and there would be the inevitable stares.

"Can we just watch a movie at my house? Please?" Lynn sighed, completely worn out from the long day.

"Sure," Erick shared a knowing look with Lexi in the rear view mirror. Lynn didn't miss it. They had plenty of I wish she would let us help her be normal again looks, but those weren't nearly as bad as the poor Lynn looks. She hated those.

As Lynn rolled toward their garage, after reminding Lexi yet again she could do it herself, she stopped and turned to her sister.

"Lexi do you want to help me?"

"Yes. Of course I do Lynn," Lexi gushed. This was it. She was finally breaking through. Lynn was going to let her help with all the little daily things that Lexi had seen her sister struggling with.

"The overpriced and pretentious physical therapy mom and dad found isn't helping. All they're doing is trying to help me gain some feeling back in my feet right now. I need to be able to lift myself in and out of my chair and in and out of the car by myself. I want to start working out in the school gym after school. My arms are weak. All of the fall sports are in full swing, so we should have the fitness center to ourselves," Lynn would be grateful for the privacy.

"You need to give the physical therapy a chance. Walking isn't completely out of the question," Lexi insisted for the tenth time. Lynn sighed. The last thing she needed was more false hope. She'd finally gotten rid of her own, and she didn't need her sister dredging it up again.

"Lex, please. I'm disabled. I'm not going to dance at prom, I'm not going to walk across the stage at graduation, and I'm not going to walk down the aisle at my wedding. I'm not going to walk period, but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend the rest of my life waiting for people to pick me up and put me down everywhere. Will you please help me? We both know I'd rather do it myself, but I can't exactly drive myself home," Lynn let out a weak laugh before wheeling toward the door.

She knew Lexi would help her. No matter how many times Lynn insisted she didn't blame her sister for her paralysis, Lexi still carried the guilt with her, which is why she hovered so much.

Lynn hated that stupid wheelchair more than anything, but for Lexi it triggered just as painful emotions.

So who's the mystery guy?  Are Lexi and Lynn being logical or do you disagree with how one or both are handling it?  Don't forget to hit that star!  It means more than you know!