Then her doctor went on to explain that asthma was a lung disease, and that she could use an inhaler to help her breathe normally while running and participating in track events.

Dr. Miller gave Katy her inhaler, then told her about attacks and how those were treated, and then warned her to keep her inhaler with her at all times in case of an attack.

When Katy went home that day, she had incredibly mixed feelings. She was glad to have the inhaler in case of an attack. But, as she gazed at it on the nightstand, she knew that she did not want to use it, or let anyone else see it.

Katy had no intentions of disobeying the doctor's orders and not taking the asthma inhaler with her to school, but she concealed it in her tote bag, hiding it from any prying eyes.

As she left the house that morning, she was humming "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus, trying (and somewhat succeeding) to appear carefree.

But inside, her heart was quaking. She knew she couldn't run in cross-country without using the inhaler. But if I do use it, she thought, all of the other girls, especially Brianna, will laugh at me.

At school, Beth and Anna could already tell that something was bothering their friend. But, seeing the strained expression in Katy's eyes, they asked no questions.

Katy knew that, sometime or another, she was going to have to tell them, but she was hoping to avoid that event as long as possible.

Katy's day was really quite boring, despite her fear and obvious distraction. No one got their hands on the inhaler. No one even spoke about why she had been out of school yesterday, not even Beth or Anna. However, all Katy wanted was for school to end so that she could go home and read the diary.

After school, Katy slung her bags across her bed. Mrs. Patterson was taking Anita to a Swan Lake dance recital and would not be back home until late. They were eating after the performance.

Quickly Katy fixed herself a salad and some frozen pizza.

After eating, the phone rang. The call was from Beth and Anna, asking if she would like to come over and play board games. "Thanks, but Mrs. Patterson is not home, so I can't come over." Katy had replied.

She was not going to let anything come between her and reading the journal that night. Katy went to her room and laid on her bed for a while, just thinking, knowing that there was no hurry to start doing anything.