A Livestreamed reading of Chapter 26 from my novel, “Was I Ever Normal. In this chapter, 9^th grade is dragging on for Cassie. She is lost in a slew of psychosis, depression, and anxiety.  Cassie knows she needs some serious help, but all the adults in her life keep accusing her of faking symptoms for attention.  So, she stops opening up to them and shuts down instead.  What doctors would label suicidal ideation, is consuming her brain. At a loss, Cassie begins planning an exit strategy.

Over the course of several weeks, she develops a stockpile of 12 Ibuprofen, 16 extra-strength Tylenol, 10 Seroquel, 24 Aspirin, and 17 Benadryl.  She also plans to buy a bottle of extra-strength Aspirin the next morning. The suicidal ideation continues as all she can think about all day is the pills that will rescue her from the mess of pain her life has become.

That night Cassie can’t sleep. Her hallucinations keep ordering her to take the pills right then and there, but Cassie wants a chance to say bye to her parents and give them one last hug, and it is overwhelming the suicidal ideation telling her to listen to the voices and take the pills. That night they are having an overnight date and her grandparents are watching her. When the command hallucinations persist, her last-ditch effort is to call a suicide hotline to keep her safe for the night. She’s not sure she can do that on her own.

To find out what happens to Cassie next, you will have to sign up for the Livestream.