Talented Failure: The Works of A.T. Prenger

It felt like I was having a nervous breakdown. I think. I couldn't be sure because I'd never had one before. I'd never met someone who had had one before. Or maybe I was going crazy in some other way. I wasn't exactly sure. I didn't have the money for a therapist to find out what was wrong with me. And I definitely wasn't going to one recommended by Dana or that sick bitch Sarah. So I sat in my apartment slowly going crazy. This wasn't like before. I didn't think it was. It felt different. When I first got out of the hospital I figured it was shock or depression. Now I couldn't figure out what was going on. My mom was happy I was talking more. She was especially happy that I had my natural voice back. She was less happy when I told her I woke up one day to find that my voice returned to normal. She didn't believe me. She wanted to, but couldn't. Not really. After all she read about Beth while I was in the hospital she was convinced ...

Coming out of sedation took a lot longer and was a much stranger experience. My consciousness returned first. I was awake, mostly aware, though still woozy. That moved me to panic, as much as I could, since I couldn't move. I couldn't even open my eyes. That fucking doctor. He'd paralyzed me. It was only supposed to be a simple surgery. Dana promised me an outpatient procedure. Now I was doomed to be a vegetable the rest of my life, stuck in a body I couldn't control. People around me wouldn't even know I was conscious. Finally, right as I was really about to freak out, I was able to move my fingers. Just a bit, but it was still heartening. I could also feel pressure. I was on my back on a bed. Not my bed. I didn't think. It felt much softer than mine. There was also a weird pressure on my pelvis which felt familiar, but through the numbness I couldn't quite place. I wouldn't know what was going on until I could open my eyes. Sound returned next. I...

Riding on the back of Dana's motorcycle was the most terrifying experience in my life. I would rather get shot at again. Beth's brief description of it didn't do it justice. It was a monster of a machine. The rumble of the bike rattled my teeth along with all the windows on every house on the street. I had my hands wrapped tightly around her waist with my hands locked together in a death grip so I wouldn't fall off. If I was squeezing her too hard she didn't mention it. I doubt she could feel it. Her stomach was rock hard and her back was a sheet of muscle. It was like I wrapped my arms around a tree trunk. I didn't know where we were headed. I had my eyes squeezed shut. It felt like we were going about a million miles per hour. It was going to be ironic if Dana got into an accident and killed us on the way to the doctor. If we slammed into a wall we would be mashed into paste. I hadn't even realized that we stopped until I felt Dana prying my finger...