Character Profile: Short Story

Yet another speepless night. The idea of sleep is wonderful, but the pain it causes isn't really worth it. I sit in bed and watch movies all night... Doesn't really seem like a bad thing, until you have to go to school again the next day. My teachers always ask if I'm feeling alright, my friends laugh about how tired I look. I laugh along, figuring that maybe it really isn't that big a deal. And around them, it doesn't really seem like a big deal. It isn't until I get home that I realize that I'm in for another night of terror. My parents kind of shrug it off. We've tried so many different sleeping pills and anxiety medications that it really seems like there's nothing more that they can do. Both of them do shift work; my mom is a nurse and my dad is a firefighter. So they aren't always around when it happens. Those are the nights that I fear the most. If I fall asleep, I'm doomed. Who will be there to wake me up from my shrieking? The night terrors have almost started to take over my life. Sometimes I think about different ways to stop them; maybe a medication that could make me stay awake all night and not be tired the next day, maybe something that could prevent you from dreaming. But both of those options seem a little bit unrealistic, so the idea of suicide to end this pain and suffering often looms in the back of my mind. My friends don't understand, and would probably think it selfish of me to do this, but they have no idea. My parents would be devastated, but even they've given up on me.