My Life With Cerebral Palsy | +18

Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday, February 5th, 2048

It’s Wednesday morning—another morning of high school. I’m currently in my sophomore year. School has always been a challenge for me because I was born at 32 weeks, and then a year or so later, my parents, Zachary and Avalanna, were told I had been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral Palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood and affect muscle coordination, balance, and posture. It is caused by brain injury or abnormal development.

I was born prematurely, meaning I was born earlier than the 37- 40-week mark, which is full term. I had some breathing problems after birth, which caused my disability. My mother, Ava, also had preeclampsia, which didn’t exactly help either.

She had to have an emergency C-section with me. I can’t imagine how she must have been feeling because she was just seventeen when I was born. My father, Zach, was 18 when I made my dramatic arrival.

A lot of people think Cerebral Palsy is the same — but every case of CP is completely different — for example, I can walk and talk. I don’t need any assistance—just a few things I do need, though. Sometimes my balance can be a real bitch.

I had extra help in elementary and middle school, but my grades have improved so much that I don’t need it anymore. I study extra hard for tests, though.

My birthday is in ten days — I’m turning sixteen years old. I’m currently fifteen. I’ll be graduating in June 2050. I’ll be eighteen years old.

I’m the oldest of nine, almost ten—Mom is currently 25 weeks pregnant with my baby sister, Brittaniah Danielle, due May 28th, 2048.

I have three brothers and five soon-to-be six sisters — Brayden, Bentley, and Braison, and Brooklynn, Brynley, Brayley, Beverley, and Barley.

Brayden and I are fourteen months apart — he was born April 27th, 2033, which makes him fourteen now, and he is in his first year of high school. We’re very close.

I have brunette hair with blonde highlights and blue eyes. Brayden looks exactly like Dad — brown hair and brown eyes. They named him after Dad and our mother’s uncle. His full name is Brayden Zachary Kingston.

My sister, Brooklynn Grace, arrived two years and eight months after Brayden — she came into the world on December 28th, 2035 — and she is now 12 years old. She is now in seventh grade. Her blonde hair and blue eyes are from our mother —she’s a mini version of her.

Bentley Cadance arrived on March 15th, 2037—14 months after Brooke. He was a surprise, just like me — Mom and Dad didn’t plan for him; he was an unplanned pregnancy, but they said, “The best gifts are mostly unexpected.” Bentley has blonde hair and blue eyes. He’s 10, turning 11 next month.

Brynley Nicole and Brayley Nevaeh were planned — well, one was planned, and the other was a surprise. They’re twins who were born on October 25th, 2040. They’re seven years old and are currently in second grade.

They’re identical twins, meaning they look exactly alike. They have dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Their personalities are different, though — Bryn loves art and likes to make a mess with her artwork. Meanwhile, Brayley is a girly girl and loves to dress up.

My sister, Beverley Faith, arrived on January 29th, 2042 — fifteen months after Brynley and Brayley. She and the twins are extremely close—Beverley is now six years old and in first grade. She’s the one who loves to play with Barbies and play dress-up, just like the twins. Watching them grow up has been so much fun.

My three-year-old sister, Barley Renee, arrived on February 12th, 2044 — she’ll be turning four in a few days. She’s all about Bluey, Barney, and all the classics our grandparents used to watch growing up. She’s starting preschool in the spring.

And finally, and not last, my little brother, Braison Layke, made his grand arrival on May 3rd, 2046 — he’s one year old, but he’ll be turning two in a few months. He’s been home with Mom since his arrival — my Mom made the tough decision to become a stay-at-home mom after his birth.

I know how hard she worked to finish her law degree — both my parents went into law together, even though my Dad is one year and one month older than my mother.

My mother is now thirty-three years old. She’s my grandparents’ oldest daughter, Cody and Bailey Martin — she has six siblings: Aubree, Watson, Stephen, Annaylanne, Tristian, and Audrey.

My Aunt Aubree and my Uncle Austin Jones have four kids together—Austin Jackson Jr. and Aliannah Jayleigh, their first set of twins, who are fifteen. Their birthday was yesterday — they were born February 4th, 2033 — when my Aunt Aubree was just sixteen, and my uncle Austin was seventeen.

Their second set of twins were twin girls—Alayah Michelle and Alizah Marlanna—born May 11th, 2035. My Aunt Aubree was nineteen. They are twelve years old now, turning thirteen in a few months.

Aunt Aubree is thirty-one. She’ll be turning thirty-two in two days. Uncle Austin is 32 and will turn 33 in a few months.

My Uncle Watson and Aunt Danielle have six children together — their twins, Delilah Mackyla and Dylan Thomas, and then Demi Amiyah, Drake Michael, Watsonia Charlotte, and Wynter Chloe.

Delilah and Dylan are eight years old. They were born on July 10th, 2039. Demi is five years old. She was born on August 18th, 2042. Drake is four years old. He was born on October 8th, 2043. Watsonia is two years old; she was born on December 14th, 2045, and they just welcomed Wynter two weeks ago.

My Uncle Watson and Aunt Dani are 29 but will turn 30 this year.

My Uncle Stephen and Aunt Shaylee have three daughters: Sapphire Marie, 8; Sarah Grace, 5; and Skye Beth, 3. They want more kids, but their lives have been too busy for that right now, so they’re going to wait a little longer to try for baby number four.

My Uncle Stephen and Aunt Shaylee are 28. They’ll be 29 this year.

My Aunt Annalaynne is 25 right now, but will be 26 next month. Her husband, my Uncle Charlie, is 31, and they have three kids together: Layke Mitchell, 6; Layne Marie, 5; and Laiyla Michelle, 3.

My Uncle Tristian and Aunt Trista are expecting twin girls in April. They are 21 years old.

Finally, my Aunt Audrey is currently 20 years old and is going to college. She’s been dating a guy, Justin Matthews, 21, for a few months. They met when my Aunt was eighteen, became friends, and then fell in love.

My Aunt Audrey and I are extremely close because I was born when she was four — a lot of people think she’s my sister. It’s our own joke at this point.

My Mom’s Aunt Maya and Uncle Zack have eight children — Jocelyn Grace, who was born January 15th, 2015; she is now 33; Jessa Marie was born on March 6th, 2016; she is 31, Jackson Cody and Jacklynn Bailey were born on February 17th, 2017; they are 30 years old. Josephine Renee was born on April 23rd, 2018; she’s 29.

They also have Janessa Noah, who was born on June 7th, 2019. Jillian Elizabeth and Josiah Quinton, who was born on August 29th 2021; they are 26, and finally, they have Janna Carolina. She was born on July 14th 2023; she is 24.

Jocelyn and her husband, Jeremy, have four kids — Jordyn Mariana, Jeremiah Quintion, Jerediah Noah, and Johannah Michelle.

Jordyn is the same age as me—her birthday is July 23rd, 2032—so our moms were pregnant together for a short time; I’m just a few months older than her.

Jeremiah and Jerediah are twins. They arrived on August 23rd, 2037. They’re 10 years old, almost 11.

Johannah was born on October 23rd, 2042 — she’s five now.

Jessa and her husband, Ben Daniels, have three daughters together — Charlotte Faith, who was born on October 11th, 2039; she’s eight; Clarissa Anna, who arrived on December 1st, 2042; she’s 5; and then they have Cheri Marie, who arrived on February 1st, 2047; she just turned one.

Jackson and his wife, Isabella, have two daughters — Veronica Nessa, three, born on May 2nd, 2044. Their youngest daughter, Violet Everleigh, arrived on July 12th, 2046— she is one year old.

Jackie and her husband, Alex Rivers, have three kids together — the twins, Avery Skye and Xander Ayden, 2; they arrived on August 18th, 2045. They just welcomed their daughter, Ella Rose, in December.

Josephine and her husband, Isaac Benson, have two kids together: their thirteen-year-old daughter, Harley Jamie, born on June 2nd, 2034, and their eleven-year-old son, Hayden Cadence, who arrived on July 7th, 2036.

Josie is seven months pregnant with their youngest child, a daughter named Heidi. She’s due in September.

Janessa and her husband, Archie Andrews, have three —almost four — kids together: Kyliey Harmony, 6; Kinsley Beth, 4; and Kyle Mason, 2, and Janessa is expecting their daughter, Kelli Marie. She is due on April 5th.

Kyliey was born on September 16th, 2041. Kinsley was born on November 22nd, 2043, and Kyle arrived on December 3rd, 2045.

Jillian and her husband, Reid Spencer, have a ten-month-old son together. His name is Zayden Daniel. He was born on March 25th, 2047.

Josiah and his wife, Maela, have two daughters — Renee Samantha and Rilah Veronica. Renee is three, turning four next month on the 29th, and Rilah is seven months old — she was born on June 29th, 2047.

Janna and her husband, Ryder Stephens, have two daughters — Recebecca Faith and Briah Kaylee. Bekah was born on October 31st, 2041; she is six, turning seven, and Briah is two, turning three on February 14th.

Yes, that’s my entire family — for now. Who knows what happens in the next few years? I certainly have no idea what’s in store for my very large family.

I’m extremely lucky — I have three good friends, and I trust them: Lindsey Michaels, Rosalie Sandler, and Paislee Garcia. They’ve been my best friends for years — we have been friends since middle school.

The only thing I dislike about school is the fact that I have had a bully throughout my whole school years — do I know why she hates me so much?

The answer is no. I have no fucking clue — does she think my life is perfect? Probably, but I struggle every day. I don’t have the freedom to drive my own car right now. I still have a few months, maybe even a year or two, to get better with my coordination.

I didn’t learn how to do my hair until fourth grade — I still can’t braid my hair. I’ve taught myself how to do a messy bun and straighten my hair.

I can brush it and throw it into a ponytail, though. One thing at a time, right?

Since it’s early February, I throw on my favorite pink Victoria’s Secret sweatshirt with my black leggings. I put on my black Uggs. My Google Pixel 11 is sitting on my phone stand — I got this phone as a Christmas gift.

Dad is dropping Brayden and me off at school today, so I picked up my charged phone and then my bookbag—filled with my stuff, including some books, folders, my binder, and a makeup bag—though I have my skincare in there.

My bedroom blends beach-inspired charm with modern comfort. The soft palette of whites, sandy beiges, and seafoam blues creates a soothing atmosphere, while the warm LED lighting adds a cozy glow. Details like the surfboard, the “good vibes only” neon sign, and “BEACH” accents beautifully reinforce the seaside theme.

I have my own bathroom, too. I love having my own bathroom—it exudes clean, modern elegance; it’s a masterclass in simplicity and balance. The light gray-and-white palette creates a calm, spa-like atmosphere, while the black fixtures add just the right amount of contrast. The vertical mosaic strip in the shower draws the eye beautifully, giving the space a sense of height and sophistication.

As I walked downstairs, my mother, Avalanna Kingston, 33, brewed coffee at the coffee bar. She smiled as soon as she noticed Brayden, Dad, and me in the kitchen with her.

“Good morning, honey. Do you want to have a cup of coffee today, sweetheart?” My mother asked as I had my bookbag over my shoulder.

I nodded. “Sure, Momma. I’d love to,” I said as Mom finished brewing the batch of coffee and poured me a cup of iced coffee, putting some pumpkin spice creamer and cold foam on my coffee.

She handed me the cup of iced coffee, and I smiled before thanking her by kissing her cheek. “Thank you, Mom! See you later,” I said, smiling before I followed my brother and Dad out of our home to Dad’s car.

Dad dropped Brayden and me off at the high school—Cheerver’s High. My grandparents, Cody and Bailey, along with their longtime friend, London Tipton, attended this high school briefly before transferring to Seven Seas High for their sophomore year and graduating in 2011.

Walking into the school with my coffee in my hand, I walked down the hall to my locker before unlocking it. As I was busy unlocking it, my best friends, Rosalie Sandler, 15, Lindsey Michaels, 16, and Paislee Garcia, 16, came walking down the hallway.

“Hey, pretty lady,” Paislee said, smiling. “Are you excited for your birthday?” My best friend asked.

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, I am. Mom is throwing me a small birthday party with just you guys and my family,” I replied before I looked over my shoulder and saw Faith Baker walk past us with her two little friends, Hollie Prez and Hallie Prez.

The only two classes I have with her are homeroom and Technology class. I fucking hate it.

“She annoys me so much,” Rosalie mutters under her breath. Agreed.

Faith has always been that ‘mean girl’ throughout the years. She seriously thinks I don’t deserve what everyone else deserves — being in love, having a family, and other shit people who don’t have a disability do.

She’s the cheer captain, and she likes to throw it in my face that no guy would like me because I’m not popular or don’t have a boyfriend yet.

Okay, here’s a little context: I have always struggled to talk to boys. Either they’d be on the football team and into dating cheerleaders, or just be there to make me look like I’m desperate.

You are neither of those things, Bayley.

My Mom always told me: “If they don’t like you for who you are, they don’t deserve to be in your life.” And ever since then, I’ve lived by that saying all the time.

“Just ignore her,” Paislee says, whispering to Rosalie.

“I will until she says something insulting to Bay,” Rosalie groans, whispering. She has always been overprotective of me, and I love her so much, but I can handle Faith.

The first bell rings, and we go our separate ways. I don’t have much to do in homeroom, so I decided to study. Sometimes I need extra time to study, so I’m thankful my schedule includes first period for studying this year.

I walked into second period with some dread — Technology—with Faith Baker and her follow-me crew.

Ewww.

Walking over to my seat, I sit down and pull out my laptop. My technology partner had recently moved schools, so for a month or so I’ve been doing the project myself.

That was until I heard footsteps entering the room. Looking up, I noticed a very handsome, tall, and muscular teenage boy with dark brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes. His glasses were the first thing I noticed.

He looks cute even with glasses.

God, Bayley, can you get any weirder?

“Taylor, please take a seat next to Bayley. You’ll be her new partner,” Mrs. Davis explains to him, which makes my eyes widen, and I look over at Faith, who is sitting across from me with her partner, Cameron Johnson.

Faith is glaring at me with death glares. Why is she so mad? She seemed pretty happy to be paired with Cameron a few months ago.

Breathing heavily, I watched Taylor walk over and take a seat next to me. He gave me a small smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Taylor,” he introduced himself to me.

I smiled and nodded. “Hi. I’m Bayley,” I replied, so quietly I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hear me — before Taylor could even continue our small conversation, Faith chuckled and shook her head.

“Taylor, you might not want to sit too close to her. She’s infested with Cerebral Palsy. You don’t want to catch it from her,” she said, which caused my heart rate to go up, and it began to race.

Embarrassed, I picked up my stuff, got up, and walked out of the classroom. I ran out of there, actually — ran down the hallway with tears now streaming down my face.

Does she have to ruin it for me every time a boy looks in my direction? I did nothing to her.

I must have been sobbing so hard that my vision went blurry, and I ended up tripping over my bag, causing me to drop everything and fall onto the hallway floor.

I don’t think I could imagine what happened next — I looked up and saw Taylor extending his hand, and I never in my life thought a teenage boy would ever follow after me.

“Are you okay, Bayley?” Taylor asked, helping me up from the floor and then picked up my books.

I nodded. “Yeah…” I stuttered a little. “You actually came after me?” I ask. “Nobody has ever done that before. I have been bullied for having a disability, so I’m just confused…” I tell him, looking confused.

Taylor looks off to the side and breathes. “Well, I know the struggle. My little sister, Victoria, has Cerebral Palsy too. She’s had many surgeries throughout the seven years since her diagnosis. She’s eight now. She’s been in a wheelchair or using crutches.”

“So…I’m not weird or infested to you?” I ask, looking him in the eyes. He’s 6’1, and I’m 5’4.

He shook his head. “No, you’re not. I have seen firsthand what Cerebral Palsy is, and what happens. I may not know what your type does, but I know my sister’s. She deals with a lot of pain and has to have Botox injections every few months.”

I smile. “Maybe we can hang out after school, and I can explain everything. Would you be up for that?” I ask. If he says no, I’m going to look like a desperate bitch.

“Sure, I’d like that. I am new here. I don’t know anyone here, but you. Meet me after school. Better yet, we could have lunch together,” Taylor grins.

I nodded. “I’d love that, actually. You can meet my friends and my brother, Brayden,” I tell him with a smile. When we return to class, we take our seats again, and I fill Taylor in on the project we’re going to do.

I never imagined my life would change after meeting him.

When I got home, I didn’t realize I had the biggest smile on my face. “Mom, I met someone new today. He’s in my technology class, and he doesn’t have a problem with my disability.”

Mom grins. “I’m happy for you, sweet girl. I can’t wait to meet him one day, Bay,” Mom says as I put my bookbag down before kicking my shoes off and heading upstairs to do my homework.

I had no idea I’d fall completely and deeply in love with him.