The Mindreader's Classmate

Two

The doors fly open as two men burst into the infirmary, carrying a third between them. "Nurse, come quickly, he needs help!"

"On my way," I shout from across the infirmary. Three strides are all it takes to reach them, which makes no sense, seeing as I'm wearing a floor-length dress. "What happened to him?"

The soldiers place an unconscious Martin on the nearest bed. Blood pours down the side of his face – does it have to get so graphic? – and he's barely breathing. I confirm this by leaning in over him because that's a war nurse's superpower, apparently.

"We were charging the enemy lines when he noticed the landmine," one of the soldiers says, his voice cracking halfway through which forces the other one to finish for him. "He pulled us away in the nick of time but got caught in the explosion."

Hero complex much?

"Please, nurse, can you save him?"

I reach for their shoulders and squeeze, my expression grave. "I can't make any guarantees but I'll do my best. The world needs a man like him."

Everything within me, all the way down to my soul, flinches from how cringe that sounded. Also, why World War I when we're learning about the Cold War? Can't you at least make your delusions fit the lesson at hand?

Fortunately, the bell puts an end to his musings. People begin packing, excited for lunch break whereas I heave a sigh at the sight of my blank notebook. Barely half a day and he's already messing everything up.

"Can I borrow your notes, Nat?" I ask with a niggle of guilt. I don't want to exploit her but she does have the best notes in class.

"Of course," she says, always willing to help. Her smile turns mischievous. "Little distracted today?"

You have no idea.

"I'm not used to having someone all up in my space," I say. "And he's very fidgety."

"Yeah, I noticed," Char agrees, thinking back on the two thumps she heard. "Are we eating in or out?"

The sky is clear and the temperatures mild, the perfect weather to eat outside. Nat agrees. "Outside. I want to buy myself something, anyway."

There's a parking lot adjacent to the school, separated from the street by a low wall. There are bushes and little trees planted behind, adding a cozy feel to the place. Most everyone from our school hangs out here, be it during lunch break or after classes. We find ourselves an empty spot and Natalie heads off to the corner eatery that specializes in pasta dishes.

"Oh, look, Martin," Char says as she bites into her baguette. Between the ham, lettuce, tomatoes, and boiled eggs, the thing is so filled it's practically spilling over. In contrast, the cheese I stuck between two slices of bread looks very sad. People who have the patience to pack themselves a proper meal in the morning are very admirable.

Did she mention Martin? I look up to find the source of my headache surrounded by a few of our classmates. Even Rebecca seems to have taken an interest. Unless she's there for Julien.

"You look annoyed," Nat comments as she hops up on the wall beside me. The smell of her penne all'arrabbiata makes my mouth water. "Oh, Julien. No wonder."

"I still don't get why you don't like him," Char says, glancing my way. "He's always been nice to everyone."

Of course, he has, he's an incurable people-pleaser. If he ever feels like someone dislikes him, he becomes all clingy and overly sweet and doesn't back off until he's certain he's changed your mind. I get that everyone craves validation – myself included – but I've been subjected to his needy tendencies for years now and it's exhausting.