Messed Up Vita

Chapter Twenty-Two

I lost my whole chapter yesterday, so I have to rewrite the whole thing -_- not that this would benifit you, but I thought you should hear my pain.

Enjoy.

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I push through into the nurse's office, which was rather small. My eyes dart around, taking in the space only a bit bigger than my room. Did this used to be a rather large janitor's closet? There was a bed cot in the corner, like in the doctor's office, a cupboard, chairs along the wall, and a small desk underneath the shelves. Behind the desk was a young looking woman, no older than twenty-five.

   Her head snaps up as the door shuts, as if startled. She smiles and stands to her feet. "Can I help you, dear?"

   "Uh, I was sent here by Mrs. Fern," I tell her. "My stomach hurts." I cough a little, but softly.

  "Do you need to call your parents?" she asks, eyes scrunched up. "Do you have a phone with you?" I search my brain for her name, because I've seen her somewhere before-- just not up close. She has brown hair cut in a long bob over her shoulders, and dark neat eyebrows. She was rather short (my height) but pretty.  

   I slap my hand against my back pocket for my phone, then my heart drops when I realize it's not there. I remember I put it in my backpack, in a safe tucked in pocket inside. Panic reappears when I realize I didn't put my backpack away. It's still out in the empty hallway, where Mason asked me to skip. I had put it down when I thought he was just telling me something, and didn't realize I was going to pick it up again. Students ransacking backpacks or open lockers wasn't something uncommon in any school, and I would expect somebody to do it to mine. Possibly cheerleaders, looking for revenge for whatever reason.

   "I- no, I don't," I tell her. "I don't have a phone."

   "Here," she steps back, and walks towards a phone on the wall. She unhooks it and hands it to me. I notice somebody in one of the chairs as I take the phone from her. Surprise lightens my heart at the sight of Joey sitting there, staring at me. I smile at him and dial Linda's number on the wall from the old cord phone. It rings once, twice, three times before she answers.

   "Linda," I croak. "I don't feel good. Can you pick me up?"

   "Are you sure?" she says suspiciously.

   I sigh. "I'm sure."

   The room was so silent, Joey and the teacher-- Ms. Pyne! Her name snaps suddenly into my head-- could probably hear every word not only what I say, but what Linda says, too.

   "Alright," she says. "I'll be there in ten." A click signals she's hung up, and I hang the phone back into it's holder on the wall. 

   "She's coming in ten," I tell Ms. Pyne, even though she probably knows already. I turn around and walk towards the chairs, where I plant my butt down on the hard wooden chairs. What a surprise Joey's here, out of all people.

   "Hey," I say lightly to him. He turns his gaze away, unresponsive. I raise my eyebrows in incredulously. "Hey! Joey?"

   He blinks but doesn't look at me. Ms. Pyne stands to her feet. "I'm leaving only for a moment. Will you two stay here?"

   I nod, answering for both of us. Good-- she can leave so I can deal with whatever Joey's pulling on me. She passes us a grim smile and shuts the door behind her, leaving us in silence. I turn to him and rest my hands on the chair separating us.

   "What's the matter?" I ask, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you mad at me?" I look at his face, and realize ear buds are stuffed in his ears. I tap him on the shoulder. Then a soft shove.

   He rips his earphone out. "What?" he practically snaps.

   I flinch. "What's the matter?"

   "Nothing," he says, looking away and putting an earphone back in. I roll my eyes and stop his hand from doing so. "What do you want?"

   "You're mad at me," I state. "Aren't you?"

   "Not mad," he corrects, trailing off. He doesn't meet my gaze. What the heck was this kid up to? I pinch my lips together. Is he mad about me being with Mason, even though he's warned me? Is he mad I've ignored his words or something?

   "Then what?" I ask gently.

   He pauses, then says, "Nothing."

   I scoot over to the chair next to me so our knees nearly touch. He's silent, his black hair hanging in his face. I study him for a moment, wondering what to say or what's bothering him. In this poor orange light, his hair doesn't really look black. Kind of dark brown. I also wonder if that's his real hair color, and not black. His eyebrows and eyelashes were black enough.

   "Why are you in here, then?" I ask after a long minute of silence. "You sick?"

   "No, I got in trouble," he mutters. Not once has he looked at me since I came in, and it's driving me crazy. I must've done something to upset him.

    "So they sent you to the nurses?" I smile.

   "The principle was busy," he replies tartly.

   "Please tell me why you're upset with me," I plead. "What did I do? Is it about Mason or something?" I just met this kid, what? Not even a week ago? Yet I still don't want to lose him as a friend. I've only have a limited number in this school. Besides, he looks like a great friend to have. Even a best friend.

   When he doesn't respond, I huff. "Joey, I have to go soon. Can we go to the park or something so we can talk? Or are you ignoring me."

   He rolls his eyes, not annoyed, but because that's not what's the case. "I'm not mad at you, alright? I just thought you and Mason would need your space."

   "What do you mean?" I say, narrowing my eyes.

   "Eliot, everybody knows you're dating," he says obviously, finally looking up at me. I am still surprised to see how much his honey-colored eyes brighten up his face, his dark eyebrows and eyelashes empathizes his features.

   "Who said that?" I stammer.

   "Everybody," he repeats.

   I pause, then shake my head. "Well, can we talk? Please, Joey."

   He closes his eyes and sighs. "Fine. On Tuesday tomorrow, at the diner."

   I smile, but then suppress it as I see the uninterested look in his face. "Okay, which diner?"

   "The one down by the coffee shop," he says. I wince mentally, remembering that's where me and Mason went. I'm guessing me and Mason were a tough topic for him for some reason. Maybe because of his girlfriend I've never met. Did they break up, or what? I make a list inside my head of questions to ask Joey tomorrow. How he got into trouble, why the school was talking about Mason and I, and why he's annoyed with me all of the sudden. This seems to be a pattern with him. Happy, then ignoring me. Friendly, then cautious.

   "Deal," I say. "After school?"

   He doesn't answer.

   "So after school," I confirm, turning away awkwardly. "See you there."