The Dating Game

Chapter Sixty-Four

Juliet

"Is she okay to do her exams?" Dad asked, staring intensely at Doctor Klein who was seated opposite us on the opposite side of his desk.

His office was somewhat spacious. Behind where he was sitting, he had about three bookshelves full of books on different medical conditions and some random genres flecked in there, too. On his desk, he had his papers all neat and orderly and other office utensils like pens, pencils, rulers etcetera. He had a skeleton on the other side of his desk and several plants due to the photosynthesis and respiration cycle he deemed critical to us.

Doctor Klein fingered his stethoscope as he speculated his answer carefully before saying, "I think yes. Her signs today have been good throughout the check-up, so yes, I think she is deemed okay to do her exams. I just don't want to see any additional stress or late nights, okay?" he said sternly, eyes transfixed on me. "Early nights and no stress."

"Got it," I replied, nodding my head comprehendingly.

My first day back at school after the two weeks' rest, most of the teachers I had were very cautious for anything I did in lesson, meaning that they never asked me a question or even conversed with me. They simply left me on my own accord. This was presumably down to them being liable if anything happened to me in a lesson. Then again, that was purely conjecture, but I was probably spot on with it, too.

With students, it was even worse than being left alone in my solidarity in lessons to just focus. Left right and centre, I was having words and questions thrown at me like, "Why were you in the hospital?" or, "Did you rule the hospital, Royal?" and even, "Did they give you a body transplant? Because that one isn't much better."

Justin, Beth and Michelle stuck by me. They stayed with me throughout the day. There was never a second in school when I was alone except in some lessons. Michelle and Beth weren't in my Math class, but Justin was so he was always keeping an eye on me throughout like a hawk. I had to even teach him not to say something back to any student that decided to ridicule me, despite how much he desired to. Instead, he'd take his anger out on his hands which were usually holding my hands.

"Justin, you're hurting me," I'd say.

He'd understand what he was doing instantaneously and loosen his clutch on my hand. "I'm sorry," he'd reply.

"So she's fine to do exams? It's all okay?"

"It's all okay," Doctor Klein repeated, smiling. "Now, do you have any more questions?"

Dad and I exchanged a glance and when neither of us said anything, we shook our heads at Doctor Klein. Happy with my progress and status of being able to do my exams, we left the office and drove back home. Justin was happy to accompany us today, but I declined his offer considering it was boring check-up work and a sit down at the end.

Dad asked if I had started revising anyway as we vacated the hospital parking lot. I told him that I had and I was doing it with Justin, Beth and Michelle either in school or outside school if it was a weekend. Seemingly content with my answer, he just nodded in response and focused on the journey home.

When I did get home, I just sat in my room.

On my desk there were countless teenage romance books that Justin and Jazmyn had given to me for the last several months – probably about six months. I had read all of them. All that was left to do was revise and even then, the amusement level of that was lethally low.

Dad came into my room a few hours later after I had decided the better option of doing something would be to revise. He said, "How's the revision going?"

"It's okay," I said, closing my notepad. "It's a little tedious, though, being on my own."

"Why don't you invite your friends and Justin round then?"

So that's what I did.

Now the weeks had passed since I had been given the all clear to do exams and they were perilously imminent. And by that, I meant that they were only a matter of days away. Those few days were spent agonising myself over revision and making sure I knew just what I had to do. So when Doctor Klein said I shouldn't add anymore stress, I think I was partially neglecting that piece of vital information.

Everyone's first exam was Math and then it differentiated depending on the classes. Some were on at the same time as others so therefore the main school hall had to be segregated into sections for each subject considering they may have had longer or shorter times for the exams.

All four of us were nervous for the exams. After these exams would be over, it'd be prom and then we'd graduate and we'd officially leave high school and go into the big wide world of colleges. That thought alone was enough to comatose me from fear of college.

Truthfully, a part of me didn't want to leave high school, but the other part of me – which was a vast, disproportionate part of me – did want to leave high school. I was fed up with the ridiculing and the insults regarding my surname. But I didn't want to leave because I had Justin, Beth and Michelle. I had three wonderful people in my life and leaving them seemed somewhat like an infidelity to me.

But now, standing outside of the main school hall with only my necessities which was a bottle of water – label removed – and my pen, pencil, ruler and eraser, it seemed so overwhelming. Breathing deeply in and out, I tried to calm myself down. It seemed to be working. Then Justin wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Are you ready?"

"Am I ever?" I replied back to him.

"Just keep calm, okay? You'll do brilliantly, and there's a hundred percent chance of passing your exams and ticking another thing off your bucket list."

Instead of vocalising just how anxious I was for these upcoming exams, I just smiled up at Justin.

A few minutes later, we were let into the room.

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Author's Note:

Juliet's able to do her exams! Do you think this will be another thing that can be crossed off her bucket list (if she passes them)?? Let me know your thoughts in the comments please! :))))

Thank you :) x