My Best Friend's Brother

Chapter 6

Hollis

After my conversation with Meredith, I run to American History, then lunch. after picking up my meal from the lunch line, I go to sit down by Megan, Evan, and the rest of our group of friends. I pick at my mystery meat, but I don't really feel like contributing to the conversation.  see Faith out of the corner of my eye, sitting with Meredith and a few other people. I identify one as Eliot Sacters, a 10th grader that had went to my Middle School. Faith is laughing at something Meredith must have said. I turn back to my food. For the rest of the meal, I barely speak, just commenting on a few conversation peices. 

After lunch, I walk to my locker to drop off some papers before I went to my Fiction Writing class. As I start to turn the dial, I see Meredith walking down the hall with Eliot. I turn back kto my locker and finish entering the combination. I push up the lever thing and pull open the locker door, hard. It swings halfway out and hits something. A sense of horror fills me. Oh shit.

I turn slowly, and a horrific scene: Meredith Walker is sprawled on the floor a few feet from my locker, Eliot kneeling beside her. Her eyes are closed--she's obviously unconcious--and her forehead is already sweeling from where the door hit her. I hear a few students call for help, and someone tells someone to go to the security desk up front. The person runs past me.

A moment later, a teacher comes bustling through the crowd. She kneels beside Meredith. 

"What happened?"

"Umm... I accidentally hit her with my locker door," I reply, nervous.

Meredith's eyes flutter open. 

"What happened?" She asks.

"James, here hit you with his locker door." Eliot says to her.

"It was an accident!!!" I protest.

"You? Oh, fan-freaking-tastic." Meredith groans.

Meredith tries to push herself off the floor, ignoring the teacher's and Eliot's protests. She's not yet on her feet when she trips back and falls again. Eliot catches her before she slams back onto the floor too hard.

"Dizziness..nausea... unbalance.." Meredith trails off, "I seem to have a concussion.'

This girl amazes me. She's just been hit, extremely hard, by a metal locker door, and she's still able to spout eough facts to diagnose her symptoms. Wow.

"Well, Young Man, as you were the one to hit her with the locker door, you will be the one to take her to the Attendance Office--even if you have to carry her--and wait with her until her Guardian comes." The teacher says. 

Oh, fantastic. I get the old-fashioned teacher. Oh, joy.

"Wait--" Eliot cuts in, "I'm her best friend. Shouldn't I be the one to take her to the office." He looks at Meredith for support, but she's too disoriented. It doesn't even seem like she's following the conversation. Really? This girl can name all the symptoms of a concussion while having a concussion, but can't follow a conversation? It's incredulous.

"No, sir, I believe that the cause of this problem should be the one to take her to the office." the teacher retorts. Eliot opens his mouth to protest again, but seems to think better of it when the teacher shoots him a glare.

"Well, get going.' The teacher shoos me with her hand. I move foward and slide an arm around her waist. I start to pull her to her feet, and Eliot jumps up to help.

'I'll take good notes in Fiction Writing class." He promises her.

"Thanks, El." She mumbles in reply.

"I might be needing to borrow those notes too." I say to Eliot.

"You're in Fiction Writing class?" He asks, incredulous.

"Well... yeah," I say to him, "not my choice. My mom made me take it." 

"Well, get someone else to take your notes. Bye, Mer." He stalks off, obviously pissed off.

"Bye El." She calls after him.

She tries to stand again, and I jump foward and put an arm around her waist when I see her wobble unsteadily.

"I don't need your help." She says, pushing my arm from around her waist. She takes a few unstable steps and starts to tumble foward again.  I catch her, and this time she doesn't object, but she makes a face. 

I walk through the halls to the office, getting more than a few strange looks. I don't blame them--we must look a strange pair, what with me practically carrying Meredith. We've evolved from her walking beside me, my arm around her waist for slight support, to me pretty much pulling her along, her arm around my back and both of my arms around her waist. Thankfully, the bell rings and everyone disperses to their classes.

We finally get to the office, and I get in line behing a short, pudgy kid whose arm is bleeding profusely. I wince inwardly. The kid finishes on the phone and I reach towards the dial pad, before I realize I have no clue what Meredith's mom's phone number is. Meredith herself is no help, she's practically unconsious in the chair she's sitting in. I get the attention of one of the office ladies and she comes over.

"Yes, sweetie?" She asks in a sugar-sweet voice.

"Umm... I accidentally hit another student on the head with my locker. She has a concussion." I motion in Meredith's direction. The woman pouts sympathetically at her, and I spot a nametag on her shirt. Apparently, her name is Mrs. Terry. She looks about 50.

"Well, sweetie, do you know this girl's name? I need to check her emergency contacts to call her Gaurdian."

"Her name in Meredith Walker. She's in Ninth Grade."

Mrs. Terry raises her eyebrows as she looks through the student records. "Do you know this student?"

"Uh... yes," I blush slightly, "She's my sister's best friend."

 "Well..." Mrs. Terry's eyebrows draw together, "It seems that Miss Walker's parents are unable to be reached during school hours. But she does have an emergecy contact-- Holly Rivers."

I groan inwardly. My mom. "Uh... that's my mom. I'll go call her." Mrs. Terry points me towards the phone. I dial my mom's number.

"Hello?" Mom asks.

"Hey, Mom." I reply.

"What's wrong?" She asks me, worry evident in her voice.

"Umm... I may or may not have accidentally given Meredith a concussion with my locker door." I tell her, nervous.

"Oh, James... Okay, I'll be there in 30 minutes. Call Faith to the office. Meredith would want her with us when I take her to the Doctor's. And do you have Mrs. Walker's phone number? I need you to text her and tell her what happened and that I'm taking Meredith to the hospital."

Will do. But I don't have her number." Mom relayed the phone number, then hung up. I asked Mrs. Terry to call Faith to the office, then pulled out my phone and texted Mrs. Walker, but she didn't reply.

Faith rushes into the office. She looks at me, and I point to Meredith. She gives me an "Oh-Hollis-what-did-you-do?" Look, then rushes to comfort her best friend. 

"Well, thanks for that," I grumble to myself. I go to take a seat next to them, and pull out my phone to play Temple Run. A little while later, Mom arrives and checks the three of us out. I help Faith support Meredith to the car and place her in the back. I have enough sense to keep her sitting up--I know that epople with head injuries should never lie down. Mom drives us to the hospital, with me in the front seat. We bring Meredith into the waiting room, sign in, and sit and wait.