Circles

Chapter Ten

            “Morning, sunshine. How’s your head?”

            I blink hard and groan in response.

            Liz smiles. “Maybe you should go back and lay down some more.”

            “Probably.”

        After Matthew left, Liz and her group found me and helped me to the bus. When we got home, Sam called a doctor out to the house. I have a concussion. I spent the rest of the day in bed with Liz and Sam checking on me every hour or so. Liz brought me pizza and lemonade when it was done, but my appetite was non-existent. After eating a little, I was finally allowed to sleep through the night without being woken up.

        “Do you want something to eat?” Liz asks.

        “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”

        “Okay. Well you should go get some sleep. I’ll check on you later.”

        “Thanks, Liz,” I say on my way upstairs. I get in bed, and just as I’m about to pass out, I glance at the clock. It’s 1:02. Wow, I slept really late, I think to myself. Then I remember.

        “Crap!”

        I get out of bed too fast. My head spins and I fall, groaning. There’s no way I can leave this house alone. I’m going to have to try to sneak out. Searching around the room, I find a pen and a piece of paper and scribble ‘went to buy painkillers’ on a note. I put it on my pillow and make a mental note to actually buy painkillers so it’s not a lie. Throwing on a purple tee shirt and jeans, I open up the bedroom window and look out it. There’s about ten feet between me and the ground. I sit on the window sill and swing my legs out. “What am I doing?” I say to myself. I take a deep breath and slide out the window. Hitting the ground, I make a noise somewhere between a groan and a scream. The world swims before my eyes. “Ugh,” I say, holding my head. I have to get up. The bus only makes house stops if you request them in advance, so I have to walk to the bus stop.

        I finally make it to the bus, and then to the clothes shop. Matthew is standing in front of the store, wearing a red button-down shirt with the sleeves pushed up, his fingers hooked in the belt loops of his jeans. When he sees me get off the bus, he jogs up to me.

        “Hey,” he says.

        “Hi,” I answer with a smile.

        “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

        “It wasn’t easy,” I say, because it wasn’t.

        He laughs. “Well, I’m glad you came. Let’s go inside.”

        “Okay,” I say.

        The clothes shop has a big viewing area outside the dressing rooms for people to show their friends and family what they’ve tried on. It’s filled with comfy chairs and couches, and almost no one’s there. We walk over and sit on a couch.

        Matthew turns to face me. “How’s your head?”

        “It’s okay,” I say. “I have a concussion.”

        “Oh, my God, Alex! I hope you told someone how you got it!” he says with concern.

        “I told them I fell.”

        He just shakes his head. “You need to speak up for yourself. You can’t keep letting this go on.”

        “I’m fine,” I snap. “I don’t need you to worry about me.”