1.1 | daunting medleys

sixteen | a million roses and the lookalike of Bart Simpson

Tabitha sat up urgently. She hadn't expected Oliver to call her, neither had she expected that he would've asked for her number. Ariana's smug little face was further illuminated when she replied softly.

"Hi."

Oliver paused. Then continued further. "Hey, I just wanted to ask if you are feeling okay."

Tabitha's cheeks were burning with embarrassment, then his question registered in her mind. She was okay, physically and that was what most people seemed after. "My forehead's healing quickly, so I'm okay."

Ariana smiled and cut the video call abruptly, before sending a message on their chat that she would call later. Tabitha waved, then leaned against her headboard as Oliver replied.

"I... I didn't mean physically. You lived with a false diagnosis for years and now everything's changed so I just wanted to make sure you are okay."

She froze, amidst trying to remove the lint on her blanket. Tabitha didn't know what to say, or how to feel. Yet she didn't like the idea of lying to Oliver so she replied truthfully. "I don't know."

"Well I'm here if you want to talk, and I can totally play you another song in the music room tomorrow if you want me to." There was shuffling as Oliver spoke, and it almost seemed Tabitha wouldn't hear him but she did, loud and clear. She glanced outside her open window, the stars seemed brighter. One particular star shined brighter than the other, in pulsing brightness and it almost outshone the other dimming heavenly bodies.

Tabitha's lips curved upward, in her first sincere smile of the day. "Thank you for everything, Oliver."

His voice was a little bashful. "It's nothing. Will you be in school tomorrow. You've missed classes for the past week and we have a quiz tomorrow in calculus. I can give you my notes tomorrow if you'd like?"

She nodded, then noticed Oliver couldn't see her so replied affirmatively.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." He paused then said so softly that Tabitha almost couldn't hear him. "Bye Tabitha." Her heart skipped a beat, then she inhaled deeply and tried to speak.

"Bye."

With Tabitha's attention immersed in the phone call, she hadn't realized that her hair had finally dried. She finished her hair treatment and pulled it up in a half-assed ponytail then took out her calculus textbook while simultaneously video calling Ariana.

"Ended your call with the love of your life?" She teased.

Tabitha nodded mockingly. "Yes, we agreed to elope and get married in Greece with a million roses and a lookalike of Bart Simpson."

Ariana puffed her cheeks indignantly. "Boo, you're no fun."

Tabitha giggled, then flipped open her textbook before staring at Ariana pleadingly. "Please tell me you have your calculus notes with you, because I just heard that we have a quiz tomorrow and I'm nowhere near prepared for it."

"You say that now, and end up having the highest score in the entire class." Ariana grumbled but fumbled through her open bag that laid beside her and then they began studying together with questions from classes that Tabitha missed.

***********

Tabitha woke up a lot earlier than usual, so she decided to get dressed comfortably without the usual rush of each day. Her hair was pulled atop her head in a ponytail with a curl or two on each side of her face. A tank top and a large sweater, coupled with her favorite leggings. She did her makeup as usual, a coating of mascara, her eyeliner thin and a quick swipe of lipgloss.