Chronically, Me

Seven

Drew

There was an occasional noise of trays clattering on the table as people sat down for their lunch.

Conversations from every table overlapped in the air, creating a buzz in her ear as Drew located her friends.

As usual, her friends had pushed around a few tables, a small tweak to get the best view of outside but with better privacy.

The moment she approached the table, whatever conversation they had been in, ceased as she took a seat.

They gaped at her.

"What happened to you?"

"You look like a raccoon!"

"Are you okay?"

"You look like shit."

Though everyone spoke in unison, the words getting jumbled together to the point they lost clarity, she detected their concern.

"I was up all night trying to finish the assignments," she said.

"Don't even get me started on those." one of her friends groaned.

Just like that, their friends launched into another chat, their attention peeling off of her.

As Drew toyed with her food, she winced at the pounding headache. She grimaced as she popped a slice of apple into her mouth.

Looks like something was soaking in sugar syrup for too long.

Around her, her friends discussed, changing from one topic to the other too swiftly for her to keep up.

So she quickly gave up and she let her eyes wander around the cafeteria.

They stopped at a certain table.

Emerson Kingsley laughed lowly as his friend beside him animatedly narrated a story. The entire football team had cornered some tables for themselves.

Their spot was the only one with the most people. As another boy started a story of his own, the few people who were lingering around, pushed in closer, eager to join the crowd.

But Drew noticed some tension stretching between the team. Their eyes kept darting towards each other and then, finally rested on Emerson. But Emerson looked too busy to meet their eyes.

He was intently staring at his tray, only nodding along to assure his friend that he was listening.

Drew blinked as her eyes watered, a pressure building beneath her eyes. She rubbed her eyes as the ache in her head grew stronger. She felt a ringing in her ears.

So she reached down for her bag, rummaging through her things until her fingers closed around a small bottle.

She dropped two pills into her hands and swallowed them down her throat with water.

"You alright?" someone whispered.

Drew found Zach looking at her. She curved her lips lightly to reassure him. "Just a mild headache."

"You took two." he pointed to the bottle of pills in her hand.

Because one doesn't work.

"I am fine, Zach."

"I just want to make sure you're okay. You have been looking off for a while now."

A while? Try three years, buddy.

But of course, she didn't say it aloud.

"This week has been hectic, that's all."

She turned away from him and took a bite of her sandwich. Through her peripheral vision, she could see him watching her before he sighed in resignation and turned towards the group.

An unknown but heavy emotion weighed in on her but Drew didn't linger on it. She knew that spending time with that emotion to understand and process it wouldn't do any good to her.

She had learned it the hard way.

So she ignored that surging feeling and finished her meal.

When she felt another spike of pain punching through her skull, she decided to get some fresh air.

She stood up from her seat and padded over to the glass doors. Just as she was about to push open the door, she felt a pair of eyes on her back.

Emerson's eyes locked with hers. After a few heartbeats, he smiled and waved.

Honestly? I am having second thoughts about it.

His smile looked easy but fragile. Something tugged on her heart as Drew waved back.

A cold breeze hit her in the face when she stepped outside. She took a deep breath, the strong scent of the freshly mowed grass filling her.

As she walked around, her ache slowly but surely easing to a dull throb, Emerson's words kept flashing in her mind.