Selfless

Chapter 18

Me and Sadia walk down the hall together. Out of nowhere Zoya comes up behind us and walks next to Sadia.

"Hey I heard what happened, Hailey is stupid." She hugs Sadia and they step off to stand against the lockers, me to the side of them both.

"I'm surprised you care." Sadia says.

"Why wouldn't I?" She squints.

"Because you don't seem to care when I try to talk to you."

"Yeah I know I'm sorry I've just been busy."

"With Darius?"

I assume that's her boyfriend.

"Yeah." She glances at me. "So Ari is your girlfriend now, thought you hated her."

Sadia rolls her eyes. "She isn't but no I don't hate her she saved me from Jason while you were getting drunk and not caring where I was."

"I'm a shit friend I'm sorry."

"Yeah whatever all is forgiven, I gotta go to class." Sadia walks away and I follow leaving Zoya behind.

"I hope I don't have to hear people pitying me all day." She grumbles as we go to our first period where she makes sure to sit beside me.

****

I sit in third period reading the assigned book, Hamlet. Rani beside me.

Rani groans lowly before whispering. "I fucking hate this book. This isn't English."

I laugh quietly, it's not that hard to understand.

"When your home just find a modern English version of it on google."

"I will." We go back to reading but soon I'm hit with the need to pee.

I raise my hand.

"Yes Ariel?" Ms. Hazel asks looking up from her desk.

"May I use the bathroom?" She won't let us go if we use 'can'. It was literally in her syllabus.

"Yes, don't forget the pass." She points where it sits in a pencil holder on her desk.

I get up and grab it before leaving to the bathroom.

I get to the bathroom and do my business. As I'm peeing I hear what sounds like gagging beside me.

I Ignore it as I finish and flush the toilet. I leave the stall but still hear the gaging coming from the stall. "Are you ok?" I decide to ask.

"Yes." Emma to my surprise replies or at least they sound like her.

"Emma?" I ask to make sure.

"Bingo." She says before her gagging can be heard again.

"Are you throwing up?" I ask stupidly.

"Clearly." She gags once again.

"Why? Are you ok? Do you need to go to the nurse?" I question genuinely concerned, I still care about. Of course I do, I love her.

"I probably ate something bad I'm fine." I hear the toilet flush and she opens the stall then goes to the sink, making sure not to look at me and she starts washing her hands.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I ask while I wash my hands beside her.

Instead of answering she looks up at me and stares for a few seconds eyes looking over my face as if searching for something, her face slowly morphs into sadness and all of a sudden her hand covers her mouth as she bursts into tears with a whimper leaving her. My eyes widen, I've never seen her cry before, she hates crying In front of people. My initial reaction is to comfort her but before so can say anything she speaks.