The New Girl

Chapter 14

Nick went to school that Monday morning, however Abby was not there. He found it strange that she would miss school after their romantic night and their first kiss. He had seen the pure joy in her face and in her smile. The thing that troubled him the most however, was that he could not get ahold of her. She wasn't answering her phone.

"She hasn't replied at all today?" Lem sat down at the lunch benches with a tray of food. Nick was already seated resting his cheek on his knuckles. 

"Nope. Nothing all day."

"Didn't you say you guys kissed the other night though?" Alan said walking around Lem and sitting down next to him across from Nick. Nick lifted his head off of his hand.

"Yeah, it ended as great as any writer could write it. It-It was textbook romance, man. Movie stuff," Nick explained waving his hands at each phase of his words. Alan and Lem looked at each other.

"It did rain pretty hard though," Lem added, "Maybe she got sick from getting drenched."

"Did you get sick?" Alan quickly shot.

"Do I look sick?" Lem shot back. The two narrowed their eyes at each other, silently challenging each other.

"Guys," Nick said resting his cheek back on knuckles. The two broke the tension and focused back to the topic. 

"I wouldn't stress about it too much. Maybe she did get sick from the rain. Maybe she was too shy to see you today. She is shy." Alan suggested. Nick thought on it. She is shy but it's not like her. Lem sighed obnoxiously. 

"You sound like a preteen, dude. You have a car, you know where she lives, this is a love story, just go see her after school," Lem said while chewing on a sandwich. He took too big of a bite and couldn't help but chewing obnoxiously. 

"You're a pig," Alan laughed.

"Girls like bacon," Lem smiled. Nick snorted.

"All I'm sayin' guys is that something is off," Nick said with doubt. 

Hours passed and Nick waited for the last minute of school to end. The worry that consumed him crippled his nerves. Each minute felt longer than the last and Abby was his only thought. He stood in front of his locker as the day ended. Nick snickered, "Calm down, man. You're acting like a girl. It's so cringey," he said to his book. His book stared back at him lifeless, but Nick stared back as if he talked. "Why do I feel like this? Makes no sense." He put the book in his locker and drove to Abby's apartment. 

He made his way up the stairs quickly like the night before, hoping that she was home and that she didn't show to school due to some silly reason. When he knocked on the door, Abby's mother answered. 

"Hello, Nick. What brings you here?" She asked as if she didn't already know that answer.

"Is Abby home? She wasn't at school today." 

"Oh, you didn't hear? Abby is at the hospital. I thought you would have known by now."

"What?" Nick exclaimed in shock.

*****

Nick rushed to the hospital not knowing what could have happened to Abby. He feared the worst, like she had been injured like last time or even more severe. It didn't take him long to find a parking spot at the hospital and he rushed inside to the front desk. The receptionist at the desk was taken back by the wild storm of energy Nick brought with his pace up to the counter.

"Abby Watson."

The receptionist stared back, almost appalled by the instant demand but didn't seem shocked either as she may get this a lot. The crackle of the keyboard as she typed into their system, typing who knows what to find the information they need.