181 Days of Madeline Jesty

Chapter 36: Youth

The clinic for us high schoolers was different from the clinic for grade schoolers. It had more beds and a lobby, the space was wider too, but somehow, it was lonelier. No bright colors, except for the light aquamarine bedsheets. The rest were either cream or white. It should have given off a peaceful atmosphere because I was alone with only two nurses, away from the vapid lectures and chatters, but I felt otherwise. The silence was deafening, the isolation overwhelming. Only the slight movement of the thin white cubicle curtains calmed me down.

I couldn't even remember the last time I went here. I rarely got sick, not even headaches and colds. Oh, was it because of my menstrual cramps? Yeah, that one. But I had Steph with me, who pretended to be sick too, so I had fun amid the terrible pain. Now's different. No Steph, no Mickey. Just the nurses.

"Where's Ms. Lilian?" I asked the nurse whom Ms. Lilian first instructed to take care of me. "Will she come back?"

"Yes," the nurse replied while checking my vitals. Her voice sounded robotic. I thought she'd say something else, but after removing the blood pressure cuff on my arm, she stood up and told me to rest on one of the beds.

Another nurse came to me, smiling, and asked, "You're Madeline Jesty?" At least she had a bubblier tone, showing—or implying—she liked her job.

I nodded. "Will Ms. Lilian come back?"

"Yep!" she replied. "I like your name."

"Thanks." I wanted to add that I didn't like small talks, but that was disrespectful. "A special person calls me Majesty."

The nurse only smiled. "How does your neck feel? I heard you were strangled."

This is why, Maddie, you shouldn't start a conversation, I told myself before answering, "I'm okay now."

"Your vitals are okay, but you could rest here and skip clubs today," she said as she led me to the bed nearest to the corner. We received a message from Mrs. Cecilia, and she told us we could send you home."

Wow, Mrs. Cecilia said that? I thought. Of course, I wanted to think that she was worried about me and considered my safety, but knowing her logic and lack of emotions toward me, she might have thought an option that would least tarnish the school's reputation.

Anyway, that's better than nothing.

"I'll just wait for Ms. Lilian," I replied, "before I call my driver."

The nurse nodded before leaving me alone. I lay on the bed, thinking about what just happened. Well, good thing I am about to die soon, I thought. If my mother would insist me on marrying Michael and threaten me that she'd take away my part of the inheritance like in those soap operas she used to love, I would either run away empty-handed or, God forbid, force my death.

I didn't care about this agreement until now. The scarier thing was I didn't know why she began to care about my future. The union of the Isles and the Jacobs was, for sure, a financial decision, but Mom wasn't bankrupt . . . unless there were stuff I didn't know. Was this the reason she was crying the other morning?

I knew ignorance was bliss, but I hated being clueless about matters that concerned me.

I was pondering about these thoughts when I heard light footsteps coming toward my direction. They were neither from the nurses nor from any teacher because they wore small heels. This one sounded as if the person only sneaked their way in. Maybe a student who didn't want to attend clubs? Or a student who got injured? But if the latter, wouldn't they ask for the nurses right away?

I got up from the bed to peek, supposedly, but to my surprise, a silhouette appeared behind the curtain. Freaked out, I was about to go back to the bed when a hand quickly reached out to mine, the other hand on her lips to make sure I didn't make a sound.