My eyes slowly peel open. Why is someone banging a hammer against my head? I groan in pain.
"Hey Sleepy-Head! You're finally awake." Blaise says popping into my view.
I turn my neck around to survey my surroundings. I'm in the Hogwarts' infirmary. "What happened?" I barely manage to croak out. Both my mouth and tongue feel like sandpaper against my throat
"You had a panic attack in your math class. You passed out and Enzo carried you here."
"A panic attack?"
"It's the first day of school and already pre-calc is kicking your ass. My money was on day three, but you can't win 'em all, I guess."
I want to slug him in the arm for his teasing but all I can manage is a weak tap. "Haha, very funny."
He must sense how beat up I really am, because his face softens. "The guys and I have been taking turns watching over you since the afternoon. I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some dinner. It's those tofu cutlets you love."
I lean over to the best of my ability and kiss Blaise on the cheek. "Thank you, you're the best! I'm starving!"
He smiles and nods. "I'll heat it up for you in the microwave in Dr. Pomfrey's office. As he walks away I try to reach back into my mind to remember earlier.
Suddenly it all comes flooding back to me, Mattheo, weed, lots of grinding. I can't help but cringe.
My phone starts vibrating and I look around my bed for it. I finally find it in the front pocket of my backpack. It's my mom. And I've got 13 missed calls from her. By now Dr. Pomfrey has called my parents to tell them about my attack. She's surely calling because of that.
"Hi, Mom. Yes, I'm alright. No, you don't have to come here. I was just in math class and got nervous. Yes, I know need to do my best. I know my scholarship rides on my math grade. I'm going to work as hard as always. Yes Mom, YES! I promise..."
Blaise walks back into the infirmary and sees me on the phone with my exasperating mother. He sets up a tray for me, places the food on it, and moments that he's going to leave. I mouth "thank you" and point to the food as he walks out.
I try to get my mom off my back but to no avail. The screaming does nothing to dull the ache in my head. I cannot handle this right now...
I hear the door to the infirmary open, and I silently thank whatever God heard my prayers. "Mom, I gotta go. Dr. Pomfrey just walked in with my...medicine. Okay, I will. Love you too."
I hang up and let out a long sigh.
"Long day huh?" I jump at the sound of a male voice. I turn my head and see Mattheo walking towards my bed.
"Oh! I thought you were Dr. Pomfrey"
"Nah, she's at dinner in the Great Hall with everybody else."
"Oh..." An awkward silence settles between the two of us. I can't bring myself to look him in the eyes. I just can't. It's too embarrassing.
Someone's gotta break this silence first, but I don't know what to say at the best of times, let alone this.
Maybe he's not gonna bring it up. Maybe he forgot about it. He suffered a traumatic brain injury since last night and has short-term amnesia! Hey, a girl can dream...
Mattheo clears his throat. "So, uh...Blaise told us that you had just woken up and I wanted to see how you were doing," he says without looking at me.
I chew on my bottom lip. "Oh, um. I'm okay. I just freaked out in math class because I was...ya know in math class."
Mattheo laughs at this. Not an awkward laugh, but a genuine one. "Yea I know how you and math can be. But the good news is you get to spend another year looking at my beautiful face as I tutor you" he jokes.
And goddamn if it isn't a beautiful face...
I laugh along with him. "If by beautiful you mean mangy and oddly-shaped, then yea."
He feigns hurt over this comment and starts fake crying. The pit in my stomach starts to loosen. This feels like us. This teasing (sometimes blood-boiling) banter is our way of communicating. Our way of saying everything is fine between us and we're not gonna make a big deal out of last night.
Mattheo stops "crying" after a moment and sighs. He looks over at me and the mood grows somber. Well, I guess I was wrong about that last part. Fuck me...
"Ana..." Maybe if I stay still he won't be able to see me. Like that T-Rex in Jurassic Park or something!
"Ana, can we talk about last night?" No, no we absolutely cannot.
My mouth says sure before my brain can catch up.
Mattheo looks like he's choosing his words very carefully. Or just don't choose any at all, that would be great actually.
"Last night was...um good, not good! Great actually. But I think we got carried away and..." Oh god, he thinks I'm into him. He's going to try to turn me down gently. It's sweet of him, but too humiliating to let happen!
"Mattheo please stop. You don't have to say anything about last night. I already know what you're going to say."
He looks at me with shock and surprise on his face. "You do?"
"Yes, and I absolutely agree."
His expression shifts to confusion. "You do? How long have you felt this way?"
Felt what way?
"Uh, I don't know. Since I woke up this morning. But it just makes sense."
Mattheo smiles wide at me and slides his hand out to hold mine.
That's odd. We're not exactly the holding hands type of friends. But I brush it off. He's probably just feeling bad about "rejecting" me.
"I'm so glad you feel the same way," he says to me as he crinkles his nose; probably in relief.
"Yea, I mean we've been friends for 5 years and it's gone well." I shrug. "There's no need to rock the boat now."
Mattheo's smile twitches and he stares right into my eyes. Just like dinner last night, it feels like he's looking into my soul.
"And anyway, I get it." I continue. "You're the most popular guy in our grade. You could have any girl in school you wanted, it's not gonna be me."
He opens his mouth in protest but I cut him off. "No, it's fine! It's the truth and I know it. Even if I did like you, no hard feelings. That's the pecking order of high school." I chuckle a little at the end to show him how fine I am with the situation. It sounds fake in the air but I wave it away as me being exhausted.
Mattheo's smile has faded. His lips are pressed together tightly in a straight line. His eyes have shifted from looking at me to looking behind my head. "Yea, uh.." He pauses.
Just as he's about to continue Dr. Pomfrey comes rushing through the door. "Oh good Anabelle, you're awake. Now I can check your neurological assessment."
Mattheo clears his throat and rips his hand from mine. "It seems like you're busy, so I'll catch you later in the common room or whatever." He speed walks out of the room and Dr. Pomfrey begins setting up for my assessment.
I wonder why Mattheo left so abruptly? He probably just didn't want to interrupt my medical exam.
I make a mental note to talk to him later.
"Okay, I want you to start by looking straight ahead at me." Dr. Pomfrey begins...
YOU ARE READING
City Shadows
RomanceY/N has always had a hard time fitting in. She's too loud, too brash, too this, too that. She's about as feminine as a toilet brush, and everyone knows it. Kids at her school aren't necessarily mean to her, they just pretend she doesn't exist. The o...
