HIGH SCHOOL GIRL

Chapter 17: For the Better

Lola

When I get to the hospital i'm out of tears. I just keep whimpering and I know my eyes are red and there's no telling how bad and red and blotchy my face looks. Of course I can't even think about how I look in a situation like this.

When I walk into the hospital waiting room Elsi is already talking to the front desk lady. She listens to what Elsi is and then looks at me. I don't listen to their conversation. I can only think about how careless I was to let this happen to Angela. She looked sick and she looked like she was dying but I didn't do anything about it. I didn't get to the bottom of the situation.

I was being so selfish. Thinking about my problems and my selfish reasons for not trying to keep Angela and even Lexi as a friend.

The front desk lady talks to Elsi a little more and Elsi turns to me and frowns.

I look at Elsi hopefully. Maybe Angela will get better! Maybe they found a way to save her.

Elsi reads my look and shakes her head. "She's not going to make it Lola..." Elsi says.

I let out a sob. "Can I see her?" I turn to the front desk lady. She nods and makes a call on the phone that's on the desk. She then tells us the direction to Angela's room.

Elsi and I walk up there in silence. When we get into the room I find Angela's parents and her sister crying and sad. Angela was on the bed but she was throwing up blood into a bucket. It made me feel sick. She looked like a real skeleton now. Her eyes were empty, her hair had dry blood in it. She looked like she was already dead but somehow still alive anyway.

She looks up when she hear me come in. Elsi stays outside of the room but I go in all the way.

Angela just stares at me as I walk inside. I walk closer and closer to her in the silent hospital room. When I finally reach her bedside, I can't help but let the tears flow.

"Why did you come?" Angela croaks. Hearing her voice makes me let out a solve. I wrap my arms around her, not caring about the blood that's all over her. I look at the tubes that are connected all over her body.

"Your my best friend Angela," I say. "and i'm going to stay with you through it all."

Angela hesitates but then eventually wraps her bony arms around me. Suddenly she's pushing me away and vomiting blood into the bucket.

"Call the nurse!" Angela's mom says. "Her bucket is almost full."

I stare at Angela. I look at the tubes that connect to her arms. Some have blood-like substances flowing through it and other have clear liquids flowing through them.

"What's wrong with her?" I whisper.

Anegla's mom gives me a sad look as her dad presses a button to call the nurse. "She's rejecting all the nutrition we give her. She's throwing up so much blood that we have to continuously give it to her." She says. "Soon, what were doing won't be enough anymore." Angela''s mom chokes a sob.

I turn to Angela who's avoiding my gaze. Suddenly the door to the room and someone walks in. I turn around to see Lexi standing there. Her face tear-stained, red, and blotchy.

Lexi

I didn't think she would look this bad. But what was I thinking? I mean she's dying!

Of course I can't say I was prepared to see Lola. My heart took a blow from seeing both of them at once. We were the threesome.Always together, always close.

What I don't understand is why Angela had to be the one in this situation. I feel like she deserves this the least. In fact I think I deserve this the most.