A Work in Progress

Two

I flap my eyelids open and attempt to sit up, but the slightest movement of my head racks it with unbearable pain.  I gather my surroundings as much as I can with as little head movement as possible. I am quite obviously on a small white cot pushed against the wall to my right in a narrow room guarded only by a curtain, the only light coming from the room beyond. The nurse's office?

"...check on her, okay?" It's Chloe's voice, but I only hear a few words.

"Yes, honey, that's fine. I can write you a pass to class when you're done. Dillon, do you want a pass right now?" My suspicions are confirmed as I recognize the nurse's voice. Chloe and her brother Dillon must've brought me here from the bus after I blacked out.

The drape to the room shifts, and I bring my hands up to shield my face from the searing light. Chloe shuts the curtain quickly, "Sorry, I thought you were still out."

"You're good," I call from behind my hands, taking them away from my face when the pain in my head  subsides. "How did I get here?" I ask Chloe. I already know the answer, but I need to start a conversation before it gets awkward in here. Her small facial features are highlighted with pity, her sepia-colored eyes glazed with worry.

"You blacked out on the bus as soon as we pulled up to the school. Dillon  and I brought you here to the nurse. She said she'll call your parents about this and have them pick you up." Her thin fingers slowly entwine themselves with mine and we lock hands. "I'm really worried about you, An." She sniffles, and my eyes begin to sting, collecting tears that roll down my face and wet the polyester fabric on the cot.

I turn my head slowly to look at her, wincing, and playfully reassure her, "Shut up, I'll be fine." I try to smile and bring a sense of truth to the statement, but I have my own doubts as well. I don't know at all what's happening to me, but I know it can't mean anything good. Another tear races along my cheek, and I feel it tickling my skin lightly before jumping from my chin and splattering on the cot.

Just then, I hear the nurse's office door quickly open and slam closed, followed by my mother's worried voice, "Where is she? What happened? I want to see her, now."

"Yes, dear, you may go and see her. First curtain in that room towards your left." The nurse kindly replies, tolerating my mom's attitude. A few seconds later, the drab curtain slides leftward on its ceiling bar to reveal my tall mother. Although her voice was soft and smooth, with her hard features and tall stance, she basically reeked of authority. Right now, though, her face was soft and filled with the kind of worry only a parent could feel.

She kneels beside me and her left hand reaches up to brush another tear away. "Are you feeling okay, Anna?"

Sniffling, I nod and squeeze Chloe's hand gently before releasing it. "My head still hurts, though," my mother is really overprotective, so I take the words from her toungue before she can say them. "I'm going to the doctor's, aren't I?"

"Yes, Anna," she laughs quietly, then looks at Chloe, "Thank you for bringing her here, Chloe. Anna's lucky to have a friend like you." Even in the dim light, I can clearly see Chloe's cheeks blushing bright red. My mom grabs my hand gently and squeezes it. "Come on, hon. I already signed you out."

"Bye, Ann." Chloe gets up from the floor and awkwardly hugs me as I'm laying down, and I tell her goodbye too. Then she walks through the curtain.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, after I've gotten my bookbag out of my locker and nearly cried over the headache I had and still have. It feels as if my brain has summoned up a pickaxe and is hacking away at the inside of my skull, scraping the metal against my bone like nails on a chalkboard. I try my hardest not to scream as the red Honda lurches back and forth as my mom silently maneuvers it along the road to the Hospital, weaving  between the Chicago skyscrapers. The dam breaks, and tears start to flow down my bruised face as a reaction to my pain, smearing my already smudged foundation.