My I「Junhao」

0.6

"The nurse isn't in and can't help. He needs to go to the doctors, he can't stay at school." I relayed what the school's administration officers said to me to Minghao's mother, speaking in Chinese so it was easier to understand for her. "Junhui, sweetie, I can't do anything, my work has sent me to China for some tasks and I physically can't be there right now. The only way for him to get to a doctor would be if someone else were to take him." She answered and I frowned. "Okay then Mrs Xu. Don't work too hard. We'll see you when you get back. I'll work something out." She only had enough time to say goodbye before I hung up and started pacing.

"Mr Wen? What did Mr Xu's mother say?" The main administrative officer asked. She was the one who helped me with putting Minghao into a bed in the sick bay. "She said she can't come... But I am allowed to take him to see a doctor." I added quickly, the idea coming out of my mouth as fast as it came to mind. "How can we be sure you will take him there and not elsewhere?" She asked, looking suspicious, but then she continued once she noticed how offended I was.

"It's not that I don't trust you, not at all, but we need proof that you can be trusted to take a sick student to the doctor without a parent. That's just how the school system works, you know that." That is absolutely not how the school system works, that's just how our school works. Nevertheless, I nodded in response and tried to think of a way to convince her to let me take Minghao to the doctors.

"I have known Minghao for 12 years, I doubt I'd do anything to hurt him, he's my best friend." She looked at me doubtingly and I sighed, taking the photo of Minghao and I when we were kids from the area between my phone and case. "Nobody really knew this but we dated for a few months." I told her what I had wanted to tell nobody, just to get Minghao out of the school.

I froze when my arm was halfway stretched to show the administration officer the picture from my childhood.
Why was I doing this? Why was I putting so much effort into getting Minghao out of school and to the doctor? Why was I freaking out the way I did when the symptoms hit? Why did I almost have a panic attack when Minghao fainted?

I wanted to say that I did it because he's my best friend, but I know that not many people would do that because of their best friend. I quickly shook my head to banish the topic from my brain, even if it was only temporarily. I held out the photo for her to see and her eyes narrowed as she inspected it. "Why do you have this with you so conveniently?" She asked, her tone teasing. I blushed and looked down.

"Well, uh, as you would probably know, he transferred here and before that, I missed him quite often, even though we live next door, we're always busy and home at different times. So yeah, that picture exists because I miss him from time to time." I responded, covering my face shyly. She laughed slightly at me and I pouted.

"Well, I trust you and I personally think that's enough evidence to trust you with him so I'll help you book an appointment, just to know when the appointment is and to make sure you actually book one. Then you need to call in to inform us what the results are." She listed the school's conditions for a trusted student taking another student out of school and to a doctor in the middle of the day.

I nodded and she called me around to her side of the desk where I would have to get up the appointment booking app on my phone which already had the details put in for me and Minghao and even his mum and my parents. "Our doctors that we go to is about a 10 minute walk from here and it's also about 10 minutes away from our houses." I informed her.

She nodded and I clicked on the name of the normal doctor we went to, knowing she was watching. The earliest appointment with him was in about 15 minutes. I clicked onto the time to secure the booking and chose who it was for, putting my phone away after it was booked and she nodded, acknowledging that what she witnessed was legitimate enough for me to take him.

"Would you like me to take you there?" She asked and I nodded. "Yes please, I'd appreciate it if you would. A 10 minute walk with a panicking and ill Minghao would make it take more time." She nodded and went somewhere and returned with car keys. "If you could just get Mr Xu, I'll lead you to my car." I hurried to the sick bay and went to pick up Minghao who I noticed was conscious and now had bloodshot eyes. He had been crying. He was scared and concerned for himself for once, rather than another person. "Oh no, Minghao, come here baby. Breathe, baby. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Focus on my breathing if you're struggling to breathe properly."

He didn't even react to the pet name I called him and neither did I, pet names were so natural rolling off our tongues that we never reacted to them anymore. I enveloped him into my arms and let him wrap his legs around me and he started to sob into my shoulder, trying his best to follow my breathing.

Once again, I started thinking about what I was doing. Is this really what someone would do for their best friend?

pet names still exist even though they're not dating anymore because cute Junhao.