Living The Life Of A Teen

Chapter 2

Note: every chapter alternates between Gem's POV and Kate's POV. This is Gem's POV. Have fun!

Chapter 2:

"Katy? KATY! Wake up!"

I looked at my best friend, who had suddenly fallen on the floor.

"MRS H! MRS HARVEY! COME UP QUICK!"

I could hear Mrs H run up the stairs.

"What happened Gemma swee...Oh my goodness! KATE! KATE! Phon the ambulance, quick! Kate sweetheart! Open your eyes!"

Mrs H was still trying to wake her up after I had finished talking to the hospital receptionist.

"Erm, Mrs H? They said the paramedics should be coming in about 5 to 10 minutes."

"Okay, thank you love. Alright, now, what happened exactly?"

"To be honest, I have no idea Mrs H. She was going to get ice-cream and then I...I think she must have hit something, because she looked like she was in pain, then she suddenly fell."

"What, just like that?" I nodded. "But no-one falls just like that. It must be something else. Are you sure she didn't say anything? And where on earth is that ambulance?!"

"Mrs H, please, I think the best thing to do is to keep calm."

"Yes, yes, right, keep calm. Right, ok. Stressing out won't help anyone. I just don't understand why she would suddenly fall. You know, she has been a bit weird lately, like she hasn't been -"

She stopped talking as soon as she heard the knocking on the door. I ran downstairs and opened the door.

"Hello there, miss. Are you the one who called about her friend?"

"Yes. She collapsed on the floor. And the name's Gemma."

"Right, Gemma. Where is your friend?" I gestured upstairs and let the two medics pass through. I stood at the entrance, looking awkwardly at the other paramedic who looked very tired and frustrated, as I saw his lips move and thought I heard him mutter something like 'stupid hungover teens' under his breath.

A few minutes later they carried Katy carefully down the stairs in one of those stretcher things, with Mrs. H closely following. I felt so sorry for her. Katy absolutely adored her, yet showed no signs of showing it to anyone. I could see it in her eyes when she talked to her. But, as Katy always said, at the end of the day Katy's dad was the one who decided Katy needed a mother, after hers had decided suicide was the answer to all her problems. He hadn't asked Katy what she had wanted, he had just assumed, and I think that was the biggest mistake he could ever make. You can't force two people to love each other, no matter how much they had in common - not that Katy or her step-mum did.

"You coming Gemma?"

Those three words bought me out of my daydream and I nodded in reply to Mrs. H's question. I ran over to the ambulance and sat down next to Mrs. H. Even though she had told me many times to call her Linda, I had been bought up with respect, and anyways, Mrs. H was used to it now.

Katy and I had met in reception, the first day at her 'new' primary school, after her mum had died and her dad decided they should move in with Mrs. H. The school wasn't in any way new, in fact it was quite the opposite. Old. Dirty. Crumbling. I remember the time someone had stolen my Lego piece, and I was crying because it was apparently my favourite piece, and Katy had come to my rescue. She told me that she had pulled the girl's hair until the girl let go of it and gave it to her. And then she handed it back to me, and went off to sit in the corner. The only part of that day that I remember was me going up to her and saying 'Will you be my best friend please?'

"Gemma. GEMMA! Get up sweetie. We've reached the hospital," Mrs. H's voice rang in my ears. I hadn't actually realised this before, but I was incredibly tired. I had to drive to Manchester and back to drop my mum from at some function or another. AND I was stuck babysitting Dani for the rest of the day.

I yawned, and opened my eyes. They were taking Katy out. I jumped up and then clutched my head - headrush.

*

It was a cool day. Katy was sitting next to Dani, and trying to feed her some grapes.

"Noo Kitty." My sister always calls her 'Kitty'. "I don't like grapes. They taste nasty."

"Daniella, don't be picky. Remember we have to eat whatever is given to us." It sounded like I was scolding her, but she knew about Mum's strict rules.

"But Geeeeema!" I should also point out that Dani likes to stretch out the 'Ge' in my name, so that it sounds like Jee-ma.

"No buts Dani." I had to be strict about her diet, because if it was her choice, she'd have Walkers and Snickers every day. Our mum was already suffering from diabetes. I couldn't bear Dani have to inject herself with insulin aswell.

"GEMMA! You seem to have fallen asleep again darling. I'm sorry to wake you up, but the doctor needs to speak to us about what happened today." I slowly sat up as, for the third time today, I was caught out of my trance.

"Hello there. Gemma, is it? My name is Doctor Stevens. I have to ask you something. Has Kate been eating her food properly?"