Unprivileged

Chapter 6.

Ace's POV.

My day at school goes on and ends in absolute misery, also paranoia. I attempt to spot a girl of medium height, quite chubby, known for the mess of her long curly gold colored hair but I fail epically as not a hint of those features is seen within the crowded population of my massive high school. It's almost as trying to find one little daisy in a garden so full of various kinds of flowers: Bright orange lilies and tulips, aggressively purple violets, radiant red roses. Even if that one little daisy was planted in this garden, it would be hard, if not impossible, to find it. Its pure whiteness and the glowing yellow of its center would disappear amid the other confusing colors.

I'm getting worried as to where she is and why she ditched school today. Isn't this just getting better and better? All I need to top my already not so fun life with is to have my best and only friend go missing!

Before leaving school, I stopped by Carrie's class and asked someone to give me the coursework and assignments she missed today so I can pass them on to her. Honestly, I just wanted an excuse to see her.

"Here," says Carrie's cool classmate as he hands me a notebook, "just give this to her, she'll know what to do."

"I can photocopy it if you show me the specific pages she needs to have." I suggest.

"No mate, it's alright," he smiles, "just tell her it's Eric's. I'm her friend."

She never told me about an Eric before. Wait..did he just call me a mate? He's too nice for a popular douchebag. I'm not buying it.

"Right, thanks."

"Speaking of that," he says just as I begin to walk away, "I called her and asked why she didn't come to school today. She said that she spent the night at the hospital. I reckon she's still there now, in case you were going to see her."

What is she doing at the hospital?

"And tell her to call me," he adds, "she wasn't picking up her calls after lunch break. Her phone might have died in the middle of the day."

"I think so," I tell the guy, "I'll let her know." 

I go back home to let mum know that I am going to visit a friend at the hospital. Yes, I'm one of the very rare people that feel obliged to do such a thing. I know how horrible it is to sit and wait for someone who comes late or worst, never comes at all, so consequently, I'd never do that, especially to my mother. 

"Hey mum!" I greet my mother who's sitting in the living room near the fireplace, knitting in a focused manner.

"Hello!" says she, without looking up from the work between her hands.

"I have to go to the hospital."

"Are you alright?" she quickly looks up, taking her glasses away from her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but someone isn't. A friend of mine did not attend school today and I was wondering if I could go and visit them." I pause, think and then carry on, "I also got them the coursework they missed."

"Of course," she approves, nodding. "Your dad is at the hospital, by the way!"

"Please don't tell me grandma is sick again!"

"Yes, she is. Your uncle Mark called yesterday, very late at night, saying that she was not feeling very well, so John suggested they take her to the hospital, just to make sure everything is okay."

"No wonder I was the first one to wake up this morning!"

"Yeah, I was very tired. Neither I nor Rich slept well after your dad left." She explains why she did not wake up in the morning to make breakfast. If she apologizes any time now I wouldn't be surprised. In this family, we're all so overly polite.