Breaking Free from Everyday

Chapter 19: Awoken

Chapter 19: Awoken

Melanie

I was frozen.

Was I the only one that just witnessed Parker Bailey crumple to the floor?

Was I the only one who cared?

The first thing I did was twist my head, left to right, looking to see if anyone else would help me.

I ran across the hallway to his disheveled body. He was lying against the wall. It upset me to see other people talking and going to class, not noticing the poor, unconscious boy they were practically stepping over.

Somebody help me.

If by pure luck, the nurse's office was a few doors down. I dropped my books on the heater and ran to the door, glancing back every few steps to make sure Parker was okay. He had to be okay.

Mrs. O was sitting at her desk, looking busy, as I stormed through her door. By the way she looked up so suddenly. with a shock of horror in her expression, I could tell I frightened her, but I also knew there were more dire concerns. For example, the boy that fainted outside.

I tried for a smile. "Hey Mrs. O! I wish I could talk, but I kind of need you to help me with this boy who just passed out in the hallway."

The woman stared at me for about 3 seconds. Then, as if she just comprehended the words that left my mouth, she jumped from her swivel seat and bustled to the door. She left me to follow in her wake, without even allowing me to tell her where to go.

Mrs. O saw him right away, to my relief, though his position made that feeling dwindle considerably. He seemed to have slumped further against the wall since I had left. His chin touched his collar bone, making his head bent at an awkward, uncomfortable angle, his back was curved and feet flopped towards the floor.

Both of us hurried to his side. Mrs. O went through the standard procedure of checking his pulse and listening to his heartbeat. I had kneeled on the opposite side of her, not even realizing that I had started to run my hand through his unruly hair, massaging my thumb against his warm forehead soothingly. When I noticed what I was doing, I let my hand fall to the floor, beside him. What was I doing?

Parker had to be okay. I could hear him faintly breathing, but the look on Mrs. O's face made me a lot more wary. I couldn't help but feel like this was my fault, that Parker was like this somehow because of me, which caused my stomach to turn.

I know I have been terrible to Parker in the past, I admit it. I hurt him, but he's hurt me too, even if I was the one that started it all in the first place. My fingers were shaking, afraid of what was wrong with him.

"I need your help Melanie my dear. Can you help lift him under the arms? I'll take his legs, and we can bring him to my office."

I nodded, obediently picking him up and trying to gently lay him down, though he was heavier than I had anticipated. He must have become more muscular in the past two years. I hadn't really taken the time to notice.

But now I did. I stared, straight on, only at him. Mrs.O was hustling and bustling, doing things that nurses do when kids pass out in a school, but I wasn't paying attention to her anymore. For the first time since he came here, I really looked at Parker, and saw how much he had grown.

Sure he'd gained half a foot in height, having been at most two inches taller than me two years ago, and now rivalling six feet in stature, but that wasn't really it. When I looked at his face, it had definitely matured, losing every piece of leftover baby chub, becoming thinner. His eyes were obviously the same color, I'd at least seen that before, but there was something more to it than that. As I studied his sleeping figure, I realized a terrible, daunting, thing: Parker had actually turned out handsome. I cringed, he was actually attractive. I'm surprised I haven't heard other girls talk about him. What was I going to do now?