Bus Stops and Coffee

Chapter 22

For the following two weeks, Lucas would stay with me if he happened to come over late. But I had been seeing less of him because of testing. Darrel had to take them too and he was staying up late these past nights to study.

But that also reminded me that I had a science exam to prepare for. Science really wasn't my best forte. I had procrastinated when I got home; putting off the inevitable studying by watching anime. Now it was late and I wanted to go to bed.

"This is your own fault." Darrel had told me just before he went to bed.

"Don't stay up too late." my mother had told me as she set a cup of coffee in front of me. After a while though my eyelids wouldn't stay open and before I knew it I was asleep.

I dreamed that I was running on water. Something was pulling me towards it, a strong force. But suddenly I was under the water and I was drowning. I tried to swim but my legs were tangled on something I couldn't see.

"Riley!" I bolted straight up; knocking my head into Darrel's.

"Ow! What gives?!"

"You bumped into me!" he said rubbing his forehead.

"Why did you wake me?"

"Because you're gonna be late for school."

"Oh no! But I have an exam first period!" I scrambled up and picked up my books; shoving them into my bag before running up the stairs. Lucario barked as he ran in between my legs, barking the whole time.

"Lucario i can't play with you right now." I entered my room and paced back and forth in front of my closet. I wasn't someone that would pour over my closet for hours just trying to find what to wear. But I wasn't trying to go outside looking like I got dressed in the dark.

After thinking for about 5 minutes I decided on a close fitting turtleneck and a pair of sweatpants with my boots. Tomboy chic I suppose. That's what Zoe would call it, she was such a girly girl, and way into fashion. I blazed down the stairs and considered asking Darrel for a riser but he was already back asleep on the couch. And he wasn't even dressed.

So I put on my outerwear, grabbed my bag, and left. I reached the school 10 minutes into the test.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Just sit on down and start." said my teacher as she handed me a test.

We went over the answers and I had failed. I think I got a total of 5 questions right. At the most, I'd get an F plus. I had to come up at lunch to retake it. Which meant that I had to cram during study hall.

It really took a lot out of me. But I retook the test and got a B plus. That was good enough. I hadn't had breakfast and I had just missed my lunch. And then I just had gym. I left early; my team having won our soccer match.

It took me a while to get up to stairs and walk down the hall. My vision was getting a bit blurry and my head was hurting. I tried shaking my head to clear the fog but that only made it worse. I heard someone call my name, I turned around to see who the person was but instead of being met with a face I was looking at the lights on the ceiling.

"That can't be right." I mumbled before my eyes slipped close.

When I woke up I was in the nurses office, laying on one of the two cots in the room.

"Bloody hell." I grumbled; feeling a sense of dejavu.

"Hey." said a voice. I looked to my side to see Christopher sitting next to me. My instant reflex was to roll my eyes.

"Oh come on. Is that how you greet the person who brought you to the nurses office?"

"If it's you then yes."