You’re still volunteering at the hospital?!” The volume of my voice escalated to the point where I didn’t need a megaphone for everyone in the library to hear. The two of us decided to spend our lunchtime studying in the before we’d head to AP Calculus (different teachers though).
“SHH!” the librarian scolded.
Sinking in my chair in embarrassment, my thoughts began to swirl. I swear, when I’m with him, the old me emerges so naturally. “But summer ended, and it’s only the second week of school. Won’t you be exhausted with only Sunday to recuperate?”
While taking a sip of his juice box, he replied, “Ish naw a bih deuh.” Mackenzie swallowed and repeated himself after I gave him a Don’t-Talk-While-You’re-Drinking/Eating Look, “It’s not a big deal.” Well, I understood that much, but really… I sighed. Sometimes he’s just hopeless. “They suggested it, and I thought about continuing with it anyway, so I just couldn’t turn down their offer.”
“Your family will miss you though. Shouldn’t you spend some time at home with”—
“They’ll survive without me. I don’t like being there anyway.” His reply was curt, and there was a hint of venom laced with his words.
Crap. I just said something unnecessary. I mentally smacked myself. I wanted to apologize, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood for anything except studying.
Mackenzie started going to school looking like he did back when he volunteered at Mary’s Hospital. Even his “refreshing” personality remained, resulting in an immediate rise in his popularity. During lunch, he’d hang out with friends, and I’d tag along (per Mackenzie’s request).
As for myself, little by little, he’s been encouraging me to be more open with others. Initially, it was unsettling, and it amazed me just how shy I was around everyone else but Mackenzie. The important question—did I make any new friends?
No.
The fears of being hated and isolated by everyone because I got along with guys easily would rematerialize, rendering me incapable of voicing my thoughts. Whenever a topic that I could go on and rant about would come up, the words wouldn’t escape my lips. Instead, I’d become a wallflower and sit back in my seat, observing everything.
“Just take it slowly. There’s no rush,” Mackenzie would tell me over and over again, and that was enough to give me the courage to try and take part in conversations that piqued my interests. The others would consider my comments, but I knew that my presence didn’t leave much of an impression. I could almost hear their thoughts:
Who is she again?
Oh, she’s Mackenzie’s friend.
She’s so quiet.
I’m getting a little uncomfortable.
I know, but if we don’t at least include her, Mackenzie might get mad at us.
I sighed again. “You sigh a lot,” Mackenzie commented monotonously as he examined the Calculus homework closely and compared it with the answer key his teacher printed out earlier that morning.
“You don’t say,” I rejoined sarcastically, scribbling on the corners of a blank sheet of notebook paper.
Mackenzie nearly slammed his homework on the table to gain my attention. “So, you should volunteer with me.”
His sudden proposal startled me, and I dropped my pencil. He stared blankly at my scribbles. “I don’t know… The people in the ortho unit hate”—
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Teen Fiction~(Indirect) Sequel/Spin-Off Novella to 7 Minutes in Heaven~ This is the story of Jemma's daughter: Annabel Song remembers exchanging letters with her old friend as children, but as the months passed on, he became cold and distant to the point of not...
