SANTA MARIA HIGH (COMPLETED)

Part Two: 5

AN: You've all been so nice to me. Thank you for your words of encouragement.
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She was discharged on Monday after spending four solid days in the clinic. The doctor had discharged her in hope that she would take her pills regularly (he personally informed Mama Nosa to make sure she did), and also pay regular visits to the student councilor which was the nearest thing the school has next to a headshrinker.

She didn't leave the hostel that day, didn't attend class. Many pretended she was invisible, everyone cleared way for her when she got to the dining hall for her breakfast, Lunch (Mama Nosa always leaves something for students like Hope who had legitimate reasons to miss class) and dinner.

As she had half expected, Nora, who she hadn't seen in the last few days she was in the clinic was gone, clothes, bag, bed, nags, snores and all; alongside all talks of Anthony Laurence, her wistful prince charming. It was a relief just as it was troubling, Hope realized she had evolved from the weird girl with an umbrella to a full blown pariah.

Part of the things she brought from the clinic aside the drugs she detested, were get well cards, three of them from Obi and one from Peter, the two boys intimated her with all the recent developments in class. They were the first to mention the Halloween concert.

Surprisingly while she was at the clinic, Matthew had come to see her and gave quite a lecture on the prevalence of malaria in Nigeria and how he had a personal supply of proguanil. Hope didn't ask if it was actually prescribed, she just watched him talk in between sniffs. Few people from music class came to see her, Madame Rosalind sent a card, Pa Jacob came to tell her she should get well so they could go see the lake together that Friday. Ada, the girl that absconded from Music and married Spanish came alone, she didn't stay long either, but Hope was glad to still have friends. Old and young.

It felt good to know people do care.

That night she made a mental note to fight dreams that come with waking up and walking out.

"Promise me you will resist." She could almost hear Mrs. Mark's words.

She would resist.

When she dreamt that night, she didn't sleep walk, there was no control either. She was in a misty charnel surrounded by shadows, whispering, shifting, making way for her in the dim lit space.

Tuesday came, she was quick to get to the bathroom, got a warm bath, had a hurried breakfast before the rest arrived, and went to class. Hope was the unassuming girl in the corner, bent over her notes and pretending to be studying while feeling their accusing stares at the back of her head. In truth, their taunting both real and imagined was distraction enough.

She couldn't wait for Physics to begin and she hated Physics.

"Hey."

She looked up. It was Obi, looking as neat as he does every morning before the rough play begins. "how are you doing?"

"better, thanks for the notes." She said, giving back a physics note he had given her back at the clinic. "it meant a lot."

The boy blushed, for a moment, an itsy-bitsy moment, she was sure Obi was shy, he looked away. "Um, it's nothing." He stammered, "see you at lunch," he hurried to his seat.

Physics class came-with all the incessant jumble about waves and electromagnetic spectrum-and went.

According to the timetable, they had a free period before lunch time. So she stood up, took her bag, intending to go the library to find a distraction.