"Mrs. Forrester I think he's up," I heard someone say. My head hurt like a dagger sliced it in half.
I could barely keep my eyes open, but I could see my mother standing over me with a face as pale as the sheets under me.
"Jamie, sweetheart, can you hear me?" she asked as she pushed my hair away from my forehead. I nodded. My eyes were beginning to open and my vision was starting to get clearer but I was still so tired.
"I shouldn't have let you stay up all night," she said as she shook her head at herself.
"Mom," I tried to say but it only came out as a moan. I tried again. "Mom, it's my fault. I drank a lot of coffee and I knew the consequences. It wasn't anyone's fault but myself," I said. It was actually Dylan's.
"God when the school called I didn't know what to think!" she said as tears formed in her eyes. I had just fainted, it wasn't like I was in a coma. But if I had fainted I would've woken up in the classroom and not the nurse's office.
"How long was I out for?" I asked the nurse who was busy sterilizing equipment.
"About thirty minutes. That's what worried us," she said.
"I'm gonna take you to see a doctor now," Mom said. I sat up straight.
"No, I'm not going. I'm fine now!" I told her. I didn't want the doctor seeing the cut, I didn't want the doctor suspecting that I had swum in deadly cold water. That wasn't going to happen. Dylan would kill me.
"Dylan you were unconscious for thiry minutes. You were lucky I refused the ambulance!" Mom badgered me.
"Mom I promise you I'm fine. I was just stressed, that's all, and I can't afford to skip any more classes" I said as I stood up from the bed. I was still light headed but I made sure I didn't look that way.
"Fine," she said with a huff. She had given up and I bit my lip to keep myself from smiling.
"I'll see you at home," I told her with a swift peck on her cheek. She smiled and patted my back.
"Thanks," I told the nurse before I hastened to my next class. The hallway was empty and I knew class had started. I didn't need a pass since I knew news spread like wildfire and at least five people had filled up my teacher on my "accident".
"Forrester," I head Mr. Marslow call me from behind. He had been standing by the nurse's office. What was up with him?
"Mr. Marslow, hi," I said as I turned around. I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my pants as I looked around hoping he'd say something so awkward.
"Glad to see you're up on your feet," he said. I smiled and muttered a low "thanks".
"James," he said. That was the first time he used my first name. Sans nickname, this was serious. "What I don't understand is that you had drunk all that coffee and yet you showed up with no essay," he said as he looked at me for some semblance of an explanation.
"I just didn't have the time to finish it," I said with a shrug. He shook his head; he didn't buy it.
"Now I was a student your age once. Without internet or Google or whatever it was you guys use those days," he said. No, not that speech. "I know that two thousand words can be done in eight hours. Meaning you had time during the weekend to read, to write, and to proofread and still be done and get a good night's rest. I know you're a good student, which is what surprised me. But what surprised me even more is that you jeopardized your health for a report that you didn't even hand in," he said.
"I did hand it in," I wanted to say. "I did, it's just adressed in a different name."
Instead I said, "I'm sorry. I'm halfway done, can I submit it at the end of the day?" I said. He shook his head and I nodded understandingly. I deserved it. I fucking deserved it for not standing up against Dylan even though I had no chance at winning against him.
"I'll let you rest. I can give you some extra credit work to make up for your zero but that's for another time. Take care of yourself," he said before patting my back. I thanked him.
"And Forrester," he added as I turned around to face him again. "Don't let anyone pressure you against anything, you hear me?" he said. I nodded. I froze as soon as I realized what he had said. Did he know about Dylan? Did he know about Tucker? My brain hurt from thinking so much and I decided to let it go.
*
"Mom, please, can I just do my homework? I'm fine, really."
Mom walked in with a second bowl of soup. I was just exhausted. Mom restricted me to two hours of homework and studying and ordered me to sleep at eight, which was half an hour away.
"Alright," she said reluctantly. "I'll write a note to your teachers explaining today," she said.
"Mom, no, I'm almost done with all of my homework and whatever's left I can do it at lunch. You're stressing out more than I am," I added. She nodded and gave up as she closed my door. I let out a breath of relief before continuing my Chemistry homework. I skipped the class today since I had wasted it working on the essay, and catching up with today's lesson was not easy.
I heard a knock on the door again and Mom peeked her head in through the crack. Great.
I groaned "Mom, please I really-"
"Sorry, it's just that there's someone here to see you," she said as she smiled. Dylan.
Sarah walked in and surprised me. I stumbled and nearly fell as I stood up to greet her. Her flowy hair was pulled up in a sleek ponytail. She was dressed in a simple sweater that reached right above her knees and a pair of tights that showed off her long legs. She looked good. What hit me most was that she was in my bedroom. That was the last thing I could imagine happening.
"I'm so sorry, I know this is a bad time and-"
"No, no, not at all," I said as I felt my face redden from what she had heard me tell my mom. She sat on my bed and I blundered again. "So I-uh, what can I get you?" I asked her as I brushed a hand through my hair.
"Oh it's fine, thanks. I just finished dinner at my place," she said. I was sure my mom was overhearing our conversation.
"Good, good," I said as I sat down on my chair to face her.
"Geez, Jamie, you really scared us today," she said with a sigh. I gave her half a smile and a shrug.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what happened," I told her.
"I heard you had way too much coffee," she said.
I nodded. Glad there was no Panadol mentioned. "Yeah," I said sheepishly.
"And you're still doing homework?" she said as she pointed at my desk. I nodded and shrugged.
"I don't want to mess up any further," I said. I realized she knew I got an F on the paper so I decided to clear myself up. "I didn't know what got into me on the camping trip. I mean I did research and everything beforehand but I kind of delayed the writing part until we came back. It's not like me at all," I said. It was actually true.
"Dylan said he wrote his during the camping trip, so I assumed you did the same which is why I was suprised," she said. Well, sweetheart, Dylan's a damn liar.
I could only shrug.
"What are you working on?" she asked me.
"Chemistry. I bailed on today's class while trying to finish the essay so I'm trying to catch up so I can start on the homework," I said. Great, she probably thinks I'm a sleezeball.
"Oh I remember this," she said as she stood up and looked at my textbook. Her sweater brushed my arm as she focused on the book.
"It's really easy, want me to brief you?" she said. I smiled and nodded before giving her my chair. I bent next to her as she explained to me the chapter. Part of me couldn't hear what she was saying because I was still registering the fact that she was in my bedroom teaching me Chemistry. I had never thought this would happen.
"Got it?" she said as soon as she finished. I nodded. I kind of did.
I solved the first question and got it right. Yes, points to intelligence for me. If I kept this up she would take back her opinion of me being a sleezeball.
I got the second question right, I was on a roll. Within ten minutes we were done with all twelve questions and I only got the last two wrong. Regardless, I was proud of myself.
"You did pretty well!" she said with a smile. I smiled back.
"Well I wouldn't have done it without you," I said. She looked right into me. I wanted to turn my face away since I looked like hell, but it didn't matter. Sarah was looking at me. I inched myself closer to her and she did the same but a knock on the door startled us both and we were pulled back into our starting positions.
"Jamie," Mom called out with a smile again. I wanted to tell her she blew it but Dylan walked in with a smile and a bouquet of flowers.
"Dylan!" Sarah exclaimed as she stood up. She smiled brighter at him than she did at me.
"Hey, beautiful. I didn't think I'd see you here. I guess Jamie's one lucky fella, huh?" he said as he half hugged her.
"Jamie I was supposed to give these to you but you're a guy and you don't really like flowers so Sarah, will you accept my bouquet of fresh and fine flowers?" he said as he presented Sarah with the flowers. Sarah giggled and nodded as she hugged him. I could smell his cologne right from across the room. I probably smelled like coffee and sickness.
"So, what's up?" he asked as he sat next to Sarah on my bed. I should've sat on my bed, not Dylan.
"Not much, just helping him out with Chemistry," she said.
"Actual chemistry or the class?" he said as he winked at me.
"Dylan!" Sarah said as she nudged him, her face growing a shade of red.
"I'm kidding. So Jamie you alright? I didn't see you after American History," Dylan said, as if he was actually concerned.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just staying in classes between classes," I said with a shrug. I didn't make sense but the exhaustion was an excuse.
"Well it's too bad you couldn't finish the essay. I think I did well on mine. I mean, I hope so," Dylan said as he glared at me.
"I'm pretty sure you did. You put a lot of effort into it," I said, speaking in code. Sarah stared at us funny.
"Well I'd better leave you two alone. My mom wants me to help her setting up the printer," Sarah said as she stood up. Dylan and I stood up at the same time.
"I'll take you to the door," I said with a smile. She nodded and followed me out of the bedroom. Mom was in the living room watching her show as Sarah and I descended the stairs.
"Oh you're gone already?" Mom said. Sarah smiled politely and nodded.
"I've got to help my mom set up the printer," she repeated her excuse.
"Oh I see, you say hi to her," Mom said and Sarah smiled and nodded again. I opened the door for Sarah and she surprised me with a hug.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well, okay?" she said as she rubbed her hand on my shoulder. What happened to the progress we'd made?
"I will," I promised her. I watched her wave to my mom and make her way down the steps before leaving the gates. She waved to me right before getting into a car, and I waved back.
"She's a sweet girl," Mom said, not tearing her eyes away from the TV.
"Yeah," I said. I marched upstairs and paused in my tricks now I remembered Dylan was still here. Why did Sarah have to leave and Dylan have to stay?
I opened my bedroom door and Dylan was sprawled on my bed with my laptop on his lap.
"God, if Sarah just took a second's look at your browsing history she'd label you as a freak and you'd be shunned by the whole school," he said with a laugh. I went to grab my laptop but like a magnet he lifted his hand and I stood in place, letting him finish prying though my history.
"And Stormex? I never took you for a total geek loser," Dylan said as he laughed again.
"Dylan, please," I said as I reached my hand.
"You don't beg, Jamie," he told me as he scrolled some more. I had to remember to use private browsing from now on.
My insides melted as I realized that I had googled Dylan's name almost a week ago.