You're trying to be cool, you look like a fool to me.'
I hummed the song that was playing [Complicated-Olivia O' Brien], with my eyes closed and the volume on full blast in my headsets. After Vivian left I took out the necklace my mother gave me from my pocket. I always kept this priceless but very valuable object with me at all times. It's a reminder of my parents, a reminder that their with me at all times. The pendent contained a single sapphire gemstone wrapped in pure silver, the stone was my birthstone so the meaning of this necklace was that much more meaningful. I held the necklace in my hands and kept humming as the songs kept changing on my playlist. I may not have gotten to know my parents but I can still feel their presence around me and the necklace amplifies that feeling.
I opened my eyes when I felt someone else was in the room. "Vivian?", I questioned. I couldn't see since the curtains were pulled for some privacy. I got up still feeling a bit dizzy but I could feel the emotions of the individual in the room, it wasn't Vivian. I had always been on edge since I found out the real way my parents died, the murder was never caught and I never settled with that fact. I pulled back the curtain to see a boy standing by the nurse's desk. The boy looked at me in shock, I guess he didn't hear me when I called out for the nurse. Ignoring his shocked expression I asked him, "Who are you?", I was genuinely curious because he seemed familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Who are you? ", the boy was quick to reply to my question with the same question. "Isn't it childish to answer a question with a question? Besides if you're going to play it this way then I should say I asked you first, right?", I asked the boy with no fear and no care either, I had bigger problems then this. I looked at him with one eyebrow raised and he looked at me back with an expression that seemed to show that he hadn't been treated this way before. Besides his expression there was another thing I could read clearly, his emotions. The boy was radiating confusion and frustration, I won't lie I felt a little bad because those emotions are very unsettling and he was definitely feeling them at a higher rate.
A thought hit me, the face of the boy is familiar, isn't that Harlow Arlen?, I looked at him and I confirmed it. The rude boy back in high-school was certainly looking back at me right now, how annoying... I thought. I didn't have the chance to think anymore I was getting more and more dizzy the longer I stood, "I don't have time for this..", I muttered under my breath. I stumbled towards my bed again and rolled my eyes closed letting the pitch black take me to a dream world.
Harlow Arlen's POV:
There were so many people at this college that I didn't know but they knew me. Mom had to make the choice to move right in the middle of the semester and of course my dad went along with it. Nobody asked me but that was normal and I was used to it. After meeting the head of the school and acting as polite as I could for parents sake, I was exhausted. We always move around because of my parent's jobs and it annoying to have to go from place to place while meeting new people. The only good part about moving to this place or going to this college in specific was that I would get to see Vivian. She was someone that has been close to my family for years and it basically makes her my sister. Vivian surely was a sister to me, the only person I've met over the years that actually considered my feelings.
Entering the nurse's office I saw the desk empty and figured she had to step out. I leaned on her desk waiting for her as I scrolled through my instagram feed. The curtains near the windows pulled back a little and out walked a girl. She seemed to be tired her eyes were blinking slowly. "Who are you?", she asked in a curious but annoyed voice. Did she really not know who I was?, I thought. I was a bit shocked but I quickly replied to her question asking her the same. The girl shot back with more confidence and arrogance. She really didn't know then?, I became more curious with this girl who clearly didn't seem phased by me at all. She didn't wait for me to answer back though. Instead she just looked at me in annoyance and quietly said "I don't have time for this.", I don't think it was meant for me to hear but she said it loud enough for me to hear. Was she trying to make me mad, I was getting a bit angry now but I still watched the girl as she stumbled towards the bed on the other side of the curtain, "are you sick?", I asked suddenly getting a bit guilty. She didn't reply, reaching the bed she collapsed immediately. "Hey!", I shouted. I ran towards her and where the bed was across from where I was standing. The girl fainted, I didn't realize she was sick, I caught her before she fell off the bed. Her temperature was very high. Before I could even start to think of what to do another girl rushed in, "What the hell happened?", the blonde haired girl asked me with worry in her expression. "I don't know. She just fainted.", the girl just sighed and told me to help her get on the bed.
"Ember, why didn't you tell me that you were this sick?", the girl sighed again. "Does she get sick often?", I asked out of curiosity. "She does.. It's been happening ever since I met her. It's because of stress.", the girl finally looked up at me and jumped back a little, "Harlow Arlen?", it was a question out of surprise. "I haven't seen you in ages, I guess the rumor is true then, you're joining our college.", I was confused, "You know me?", I asked. "Don't you remember? Doesn't high-school ring a bell?". I looked at the blonde haired girl more closely and she did look familiar, "May?", I asked as I realized I did know this girl. "Yeah, now we're getting somewhere. You should know Ember too, my best friend?". Ember.., "I remember! It's been so long that I couldn't recognize either of you.", May quickly answered back, "Or you don't remember because you barely paid any attention in high-school.", her answer was blunt but it was true. We stood there in silence for a bit.
"For fuck sake...", Ember muttered as she started to wake up. "Em!", May helped her friend sit up. "If you weren't sick right now I would have given you a huge slap to the head! Why didn't you tell me you were this sick?", Ember answered her friend, "May calm down, I didn't realize I was sick at all until I was halfway to the nurse's office, unless you wanted me to faint in front of the whole class, this was a better option. Anyways it's not like this is a new thing.", Ember answered her friend in a way that calmed her down but the concerned look was still on May's face. "Still you could have called.". "I could have but then I wasn't going to risk getting you in trouble with the history teacher, you know how he is.", Ember replied laughing a bit. They both seemed very close just like in high-school, maybe even closer than I remember. I may not remember much of high-school but these two were apart of the few people I remember, I envied everyone who was happy back then because my life had always been chaos and I was never truly happy. "So I wasn't wrong then? Harlow Arlen, the quiet rude kid.", Ember was looking at me now with annoyed eyes. "Ember don't be rude, he did catch you before you fell off the bed." May was trying to calm the annoyance that her friend had towards me. Why was she so annoyed? Did I do something?, I was confused again. "I guess you don't remember much from high-school. Don't get confused now, there's no point if you don't remember.", Ember seemed to understand the situation but her annoyance was still there.
"Vivian, you're finally back.", Ember said out loud without looking away from her hands that were resting in her lap. I was confused but I looked up and to my surprise Vivian was standing at the door.
Was this girl psychic or something? How did she know Vivian was at the door..
"Yeah sorry, two kids broke out into a fight again, I swear this college feels like a high-school.", Ember replied this time looking up towards Vivian, "tell me about it". Ember shook her head smiling slightly. "Hey Vivian.", I smiled towards my childhood friend, "Oh! Harlow when did you get here?". I replied to my friend, "This morning, did you forget I was supposed to come in today?", I asked smiling at the nurse, "Ah sorry, it must have slipped my mind. How are you?", Vivian smiled back, "I'm fine as always but it looks like you have got you're hands full.", Vivian rolled her eyes and said, "that's for sure."
"Are you kids done talking now, because my friend just fainted.", May spoke with annoyance now. "Sorry.. Wait Ember you fainted! The last time this happened it was in your first year of college.", Ember looked up from her daze, "I know.", she was being very vague. It seemed like she wasn't all here. "I'm fine though, it's not like this hasn't happened before, just because it only happened once at school doesn't mean that was the first time, I'm used to it.", Ember was being vague and both Vivian and May were clearly concerned, even I was getting worried. Something about what she said hit close to home for me.
'I'm used to it', that statement stood out to me.