True to his word he carries her all the way to the nurse's office where he gently tips her feet towards the ground so that she can stand. They knock on the door and after Iona looks around to make sure that no one else is around to see them they're given permission to enter.
They walk into a small room with a bed, a large cupboard, and a desk that the nurse is sitting behind. The young woman with light straight brown hair and piercing eyes is working on her computer, or well that's what it looks like. She's actually closing the window she's been playing CandyCrush in. She then looks up at the students who have just walked in.
"Hello, Jack. I didn't think I'd be seeing you back in my office so soon after year." She sends them a harsh look as he helps Iona over to the bed before sitting at her desk.
Iona makes a note to herself to try to find out what happened last year before putting on her best I'm-sick-please-let-me-go-home face.
"Sorry Sister," he says smiling at her, " we're here for her. She fainted in class just now, and I was told to bring her here."
"Well, well, well", she turns her gaze to Iona who's doing her best to look sick. "What's the matter with you?"
"Nothing really Ma'am. I don't even remember what happened. I'll probably be alright in a minute. I think I just need to get back to class."
Iona can see Jack looking at her confused. The poor boy is wondering why on Earth she's backing out, and why she suddenly doesn't want to go to the beach with him. He'll understand in a moment though. This isn't the first time Iona's gotten out of class under the bias of being sick. In her defense, though those times she was actually sick, she did pick up a thing or two. She stands up and walks over to the desk to sit in the other chair and purposely stumbles a bit giving the illusion of dizziness. She catches herself on Jack's chair and uses it to hold herself up as she raises her hand to her mouth. She does her best to look like she's holding her breakfast down. After hunching over the back of the chair she slowly takes her away from her mouth and stands up again.
"I'm sorry. I'm alright in a minute, I promise. I just need a minute." She drops into the open chair she was making her way to before her small display.
"Oh, my word! You are definitely not alright, and even more so I am not sending you back to class in this state." She sounds rather horrified at Iona's second performance of the day.
"And you," she starts turning back to Jack, "are going home as well. I do not want to see you back at school until you have fully recovered from last time. I won't hear a word of it. You still need a week of rest. Now Jack since this dear thing is in no condition to move without assistance I'll write you a note to go get your things and send an e-mail to your teachers to let them know to not expect either of you in your classes today."
She takes out a pad of printed paper and fills in the top slip before handing it over to Jack. She turns to her computer to start the e-mails that will help them complete step two of their master plan. Only the sound is the tapping of keys, and the occasional question like what Iona's name breaks the silence they're sitting in. She then dramatically presses the enter key sitting back in her chair. She takes a deep breath before lifting her pen to another printed pad of paper.
"There you go Miss Blake," she says as she hands her a slip similar to the one she handed Jack earlier. "Just give this to the lady at the front desk at reception."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Iona responds with a small smile still sounding weak.
She then turned around to face Jack, "Here's a pass. You can go and collect your things. Her things too."
She then jesters to the door, and he gets up to leave to pick up their books and bags, and give Mr. Teak the magic slip of paper that'll let them walk out without repercussion. He turns as he gets to the door and flashes Iona a smile before leaving.
"Now let's have a look at you" she says getting up and coming around the table towards her.
Iona prepares to act even more sick, even though I don't think she'll have to because the thought of being caught is actually making her feel pretty sick right now. Instead of taking out a thermometer to check for a fever or something, she just sits on the edge of the table and faces her.
"Your dad is the new Biology teacher, Mr. Blake, isn't he?"
Her question puzzles Iona since her dad only started last week and it's only her second day, so it takes her a moment to find the right way to answer. Not sure what more to say Iona simply says, "Yes, he is."
"I thought so, you both have the same eyes. Same shade of green." She says this with an almost sad smile, "We knew each other when we were younger."
Iona not sure what to say to this piece of information offers a small smile. The nurse sighs and looks up like she's trying to find the words written for her on the ceiling but there aren't any. Her tone then changes and she moves back to the other side of the desk. "Well, I sent him an e-mail as well even though I saw that you don't take Biology. I thought he should know that his daughter isn't feeling well and has been sent home."
Iona knows that she's helping and she's grateful that if her dad does ask why he didn't see her around school she'll have a valid answer. She can't however shake the questions rising about who this nurse is, and how she knows her dad, but since she's not too keen to find out the answers her mind jumps back to Jack.
"I'm sorry ma'am," she starts even though she's not," but I was wondering about what you said to Jack. Why shouldn't he be back at school?"
"I'm sorry my Dear, but it's for him to decide who he tells that story to."
"Was it bad?" She asks wondering what kind of a boy she's gotten herself caught up with. That and now she's starting to wonder if she'll be in even more trouble if she gets caught sneaking out because it's with him.
"Did he get hurt badly, yes. Is he a bad person, no," She somehow managed to understand the meaning behind her question, and answered the things she wanted to know without having told her what happened.
Just then there's a knock on the door. Thinking that it's Jack with their bags Iona forgetting that she's "sick" nearly jumps up to open the door, but she stops herself just in time.
"It's open just come in" The nurse calls not getting up from her chair.
It's a good thing that she didn't get up, because the person who walks in isn't him. The person- and I say person, because to call the guy who just walked in a boy would be an insult. At least it would be in Iona's mind because who walks in the most attractive human she has ever seen. Well what about Jack? To be honest, we both know that as much as Iona would hate to admit it he is breath taking, but having said that we both also know that there is no way he can be called human. Simply because in Iona's words "He really is something else".
Unlike Jack who came with Iona to the sick room so that we have "permission" to get out of school, this person looks like he's really sick.
"I'm sorry to bother Sister," his voice is deep and rough. He sounds sicker than he looks.
"It's not a bother unless you're here to waste my time again Mr. Mathews," she seems to have a few regulars and he appears to be one of them.
"No ma'am this time I really am sick." He says flashing a weak yet breath taking smile.
At this exact moment Jack returns dropping their bags at the door before walking into the room and standing behind Iona's chair.
"Hey, Jesse! What are you doing here?" He asks giving her this stranger's name and more questions about who both of these boys are.
"I'm not doing too well since the last time we were in here." He smirks and winks at Iona.
"Hey man same. You also going home to rest, and recover before the school works really starts?" Jack's voice laced with sickly syrupy sweetness.
"Yeah, you know what it's like. Besides we shouldn't be at school for at least another week after the incident." Jesse rebuttals with equal niceties.
The more Iona hears about this without them actually saying anything the more she wants to know what happened. 'I'll have to ask him later.'
"Yes, yes that's enough now. If you two have finished I believe that this young lady needs to get home and get some rest," she then looks at Iona with soft eyes. "Now if you feels worse please book an appointment at the doctor and get some treatment that way."
"I will thank you, Ma'am," She gives Iona a look, "Sister. Thank you again."
"Come on Princess," Jack says from just outside the door where he's already holding both their bags. She walks over to him still maintaining a sick appearance.
"Oh, and see you later Jesse!" he calls over his shoulder as they walk off.
"See you man!" he responds and he takes a seat so that he claim his pass to freedom.
They hand their slips to the receptionist and walk out the front door. Jack's smile is contagious and Iona feels her face breaking into a smile big enough to compete with his.
"See that wasn't that hard," he says as he climbs onto the bike and holds it steady for her.
"No, it was easier than I thought," and despite of how scared she is of getting in trouble she laughs.
With that Iona climbs onto the bike behind him putting her hands around his waist, and they're off.
'We did it.' Iona thinks, 'We made it out off school and now we're going to get our things together so that we can go spend the day at the beach. This is possibly the most dangerous, risky, exciting, and possibly the funnest thing I have ever done. To be honest there's no going back now and I wouldn't have it any other way.'