by Sara Martin
I waited the rest of the day for Lana to reply. I tried calling her too. No luck. I thought that was weird. Perhaps she had a big shift at the hospital. Oh well, I would see her at school the next day.
Except, I didn’t.
Lana did not turn up at school. I asked Miss April if she knew why Lana was absent.
“She’s sick,” she replied. “If you ask me, she’s overworked. Hopefully, she recovers in time for the mock exams.”
I continued to try to contact Lana with no success. When she did not turn up at school the next day, or the next after that, I went to her house.
Mrs. Wu let me in after a lengthy period of deliberation. “She’s in her room. If she’s asleep, don’t rouse her,” she warned.
Jack and Bing ran past me in the hallway, laughing between themselves. Mrs. Wu scolded them as I climbed the stairs. I carefully opened the door to Lana’s room. She lay in bed, awake but still.
“Lana,” I said, my voice just above a whisper.
She turned over. Her face lit up the moment her eyes fell on me. “Ivy! I would get up and hug you if only I had the energy.”
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“I thought I got struck down with a bug, but the doctor said it’s exhaustion. The cure? I have to rest up. I’m not allowed to do anything except sleep, eat and read. Mum even confiscated my phone and computer. She doesn’t want me getting overstimulated.”
“That explains why you weren’t answering my texts…”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“That’s okay. I was just worried about you.”
“I’ll be okay. I’m taking the rest of the week off, but I’m sure I’ll be allowed to go back to school next week.”
“What about the hospital?”
“I was told to stop working there for now.”
“So, will you?”
Lana shrugged. “I’ll see how I feel.”
“Oh, Lana.” I bent down and gave her a hug. She felt clammy in my arms.
“I feel dreadful,” she murmured. “Cheer me up. Tell me everything’s okay between you and Julian?”
I sat on the edge of her bed, my back to her. “We haven’t been in touch since we got back.”
“Have you texted him?”
I shook my head.
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just feel like waiting for him to make the first move.”
“What if he’s waiting for you to make the first move?”
“I doubt it.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”
I heaved a sigh and slumped down next to her. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Where’s your phone?”
“In my pocket.”
“Take it out.”
“What?”
“You’re going to do this.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
I sighed and took out my phone. “What do I say?”
“Hi, Julian. Haven’t heard from you for a while. Do you want to catch up some time?”
I typed the message into my phone, my heart pounding. My finger hovered above the button to send. Before second thoughts could set in, I closed my eyes and pressed send.
Message sent.
“There. Doesn’t that feel better?”
“No. Not really.”
“Trust me. This is for the best.”
“I trust you.”
We waited several minutes to see if he would reply. He didn’t. Lana’s certainty began to dissipate. I changed the subject.
“So, I sent in my application to Elias.”
“You did? That’s great. That school will be amazing for you.”
“Yeah. I think so too. What about you? Is your med school application in yet?”
Lana shook her head. “The deadline’s still a while away.”
“But everything’s under control?”
“Yes. All my scholarship applications are in too. I’ve already been notified of making the shortlist for one of them.”
“Really? That’s awesome.”
“Thanks,” Lana said, blushing slightly.
Mrs. Wu entered the room and cleared her throat. “Ivy, thank you for visiting, but it’s now time for Lana to get some more rest.”
Lana was about to protest, but I hushed her. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Let me know what he says.”
I nodded once before leaving the room. Mrs. Wu guided me to the front door.
Any sense of hope I had evaporated when Julian didn’t reply to my text message that day. He was usually quick to respond, so I knew something was wrong. I felt so helpless. I felt a sense of loss—which was funny because I never really had him in the first place. Lana was still sans phone, so I couldn’t tell her. Oh well. I didn’t feel like talking about it just yet anyway.
I went to bed early, exhausted. Sleep washed over me heavy and deep. When I woke up, I momentarily panicked. I had overslept. It took me a moment to realise it was Saturday. I shut Julian out of my mind and decided to pour myself into my studies. Mock exams were a week away. They were important, not just as practice for the real thing. Scholarships and school prizes were often dependent on the results since the final exam results came out too late to count.
I spent the weekend holed up with textbooks and past years’ exam papers. It really took my mind off Julian, and I got a lot of work done. By Monday, I was feeling much better. Lana arrived back at school like a whirlwind. It seemed like she had never been ill. She went from class to class with a bounce in her step. She had somehow managed to catch up on everything she missed in one weekend.
We spent much of our time at the library, in the study area on the mezzanine floor. Normally empty throughout the rest of the year, the floor now housed a number of keen students.
“You’re working hard,” Lana said.
I looked up from my textbook. “Is that surprising?”
“No. Well, yes. A little.”
I usually just relied on my natural aptitude for tests rather than partaking in any actual study. “Study has been like a reprieve.”
“I see. To stop you thinking about…him.” Lana cast her glance downwards. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“I was so sure he liked you. I really thought…”
“It’s okay. I thought so too. For a while. Anyway, let’s not talk about that anymore.”
We put our heads down and went back to work.
When I got home from school that day, I put my feet up and turned the TV on—a rare occurrence for me. My phone buzzed on the coffee table. I grabbed it, startled when it continued to vibrate in my hand. Someone was calling me.
Julian.
23
“Hello?” I answered, nervously.
“Ivy, it’s me.” Julian’s voice was deep and slightly husky.
“Did you get my text the other day?” I asked.
“Yes, I did. I’m sorry I didn’t reply.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he said, although he didn’t sound certain. “When would you like to catch up?”
So, it was happening after all.
“This isn’t really a good time,” I said, coolly. “Mock exams are next week, and I have to study.”
“Oh. I see. Well, what about after your exams?”
“That would work.”
“Great, well, I’ll be in touch. I hope the exams go well.”
“Thanks.”
“See ya.”
“Bye.”
Despite the fact Julian had sounded so cold and measured, I still felt excited by the prospect of seeing him again. Perhaps he would finally reveal to me all that was going on.
I called Lana immediately to report the latest news. She was even more ecstatic than I was. “I knew it!” she squealed.
After the call, I tried to concentrate on studying, but my thoughts were on Julian.
On the first day of
mock exams, a crowd of Year Thirteen students gathered outside the entrance to the school hall. Everyone chatted nervously. I felt reasonably confident. The only thing making me nervous was the fact Lana had not shown up yet. I checked my watch at 8:54am. The calculus mock exam was to start at 9:00am. I tried not to let Lana’s lateness rattle me.
The minutes passed. At 8:59am, Lana had yet to turn up. I looked around, hoping to see her elsewhere in the crowd, but I couldn’t find her. I checked my phone. No word from her by 9:00am. The teacher hadn’t let us into the hall yet.
At precisely 9:02am, the doors to the hall opened, and the flood of students poured through. I sat at a random desk and watched the rest of the students come through the doors. Lana was not among them. The doors were being closed, but then they lurched to a halt to let one last straggler through.
Lana was white and quivering all over. I wondered if she were feeling sick again. She took her seat. I didn’t have much time to wonder. Mr. Sanderson stood on the stage and began his spiel, and a three-hour timer was set. Lana was there, and I was sure she would do a good job. She always did.
I opened my exam booklet and began. All the formulae were firmly entrenched in my brain and the answers came easily. I zoomed through the first paper. Confidence surged in me as I continued on a roll. I sat back, entwined my fingers, pulled my wrists back with a crack and then continued.
A loud, tumbling thud startled everyone. Heads turned, I heard a murmur, then gasps arose. Mr. Sanderson looked up from the lectern, concern washing over his face. He paused the timer.
I looked to the source of the upheaval. Lana lay in a heap on the lino floor, unmoving.
24
I stood up immediately, my pen dropping to the floor and landing with a clack. Mr. Sanderson sped down the aisle to Lana’s side. I followed him.
“Everyone, stay back.” His outstretched arm stopped me from coming any closer to Lana’s limp form. He pressed a thumb to her wrist and checked her pulse.
Each passing second felt like an eternity. Please, I prayed. Let her be okay.
“Her pulse is normal,” he declared at last.
I stopped holding my breath, relief flooding me.
“Lana?” he asked, gently shaking her shoulder. She did not respond. He took out his phone and called emergency services.
A few other teachers arrived, and they collectively agreed to cancel the exam and dismiss everyone. I waited anxiously in the hall with Lana. Some other students stayed behind as well—probably more out of curiosity than concern. An ambulance arrived shortly. Two paramedics entered the hall. They examined Lana and tried to get her to wake.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked one of the paramedics.
“Her vital signs are normal, but she’s still unresponsive. We’ll take her to the hospital as a precaution.”
“She was sick a couple weeks ago. She was suffering from exhaustion. Do you think that’s connected?”
“Yes. That would make a lot of sense. Her energy level is severely low. She is suffering from either not eating enough, not sleeping enough, or both.”
Lana did wake, but she wasn’t fully lucid. The paramedics put her on a stretcher, ready to take her in the ambulance.
“Can I go with her?” I asked.
“An adult should go with her,” Mr. Sanderson explained. “I will go. Maybe someone else can give you a lift?”
Miss April stepped forward. “I’ll take you.”
“Are you sure?”
Miss April nodded. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I followed her to the carpark and her beat-up, old Beetle. We puttered along after the ambulance.
After arriving at the hospital, Miss April led the way. “We’re looking for Lana Wu,” she told the receptionist. “She just arrived by ambulance.”
“Certainly. Through the doors on the left, follow the corridor down and straight through the door.”
“Thank you.”
We pushed through the double doors and walked quickly down the corridor. We came to a large room with hospital beds lining each side, some with green curtains drawn around them. Lana lay, alert but sleepy, in a bed on the left. A doctor was taking tests and asking Mr. Sanderson a lot of questions.
I stood back and let the doctor do her job. I could tell Lana was glad to see me, though. When the doctor left, Mr. Sanderson and Miss April went to get something to eat and drink. I sat on a chair next to Lana.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
Lana looked at me, wide-eyed. “I need to get back and finish the exam.”
“No, you don’t. The exam has been cancelled.”
“But how will I get into Med School?”
I hushed her. The doctor must have given her some kind of drug. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
Lana began to ease.
Her parents arrived soon after, looking frantic. The doctor returned to explain the situation and calm Mrs. Wu down.
I stayed by Lana’s side until the doctor gave her the all clear to go home. She was not to participate in any more mock exams, and not to return to school until after the holidays. No working at the hospital and no extra-curricular activities for the rest of the year. Her parents were to strictly control and monitor her eating and sleeping habits.
Lana took it on the chin, but I was sure she was simply too weak to put up a fight.
Lana’s parents dropped me at home.
“Thank you for keeping Lana company,” Mrs. Wu said.
“I couldn’t leave her,” I said. “She’s my best friend.”
“I know I don’t always show it, but I’m glad Lana has you as a friend.”
It must have been hard for Mrs. Wu to admit that. I offered a simple nod and a thank you as I left the car.
The day’s events had left me utterly exhausted. I really needed someone to talk to, and without giving it much thought, I called Julian. He answered straight away.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Ivy? Are you all right?”
“No. Not really.”
“Tell me everything.”
25
Julian agreed to meet me at Eastern Park the next day. The park was lined with blossoming trees, and a carpet of pink petals covered the ground. Swans and ducks floated on the pond. I walked to the rotunda in the centre of the park. Julian stood below the white arch. He looked stunning as usual, wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and a brown leather jacket. He leaned casually against the fence.
“Hey,” I said, approaching him.
He looked down at me, a smile crossing his lips. I was tempted to go in for a hug, but I cancelled at the last second. It would be too awkward.
“Hey,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
“Yes. We’ve been busy.”
“Do you want a coffee? An ice cream?”
“Oh, yes please. A coffee would be nice.”
We went to the kiosk where Julian ordered and paid for two coffees. We sat on the rotunda steps, cradling the hot takeaway coffee cups in our hands.
“How’s Lana?” Julian asked, his eyebrows creased with concern.
“I haven’t heard from her again since the hospital. I’m sure her parents are looking after her.”
“You sounded pretty upset yesterday.”
“I got such a fright…”
“It’s okay.” Julian squeezed my hand. His touch was warm.
“Thanks for seeing me.”
“Any time.”
“Really?”
Julian nodded. “I know things have been weird lately…”
“It didn’t seem like you wanted to speak to me…after the lodge.”
Julian’s expression turned solemn. “I know. I think I owe you an explanation.”
“I just want to know what’s up.”
He breathed in deeply. “The truth is, I was so caught up in getting my portfolio done.”
I could tell that was only part of the reason.
“And Charlotte…�
� he continued.
Ah, now we’re getting to it.
“She didn’t want me to tell anyone, but I guess it would be okay to tell you. You don’t really know her.”
“No, I don’t.”
“The thing with Charlotte is she seems to have it all together. But, in reality, it’s a different story.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s in a downward spiral. Depressed, broke, on the brink of dropping out of uni… There’s a lot going on in her life. I’m worried about her.”
“I had no idea.” My feelings were a strange mix of guilt and jealousy.
“I’ve been trying to support her. We’ve been friends for a long time. I can’t let her down.”
“Is she your girlfriend?” I blurted.
Julian’s face went red. “No,” he spluttered. “Not now, anyway.”
“What does that mean?”
“We used to go out. That was a long time ago, though. Back in high school.”
“Oh.” I was happy and disappointed. So, they weren’t together, but they used to be an item. I wondered if he still liked her. He had been spending a lot of time with her while completely ignoring me. I felt bad for feeling this way, but I couldn’t help it.
Julian must have sensed my discomfort. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I responded quickly. “I just didn’t realise you were so close with her. There’s a lot going on.”
“She doesn’t really have anyone else she can rely on.”
“That’s rough. I hope she’ll be okay.”
“I’ll make sure of it.”
As soon as I finished my coffee, I stood up. “I should get going.”
Julian checked his watch. “So soon?”
“My next exam is tomorrow, so I’d like to study.”
“Oh. Do you want a ride home?”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. I’ll walk.”
Mock exams continued as if the whole fainting incident had never occurred. I tried my best to go on, putting everything behind me.
Lana is safe and resting now, I reminded myself.
I finished my last paper on Friday morning. With a full stop at the end of the concluding paragraph, I felt immense relief rush over me.