My Story Ends Here. (Book) Part 2

Instructions

My Story Ends Here. Chapter 2 : A The school bell didn't just signal the end of class; it jolted me back to reality. "Thanks. See you later, I guess," I said. My voice sounded higher than usual, buzzing with a jittery kind of joy. She had never talked to me like this before—not in the three years I'd spent memorizing the back of her head in the homeroom. "Yeah, of course! See ya later, James!" Violet flashed a grin that felt like a direct electric current to my chest. I felt the weight of a dozen staring eyes from the hallway, but I didn't care. "Bye, Violet," I managed to breathe out. I watched her disappear into the crowd, my mind already fast-forwarding to lunch. Would she sit with me? By the time my next period rolled around, the high was fading into something darker. The hallway lights flickered with a rhythmic, sickly hum that made my stomach churn. I tried to focus on Violet—the way her eyes crinkled—but the pale walls began to tilt. My palms went slick with sweat, and the air in the corridor felt too thick to swallow. What is this? I reached for the wall, but my fingers slid off the cold bricks. My legs turned to water. "James? Are you okay?" Her voice. It was like a bell ringing through a fog. I tried to answer, to tell her I was fine, but my jaw wouldn't work. The floor rushed up to meet me. I hit the rough, industrial carpet hard, the smell of dust and old floor wax filling my nose. "JAMES!" "Violet..." I wheezed. "Don't... I'm fine." Then, I felt it. Her arms slid under me, pulling me against her. Her warmth was a sharp contrast to the cold sweat chilling my skin. "SOMEONE GET THE TEACHER! NOW!" she screamed. The vibration of frantic footsteps thudded against the floor near my head, but I was drifting. I wasn't even scared anymore. I just liked the sound of her voice calling my name, even if it sounded terrified. Then, the world went white. The first thing I heard when I woke up was an echo. "James? James, can you hear me?" I opened my eyes to the sterile, white ceiling of the nurse’s office. Violet was hovering over me, her face pale, her brown eyes wide and shimmering. "Violet? What are you still doing here? You’re missing class," I croaked. A sharp pang of embarrassment hit me. Great. Now she thinks I'm a freak. "I stayed because I wanted to make sure you weren't dying!" she said, her voice jumping an octave as she gestured wildly. She accidentally whacked her hand against the metal bed frame and let out a dramatic yelp, nursing her arm. Despite the splitting headache, I burst out laughing. "S-sorry, I can't help it." "It's not funny! That actually hurt," she scowled, but her eyes stayed soft, locked onto mine. I felt myself melting. I could have stayed in that look forever. "Why did you fall, James?" her voice dropped, becoming serious. "The nurse said you're dehydrated. Have you been eating?" I looked down at the linoleum floor. I couldn't tell her the truth—that some days my throat felt too tight to eat, or that I just forgot because I was stuck in my own head. "I just wasn't hungry. I'm fine, I promise." "James," she whispered, leaning closer. "You have to eat. Even if you aren't hungry. Do it for me?" "I will," I promised, and for the first time, I meant it. The warning bell for the third period rang. I tried to stand, but the room did a quick 360-degree spin. I stumbled, and Violet was there instantly, her arm sliding through mine to steady me. We walked into the hallway together, linked. "So," I said, trying to distract myself from the fact that our skin was touching. "What's your favorite song? I realized I don't actually know much about you." "I don't think I have one," she laughed. "But I know what I want to do. I’ve always wanted to have a late-night picnic. You know? Watching the sunset, eating bad snacks... It seems so romantic." I tucked that detail away in the back of my mind like a treasure. "I want to go to a beach house," I admitted. "Swim in the ocean at midnight. It’s silly, but it seems... quiet." Violet’s face lit up like a firework. "No way! My family has a summer house on the coast. We never go anymore. We should go sometime! Just us. Nobody would even have to know." My heart did a somersault. Just us? "Really?" I asked, looking down at her. The hallway lights caught the gold flecks in her eyes. "You aren't joking?" She snorted and gave my arm a playful shove. "I never joke about the beach, loser." As we walked toward class, her arm still hooked in mine, the "tragedy" of the morning felt miles away. But as she laughed at something I said, a tiny flicker of the dizziness returned. I pushed it down. I didn't want to think about why I was falling; I just wanted to enjoy the feeling of her holding me up as we keep walking.