Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
MARTIKA, “TOY SOLDIERS”
Ben
Gabby kept her distance after the kiss in the stairwell. We walked to our only class together, and she jumped if my hand or arm accidentally brushed hers. At Sunday church service, she set her purse on the pew between us, where she used to set it on the floor at her feet. She couldn’t look at me for more than a few seconds without averting her gaze. And she talked about the weather.
The. Fucking. Weather.
Olivia told me when Gabby went bowling with Matt, and he helped her with homework. To Olivia’s knowledge, they were just friends, which made me feel like Matt had replaced me.
To make matters worse, I was sick with a sore throat and no energy.
“You should go to the doctor,” Jason suggested as I remained in bed for the sixth day in a row after spending days prior to that trying to attend classes while feeling like death.
“It’s just a sore throat,” I mumbled, turning onto my side and pulling the covers over my head.
“Are you taking any of the stuff in this sack?” he asked.
Gabby picked me up a bunch of over-the-counter-medicines after Olivia told her I was sick, but nothing worked beyond helping me sleep.
“Yes,” I grumbled, feeling like absolute shit. I wasn’t one to get homesick or miss my mom, but I was on the verge of breaking down and begging her to come take care of me. I didn’t, though, because who called their mommy to bring them chicken noodle soup in college?
“Well, I’m heading out. Don’t die.”
I didn’t have the energy to answer him. Eventually, I fell asleep.
* * *
When I awoke, it was dark. How did I sleep the whole day away? How did I not hear Jason come back from his classes?
As I sat up, feeling unstable, I needed to pee, so I stood. It felt like I was on a boat, and I quickly lost my balance and fell. I pushed myself to sitting and cupped a hand over my ear. Something was off. There was a ringing in my ears.
I jumped when Jason touched my arm. Then he turned on the light.
I squinted against the light. His lips moved, but his words were distant and muffled.
“W-what?” I shook my head, tugging and rubbing my ears.
Again, Jason’s lips moved, but the words were nothing more than faint, undecipherable noise.
“I can’t hear,” I said.
He squatted in front of me. I caught remnants of letter sounds, but not full words, and I felt nauseous.
“I can’t hear.” I plugged my nose and blew, like popping my ears at a high elevation, but it didn’t work. Again, I stood and wobbled a little.
He grabbed my arm, and his lips moved.
“What?”
He pressed a finger to his lips. Was I being loud?
Panic set in. What was happening to me?
“Something’s wrong. It’s... I’m…”
Jason helped me sit back on my bed. Then he left the room. A few minutes later, he returned with Chris, our resident assistant.
Chris bent down so our faces were close. He spoke, and maybe he said hospital. I couldn’t tell.
“Hospital. Yes. Get Gabby,” I said. “Get Gabby!” I repeated because I didn’t know if they heard me.
Jason nodded, pulling on a pair of jeans.
My heart pounded. Something was wrong, and I didn’t know if it was my illness, my balance issues, or the panic, but I knew I was on the verge of vomiting, so I dropped to my knees and crawled to the wastepaper basket, expelling what little was in my stomach as a cold sweat covered my brow.
Chris helped me get dressed and looped my arm over his shoulder to assist me to the elevator. By the time we reached the main floor, Gabby and Olivia were waiting by the door with Jason.
Olivia ran up to me, but I pushed past her, reaching for Gabby.
“I can’t hear. I can’t hear. I can’t hear.” I broke down crying in a panic.
Gabby wrapped her arms around me, somehow holding me up with her tiny body. They helped me to Chris’s car, and Gabby sat in the back with me while Olivia jumped into the front passenger seat.
I leaned toward the middle, and Gabby guided my head to her lap, running her fingers through my hair in slow, comforting strokes. Several tears escaped, running along the side of my face to her jean-clad leg.
What the hell was happening?