Chapter 4
Flashback - Seventh Grade
“I’ve been calling you for hours. Why didn’t you wait for me after track practice?” Lynx asked when he entered the treehouse.
“Can you just leave!” Fateema demanded.
“Why are you crying? What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Please leave, Lynx.”
He made himself comfortable on the bean bag and put his arm around her. She said she wanted him to leave but willingly rested her head on his shoulder.
“Bunny, I’m not leaving you alone to cry. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I can’t. It’s too embarrassing.”
“We’re best friends, Bunny. Nothing is too embarrassing for you to tell me or for me to tell you. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
She cried for a bit longer while Lynx coaxed her into telling him why she was upset.
“I was on my way to the locker room after practice… and I… umm… I heard some boys laughing behind me. I… I went into the locker room… to use the bathroom before getting my stuff… and… and…”
“And what, Bunny?”
“There was blood all over my underwear.”
Her tears had slowed, but recounting the experience caused them to flow freely down her cheeks again. Lynx hated to see Fateema so upset but had no idea how to handle the situation. Like everyone else, he’d learned about the menstrual cycle in class but didn’t pay much attention.
“Is this the first time this happened?” She nodded. “Are you still bleeding?” Another nod. “Did you tell your Mr. Nez?”
She sat up in a panic. “I can’t tell him. He doesn’t know what to do.”
“Bunny, he’s your father.”
“So what!”
“You don’t know what to do either, and neither do I. You have to tell an adult.”
Her tears began to flow rapidly again, and she was almost inconsolable. Lynx didn’t know what to do, so he let her rest her head on his lap until she calmed down.
“I wish my mother was here,” she said after a few minutes. “She’d tell me everything I need to know and help me through this.”
If Lynx couldn’t relate to anything else, he could definitely relate to wishing his mother were still alive. Many nights, he cried himself to sleep because he missed his mother so much.
“I know, Bunny, and I’m sorry she’s not here to help you through this. What can I do? Do you need… supplies from the store?”
“My coach gave me some, but I don’t know how long they will last.”
“Do you know what you need?”
“I think so.”
“I can go to the store for you if you can tell me what you need.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but you have to promise to talk to your dad, Bunny. From what I remember, this happens every month. Can you find pictures of what you need?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then I got you.”
“Thank you, Lynx. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
If Lynx promised to do something, he always came through. Fateema was confident she could count on him for anything, and she was right. Lynx saved part of his lunch money every week and made sure she had everything she needed until she worked up the courage to tell her father… three months later.
“You don’t look so good, Lynx. You’re sweating up a storm,” Fateema said when she noticed him leaning against his locker.
It wasn’t a passing period, and she’d gotten a pass from her teacher to use the bathroom. The hallways were empty, so it was easy to spot Lynx.
“My side hurts. I don’t know what I did.”
He was holding his right side as he bent over with beads of sweat on his forehead.
“I’m going to get the nurse.”
“No, I’ll be fine!” he shouted.
“You can’t even stand up.”
“I’m fi—ahh.” He groaned as he pressed his back against the lockers and slid to the floor.
“I don’t care what you say. I’m getting the nurse.”
Fateema ran down the hallway and around the corner. Less than two minutes later, she returned with the nurse, who was pushing a wheelchair. Lynx was rolling on the floor, moaning in pain.
“Lynx, it’s Mrs. Turner, the nurse. Are you able to stand up and get in the wheelchair?”
It was hard and took a few minutes, but with Fateema’s help, Mrs. Turner was able to get Lynx into the wheelchair.
“Thank you, Fateema. You need to head back to class,” Mrs. Turner told her.
“No, I need to stay with him.”
“Honey, I can’t give you permission to miss class.”
“But—”
“I’ll be okay, Bunny. Go to class.”
Fateema begrudgingly listened to her best friend and returned to class, but she was worried about him for the rest of the day. As soon as the last bell rang, she pulled out her phone and called him but got no answer. She then called his father.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mr. Keno. Are you with Lynx?”
“Yes, Fateema. We’re in the ER, and they’re running some tests.”
“Oh my God! Is he okay?”
“He’s still in a lot of pain, but he’ll be okay.”
“What hospital? I can have my dad bring me.”
“That’s fine, sweetheart, but let me find out what’s wrong with him and if they want to keep him. We’re at Rush, and I’ll keep you posted.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The call ended, and Fateema’s nerves were even more shot. It’d been hours since she found Lynx bent over in the hallway, and no one could tell her why.
She was extremely distracted during track practice but managed to make it through. By the time practice was over, Mr. Keno hadn’t called her, which sent her mind into a fit of worry. As she went to his contact in her phone, his name popped up on her screen.
“Mr. Keno, how is Lynx?”
“He had to have his appendix removed, but he’s in recovery and doing okay.”
“Oh, thank God. Can I come and see him?”
“I’m sure that’s fine. He should be out of recovery by the time you arrive.”
She quickly ended the call before calling her father.
“I’m five minutes away, Bunny.”
“Can we go to the hospital to see Lynx?”
“Lynx is in the hospital? What happened? Is he okay?”
“He fell out in pain today at school. It was his appendix, and Mr. Keno said he had it removed.”
“Wow. Well, I’m glad he’s okay. We can go for a quick visit, but he probably needs his rest.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
Fateema’s father picked her up a few minutes later, and they headed to the hospital. Frasier could see the nervousness in her eyes.
“Tell me what happened,” he said.
She recounted the events from earlier that day when she found Lynx in the hallway. Her father listened intently and asked questions when appropriate.
“I’m glad you were able to help him. I know it’s scary, but he’ll be fine.”
It took them about thirty-five minutes to get to the hospital. When they arrived, Frasier called Keno to find out if Lynx had been moved to a room. Keno gave him the room number, and he took his worried daughter to see her best friend.
“Lynx!” Fateema shouted when she saw him as she rushed to his bedside.
“Hey, Bunny.”
“Do you feel better? You scared the mess outta me.”
“I feel better, and I’m sorry for scaring you. Hey, Mr. Nez.”
“Hey, Lynx. I’m glad you’re feeling better, son,” Frasier responded.
“How long do you have to stay here?” Fateema asked Lynx.
“I’m not sure.”
“The doctor said two days, and then he’ll have to take it easy for a few weeks,” Keno answered.
“What about school?” Fateema pressed.
“I’ll probably keep him home for about a week.”
“Dang, I’ll have to be there without you for a whole week? What am I gonna do?”
“You’ll be fine, Bunny. A week will fly by,” Lynx assured her. “Thank you for not listening to me and getting help.”
“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what best friends are for.”
Fateema and her father stayed for about twenty more minutes. She promised her friend she’d be back the following day and made good on her promise. When he was released, she visited him daily, bringing him homework and updating him on what was happening at school.
Seventh grade was a life-changing year for Fateema and Lynx. Every experience, good or bad, strengthened their bond.