Page 14 of The Cruelty of Thorns

“You could do worse than Ron Beechman,” Celine interrupted.

“I’m not really interested in him,” I insisted.

“Why not? He’s fine.”

“That he is,” Carly agreed. “Didn’t you go out with him last year?” she asked Kristin.

“Once.”

“What happened?”

I tuned the conversation out, intent on finishing my lunch and getting to class. While I was flattered that Ron had trusted me enough to show me his art, I didn’t read any further meaning into the gesture. I certainly didn’t see anything romantic coming out of it, though the fact that these girls even considered the possibility gave me a momentary boost in confidence. What would a guy like Ron want with someone like me? He could probably have his pick of any girl at the school.

I finished my sandwich and promised my roommate I’d catch up with her later before heading out of the cafeteria. I was taking a shortcut across the grass when I noticed a girl sitting alone on one of the benches. It wasn’t until I was almost on top of her that I realized it was Lisa, though I barely recognized her. She wore no make-up and looked pale and drawn, her hair hanging uncombed around her shoulders. I had just enough time to make it to class, and started to walk past, but something in the other girl’s eyes stopped me.

“Are you all right?’ I asked her.

Lisa looked up at me as though I was a stranger. She nodded and continued to stare straight ahead.

“Do you need me to call anyone?” I didn’t know who I would call, but I felt compelled to ask.

“No. I’m fine.”

“Okay.” I glanced at my watch; I didn’t want to be late for class. On the way I pulled out my phone and texted Kristin.

Myra: Lisa is sitting alone in the quad. Looks upset.

That was as much as I could do. Hopefully Kristin would be able to find out what was wrong with her. The demands of class pushed the encounter out of my mind until I got back to the dorm that afternoon and ran into Kristin, who was just leaving.

“Where are you off to?”

“The clinic.”

I looked her over. “Are you sick?”

“No, it’s Lisa. After you texted me I went outside to find her. She was practically passed out on the bench. When I couldn’t get her up I called campus security and they took her to the clinic.”

“Oh my god. Is she all right?”

“Not sure. The nurse said her blood pressure is dangerously low. They’re talking about transferring her to the hospital in town. I’m on my way back over there to see how she is.”

“I’ll come with you,” I said, dropping my books on my bed and following Kristin out the door. I felt bad now about not stopping to help the other girl, though I was glad I’d at least texted Kristin.

We made our way across campus to the Administration building where the small clinic was located. When we got there Celine was standing outside alongside Renee, the other girl from the bar Friday night.

“How is she?” Kristin asked.

“They called the doctor in,” Celine replied. “He’s examining her right now.” She looked up at me. “What was she doing when you found her?”

“She was just sitting there staring off into space. I asked her if she was all right and she said yes, but I didn’t like the way she looked. That’s why I texted Kristin.”

“It’s a good thing you did,” Renee said. “The nurse said she looks like she’s lost a lot of blood, but other than a bug bite on her neck she couldn’t find any wounds and Lisa didn’t remember getting hurt, though she’s kind of out of it. The nurse was concerned she may be bleeding internally, which is why she called the doctor.”

I recalled Lisa’s reaction in the library and how she had grabbed for her neck. “You say a bug bite?”

“That’s what it looked like,” Renee shrugged. “Nothing special. Certainly nothing to cause this.”

“There are some dangerous bugs,” I allowed. “Like some spiders that bite.”

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