Page 24 of My High School Rebel Boyfriend
Dane shrugged. “Maybe. She was feeling dizzy I think.”
Ha! So much for being an athlete! So much for trying to impress college scouts when she was struggling on a school hike. The girl was showing her true colors now—weak and frail. I mean, even Demi in inappropriate footwear hadn’t managed to faint.
We were kicking stones around the parking lot until Mrs. O’Neal arrived back and scolded us, her eyes narrowed in disappointment.
“How’s Harper?” Dane asked, “Is she okay?” My heart skipped a beat—why did he want to know? Was he her boyfriend? Were they friends? Had he ever trained her in plyometrics?
“She’s doing much better,” Mrs. O’Neal said softy, ushering us all onto the bus. “She’ll be fine.”
I didn’t go to the back, I sat midway and put my bag on the other seat so nobody could sit next to me. I wanted to be able to catch Harper’s eye, send her a subtle mocking glance that she’d failed on a moderate trail route.Shame!
Besides Harper and Demi there were only two other girls in this class, Alicia and Jade. They assisted Harper up the steps into the second row seat. Her head was covered by a cream-colored beanie, her striking copper hair streaming beneath it. The orange jacket had gone and she had on a dark hoodie. A glimpse of her face showed deep embarrassment as she slid in next to the window. Alicia sat beside her and Jade in the seat behind. I caught Demi’s eye and gestured her over.
“What happened?” I said in a hushed voice.
“Apparently she’s diabetic,” Demi whispered. “I think the walk was too much for her, or something.”
I felt my heart rate accelerate, and a wave of angst washed over me.Diabetic? Harper?I knew about diabetes from health class, it was a disease overweight people got because they ate too much junk food, or that’s what I recalled.So, how did that work?Harper didn’t have an ounce of fat on her.
A feeling of unease accompanied me for the return journey and I put my headphones on, blocking out the inane conversations around me. As the driver pulled up beside the school, Mr. Barron rose and told us to wait for a few minutes. Mrs. O’Neal, Alicia and Jade followed Harper out of the bus. She seemed to be walking fine though her head was down. A tall, slim woman dressed in jeans, white sneakers and a sleeveless puffer jacket embraced her, and then the teachers spent a few minutes speaking to her.
Mr. Barron got back onto the bus, saying, “Listen up guys.”
That’s when I saw Alicia hand Harper’s Mom a purple backpack, which she slung over one shoulder.
“Okay, guys,” Mr. Barron said. “I just want to thank you for getting on with things today, after that unfortunate incident. A lot of you probably don’t know that Harper is diabetic, so what happened is that her blood sugars went low which made her feel all faint and dizzy.”
“Why’d her blood sugars go low?” someone in the front asked.
“Sometimes it can be an excess of exercise or not eating enough,” Mr. Barron said, “and usually she’ll have glucose tablets or candy or something sweet to make it right. But she couldn’t remember eating anything, and apparently she hadn’t packed any snacks.”
My heart literally stopped. The bag of candy, the juice box I’d guzzled in five seconds, the purple backpack. I looked to the back, catching the eye of Reid and Aaron. They both looked away, but they knew as well as I did—it was Harper’s food we’d taken. Stolen. We’d caused her to feel ill, to almost faint.
As we got off the bus Mr. Barron reiterated to the four of us (somehow Demi had disappeared) that our essays were due on Friday, and we’d be excluded from the next trip if we didn’t hand it in. Each trip was credits that were vital to passing the course.
I went to change into sports gear for volleyball training, unable to shake off the continuing tenseness. I eavesdropped on the girls’ conversations:Harper wasn’t coming to training, she’d gotten sick on her Outdoor Education trip. She might not be able to make the tournament on Thursday.
Everyone was upset that she had taken ill. I felt sick to my stomach. I hooked up the net for Coach Barber and set up the cones and hurdles.
“Hey, Mitchell,” Maddie called me over. “You’re in Harper’s Outdoor Ed class, aren’t you? Did you see what happened?”
I shook my head.
“I can’t believe she didn’t have any snacks,” Bella said.
“I know,” Tanchia said. “I mean, she carts around a grocery store most days.”
“Yeah,” Maddie said pensively, “it’s weird she didn’t have any candy with her. Hey Mitchell?” I was forced to engage with them again. “Didn’t she take her backpack with her on the hike?”
“I dunno,” I mumbled, knowing it was an outright lie. “She was up in front. I didn’t see much of her.”
“I hope she’s well enough for Thursday,” Bellasaid.
“Poor Harper,” Ebony said, “We need her. The team needs her.” There was genuine concern in her voice.
“And she’s been working so hard for this,” Maddie said, “Gah, she’ll be devastated if she can’t play.”
I cleared my throat, my gut feeling uncomfortable. “What happens to her when she, you know-” I felt stupid not knowing the correct terminology.
