The next day ca and they finally discharged . I was still limping pretty bad, but at least I could walk now without feeling like my ribs were gonna puncture my lungs or sothing.
I packed up my stuff, which wasn’t much - just my phone charger and the clothes I had been wearing when I got hit. Oh, and Nina’s lunch container. I couldn’t just keep it, right? That would be weird.
’Man, I’m happy to get out of here,’ I thought as I limped toward the exit. ’I really need to take a shit and nothing beats your own toilet.’
The hospital bathroom situation had been... challenging. Let’s just leave it at that.
I put on so ani music on my phone and called a taxi. The driver kept looking at in the rearview mirror like I was gonna die in his backseat or sothing, but whatever. I just wanted to get ho.
When I finally got to my apartnt, I unlocked the door and walked inside. That sweet ho sll hit imdiately - you know, that specific scent every place has that you don’t notice until you’ve been gone for a while.
’God, it’s good to be back,’ I thought, dropping my bag by the door.
I went straight to the bathroom first, obviously. Priorities.
Then I limped over to the couch and just sat there for a minute, looking around my place. It felt weird being back. Like everything was exactly the sa but sohow different.
Maybe it was just that was different.
I looked at Nina’s lunch container sitting on my kitchen counter where I had left it. ’Well, I guess I could make sothing for her in return.’
I an, she had made food twice now. That seed like the kind of thing you were supposed to reciprocate, right? Even if I could barely cook toast without burning it.
’What the hell am I gonna make though?’ I wondered. ’Instant ran? A sandwich?’
This was gonna be a problem.
---
The next morning I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a car. Which, you know, I had been. But I was determined to get back to school. Sitting around my apartnt wasn’t going help heal any faster.
I grabbed my crutches and headed out. The walk to school usually took about 30 minutes. With crutches and broken ribs, it took over an hour.
’This is gonna suck for weeks,’ I thought, trying not to breathe too hard as I slowly made my way down the sidewalk.
By the ti I got to school, I was sweating and my ribs were killing . But hey, at least I made it.
Walking through the halls was... interesting. Everyone was staring at . Not like an stares or anything, just regular curiosity. People love to stare at anything that’s different from the norm, and a guy on crutches definitely qualified.
’Yeah, yeah, look at the crippled kid,’ I thought. ’Real entertaining.’
I finally made it to my classroom and imdiately scanned for Nina. She was sitting at her desk doing her nails, totally focused on painting them so light pink color.
’Okay,’ I told myself. ’Just play it cool. Keep your distance. Don’t make things weird.’
I sat down at my desk and tried to act like everything was normal. Just another day at school, nothing to see here.
Then that stupid blue window popped up again.
[New Mission Available]
’Oh, co on,’ I thought. ’Not now.’
[Objective: Have a conversation with Nina Shoka]
[Reward: 2,000 NAD]
[Ti Limit: End of school day]
[Penalty for Failure: Uncontrollable vomiting for 72 hours]
[Accept Mission? Yes/No]
I stared at the penalty. Seventy-two hours of puking? That was way worse than the mild stomach discomfort from last ti.
’Hell no,’ I thought, and imdiately declined the mission.
[Mission Declined]
[Applying Penalty...]
’Wait, what? I thought the penalty was only if I failed, not if I—’
And then it hit . My stomach cramped up like soone had punched in the gut, and I felt this wave of nausea roll over .
’Fuck,’ I thought, right before I threw up all over my desk.
The entire classroom went silent. Everyone turned to stare at as I sat there with vomit dripping off my textbook.
"Kofi!" Nina jumped up from her seat and rushed over. "Are you okay? Should I get the school nurse?"
I tried to answer her but another wave of nausea hit and I puked again, this ti on the floor.
’This is not how I wanted my first day back to go,’ I thought miserably.
There I was, sitting at my desk with puke all over it, feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet. People were staring at , so looking grossed out, others holding up their phones to record the whole damn thing.
’Great,’ I thought. ’I’m gonna be the "vomit kid" on TokTok by lunch.’
Nina was the only one who didn’t just stand there gawking. She rushed over, looking all worried, trying to help out. ’Dammit, I should’ve accepted that damn mission,’ I thought, cursing myself for thinking I could just skip out on the system’s stupid quest.
Right then, the blue window popped up again, like it was mocking .
[New Mission Available]
[Objective: Have a conversation with Nina Shoka]
[Reward: 2,000 NAD]
[Ti Limit: End of school day]
[Penalty for Failure: Uncontrollable vomiting for 72 hours]
[Accept Mission? Yes/No]
I wasn’t about to make that mistake twice. I ntally smashed the "Yes" button, and just like that, the nausea stopped. My stomach still felt like garbage, but at least I wasn’t gonna hurl again.
’Thank god,’ I thought, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I was so embarrassed I wanted to crawl under the desk and disappear. I braced myself for the laughter, figuring everyone was about to roast for the rest of the year.
But it didn’t happen. Instead of laughing, people were looking at with these pitying expressions. I overheard a couple of kids whispering about the accident, saying stuff like, "Maybe he’s not healed yet," or "Poor guy got hit by a car."
It still sucked, don’t get wrong, but at least they weren’t being total assholes about it. Guess hearing I almost died made them feel bad for or sothing.
Nina grabbed my arm, helping stand up. "Co on, Kofi," she said. "Let’s get you to the nurse."
I didn’t argue. I just limped along with her, trying not to look at anyone as we left the classroom. My face was burning, and not just from the vomit situation. Having Nina see like this was the worst part.
’Why does she have to be so nice?’ I thought. ’Makes it harder to pretend I don’t care.’
She got to the nurse’s office and stayed until the nurse checked out. I kept telling her I was fine, but she wasn’t having it. She just sat there, watching like I might pass out any second. It was kind of sweet, but also made feel like a total loser.
"You didn’t have to do this," I said, once the nurse left to grab so paperwork.
Nina shrugged. "It’s my fault you’re even in this ss," she said, her voice quiet. "I wasn’t gonna let you sit there covered in puke."
"It’s not your fault," I said for what felt like the hundredth ti. "I chose to push you out of the way."
She didn’t say anything, just looked at with those big, worried eyes. I wanted to say sothing else, maybe sothing funny to lighten the mood, but my brain was coming up blank. The system window was still there in the corner of my vision, reminding I had a mission to complete. A conversation. That’s all I had to do.
Didn’t seem so hard, right?
---
Nina’s POV
I got back to class after making sure Kofi was okay with the nurse. I was still kind of shaken up—seeing him puke like that was not on my bingo card for today. I sat down at my desk, trying to focus on my notes, when Ronnie, the so-called popular guy in class, strolled over like he owned the place.
"What was that about?" he asked, leaning against my desk with this annoying smirk.
I looked up, confused. "What?"
"You jumped up to help that guy so fast," he said, like it was so big mystery. "What’s the deal?"
I just stared at him. Was he serious? "Uh, because he was throwing up all over himself?" I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What was I supposed to do, just sit there?"
He shrugged, still smirking. "I dunno, just seed like you were real quick to play hero for him."
I frowned. What was he getting at? "It’s my fault he got hit by that car," I said, keeping my voice casual even though I was starting to get annoyed. "I owe him, okay?"
He laughed, like I’d said sothing funny. "Whatever, didn’t know you liked losers."
That pissed off. I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my cool, but inside I was fuming. ’Who the hell does this guy think he is?’ I thought. I didn’t owe him an explanation.
He walked off, still chuckling to himself, and I let out a sigh. Three months at this school, and I was already so over it. The guys here were so weird. I’d dated three of them since I started here—not because I was super into them, but because my friends kept pushing to "give them a chance." And every single ti, it was the sa crap.
They’d act all sweet for like a week, then try to kiss or get all handsy, like that was the whole point of dating. No wonder I was done with it.
Tyler wasn’t the worst, I guess, but he wasn’t exactly a prize either. I only said that anniversary thing to Kofi because I panicked. I didn’t want him thinking I was so flake who couldn’t show up when I said I would.
’Why is this so hard?’ I thought, slumping in my seat. ’I just want to do sothing nice for the guy who saved my life.’
Reviews
All reviews (0)