Chapter 10:
Alex, walking toward the backstage area to check on the group, noticed Millie falling. His eyes widened in panic. He rushed forward and caught her just before she hit the ground.
"Millie!" he exclaimed, his voice tight with concern. He gently lifted her into his arms, heart pounding as he carried her quickly to the nurse's office.
Inside the nurse's room, he carefully laid her down on the bed, his face etched with worry. The nurse wasn't there yet, so he went into action himself. He quickly fetched water and some of her favourite fruit from the cafeteria, remembering how she had once mentioned it in passing. He even grabbed a slice of cake for her, hoping it might help her regain some strength.
As he prepared everything, his mind raced. What if something worse had happened?
He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and dialling Rachel. It rang twice before she picked up.
"Hello?" Rachel's voice sounded frantic, likely still at the festival.
"Rachel, it's Alex. Millie fainted. I'm at the nurse's office right now with her. You need to get here quickly." His voice was tight with urgency.
"What?!" Rachel's voice cracked in panic. "Coming right now," Rachel said without hesitation.
Alex set the phone down and sat beside Millie, watching her intently, his brow furrowed with concern. How could he have let this happen? He thought, guilt gnawing at him.
Right before Rachel reached the nursing room,
Alex sat quietly by Millie's bed. The weight of everything that had happened lingered in the air, and his thoughts raced. I should have done better.
He whispered to himself, almost too quietly to hear. "What am I even doing? Why am I so focused on you?"
He paused, touching her hair with a gentle touch. Why you? He shook his head, unsure of the emotions swirling inside him.
The words hung in the air as Millie stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Alex quickly wiped the conflicted expression off his face, removing his hand from her, masking it with his usual calm. "You're okay now," he said, trying to sound nonchalant.
But deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was starting to care more than he ever intended.
A few minutes later, Rachel burst into the nurse's office, her face pale with worry. She rushed to Millie's side, kneeling down beside her. "Millie?" she called softly, her voice trembling. Millie stirred slightly but didn't wake up completely.
"Oh my god, I was so scared," Rachel whispered to herself. She gently brushed Millie's hair away from her face, her hands shaking. "Don't do that again, Millie. If you don't eat, you have to let me know. I'll help you, I promise."
Millie's eyes fluttered open slowly, her vision blurry at first. "What… happened?" she mumbled, her voice hoarse.
"You fainted," Rachel replied, her voice shaking with worry. "We were all so scared. You didn't eat, and you didn't take your medicine. You need to take it now, okay?"
Millie nodded, her eyes closing for a moment as she tried to gather her strength. "I'm fine, really," she said softly, still feeling a bit lightheaded. She reached for the water Alex had brought her and took a small sip. Then, with Rachel's help, she took her medicine, the small, familiar actions grounding her as her heart rate slowly returned to normal.
Once she'd taken a few more sips of water and felt a little better, Rachel helped her sit up, her expression soft but serious. "Millie, I'm so sorry. I should have pay more attention to you. Do you want me to call Dad?"
"I don't want to worry him, I'm okay, promise," Millie whispered, her heart aching. "I didn't mean to worry you."
Rachel gave her a small, affectionate smile, though her eyes were still filled with concern. "Just… Please take care of yourself. You're all I've got."
Millie gave her a tired smile. "I will, I promise."
Liz texted Rachel, letting her know that she had to leave because her mom had picked her up early. Millie nodded, understanding. "It's okay, i will call her after," she assured her.
Rachel helped Millie get up and slowly walk out of the nurse's office. They made their way back to the exit of the school, where the festival was finally wrapping up. Millie felt like she'd missed the best part of the day, but she was too exhausted to care.
As they left, Alex watched them from a distance, leaning against the doorway to the nurse's office. He was still a little shaken by everything that had happened, but at least Millie was okay now.
Millie looked up at Rachel, her eyes a little clearer now. "Thank you, Rachel… I didn't mean to make you worry so much."
"You don't have to apologize," Rachel replied, her voice soft but firm. "I'm just glad you're okay. I will focus more on you from now on."
As Millie stepped through the front door, her father looked up from the kitchen, relief flashing across his face—followed almost instantly by concern. She hadn't said a word since entering, her movements slower than usual, her eyes distant.
He watched her for a moment longer, then quietly set down the cup in his hand.
"Millie," he said gently, "get your things. We're going to the hospital."
He didn't need to ask. He could feel it—something was wrong.
They went straight to the hospital for her routine check-up, a little earlier than scheduled.
This time, Millie only stayed two days. But even in those short hours, she tried to reach out to Liz—calls, texts—nothing. No reply. Her worry gnawed at her.
Rachel, however, was even more restless. Guilt weighed heavy on her chest. She had been too caught up in the school play and spending time with Ted to notice something truly important—Millie's health. Regret took over, and she started to pull away from Ted, throwing herself into her studies and being there for Millie.
Now back at school, Rachel hovered over her like a mother hen.
"Are you ready? Did you take your medicine?" Rachel asked as they stood near the school entrance.
"Yes, Rachel. That's the third time you've asked," Millie replied with a teasing smile.
"What about your lunch?"
Millie lifted her bag. "Everything is here. See? I'm fine. We can go now."
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I'll come right away."
"Yeah, yeah. Now go to your classroom already," Millie said with a laugh.
"Right. See you at lunch."
"Nope," Millie added cheekily. "Having lunch with Liz today. Bye!"
Rachel left, and Millie took a deep breath before entering her classroom. Her heart pounded—not because of her health, but because of one person.
Alex.
Ever since the incident in the nursing room, where she overheard him talking, she felt strange. Shy. Flustered. Her feelings were tangled and confusing.
She stepped inside the classroom and immediately spotted him sitting by the window, earphones in, staring outside as always. Her heart skipped. She couldn't stop remembering his voice… the way he spoke to her that day.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice him approaching until he was right in front of her, waving a hand.
"Hey! Hey! Move," Alex said.
Millie jolted from her thoughts. "Oh! Sorry…"
She quickly took her seat beside him. As she peeked at him from the corner of her eye, he turned to look at her. Their eyes met for a split second. She turned crimson.
"Hey, are you okay?" Alex asked, eyebrows knitting. "Last time I saw you, you were on the floor." He leaned in closer, inspecting her face. "Why are you red? Are you sick again? Let me check—"
He reached out a hand toward her forehead, and Millie panicked. Her heart was thumping too fast, too loud.
"I need to use the bathroom!" she blurted, standing so quickly her chair scraped back. Then she bolted out of the room.
Liz, watching from her seat, blinked in confusion.
In the bathroom, Millie splashed cold water on her face, gripping the sink and staring at her reflection.
"What am I even doing…?" she muttered to herself. "So, are you already over Ted? One small act of kindness and you're completely flustered? Stop it."
When she returned to the classroom, she sat quietly, eyes on her desk.
The teacher soon entered, placing a folder on the podium. "Good morning, students. Today, we have a new classmate from the countryside. Come on in and introduce yourself."
A girl stepped inside. She was striking—tall, graceful, with deep blue hair that fell past her waist and vibrant blue eyes that sparkled like gemstones.
"My name is Pamela Shepherd. You can call me Pam," she said with a dazzling smile. "I love to sing, and I'm a big fan of flowers. I hope we'll all become great friends."
"Wonderful, Pamela," the teacher said. "You may take a seat."
s Pamela passed through the rows of desks, every eye followed her. Then she paused—right in front of Alex.
"Hi, my lovely Al," she said sweetly, winking. "I hope you missed me."
Gasps and murmurs echoed through the room.
Alex's face turned bright red. His eyes widened in pure horror.
"No… not her," he muttered under his breath, staring ahead like he'd seen a ghost. "I'm done."