Truth by Tanya Kyi

Author:Tanya Kyi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV000000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2003-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Georgia seems to have forgiven me for not explaining my breakup. She was a bit distant at lunch yesterday, but today she’s back to normal. I guess she’s decided that I’ll tell her eventually.

We’re talking in the hallway when Scott finds us. He nods at Georgia, then leans in close to me. “I have a new story angle. Can you meet me at lunch? Maybe 12:30 in the media lab?”

I nod, and the bell rings for homeroom.

As the grade nine student-of-the-week reads the announcements over the P.A., Mr. Arthur hands a note to Georgia and one to me. It seems we both have appointments with the school counselor tomorrow. I roll my eyes while Georgia pretends she’s going to puke.

I’m in the lab at 12:30 on the dot, waiting for Scott. I’m still there at 12:40, 12:50 and 1:00, when the bell rings. I don’t see him in the halls all afternoon, but that’s not unusual. I assume he forgot about our meeting. I do see Ian between classes, sporting a puffy black eye, but I don’t have time to ask him about it.

My dad is waiting in the parking lot after school again.

“Is this a new trend?” I joke.

“Scott Rich is in the hospital.”

“What?” I throw my bag in the backseat and jump in. “What are you talking about? I saw him this morning!”

“Well he obviously met with trouble since then. He was assaulted. I was doing rounds at the hospital and happened to hear. Thought you might want to go up.”

Dad parks near the entrance. As soon as we push through the double doors, that hospital smell of disinfectant and pee and paint hits me. I hate hospitals. The only time I ever stayed in one was to have my tonsils out in grade nine. I haven’t been able to eat Jell-O since. The girl in the bed next to me kept throwing up. They closed the curtains around her, but I could still hear her. Ugh.

Dad checks with the nurse before we go in. She says Scott will be fine. He’s got a broken wrist and a concussion, but nothing that won’t heal.

“Don’t stay long,” she warns. “He needs his rest.”

Dad walks me to the door of Scott’s room, then wanders off to wait in the lounge.

As soon as I step in, I want to turn around and leave. Both of Scott’s eyes are black. One eyebrow’s sliced open and his bottom lip is swollen. His arm’s in a cast.

“Hey,” he says. It comes out like the voice of a bad ventriloquist, through lips that barely move.

“I just heard, and I came right up. How bad does it hurt?”

“I’m pretty doped up.”

I perch on the edge of the bed so he doesn’t have to talk loudly. “If you wanted bigger lips, you could have tried a collagen injection.”

He starts to smile, but he winces.

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing. Disgruntled ex-boyfriend of a girl I’m seeing.”

“A girl you’re seeing? I thought you were madly in love with me.” I’m only teasing, but Scott is pretty hot in an intellectual sort of way.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.