Sick Days

Near

"I can't believe summer's already over." Vic slumped into her desk. She didn't want the summer to be over, it felt like she was just starting to have fun. As more kids gathered in the classroom, Vic noticed something rather odd.

Near was missing.

Usually Near was the first person to arrive. Vic would always be second, arriving a few minutes later; it was always the same routine, day after day. But now class was just about to start and Near still hadn't showed up. It was not like Near to be late, especially on the first day of school.

"Where is he?"

Just as the teacher stood up to start class, the door swung open and in stumbled Near. He was paler than usual and had bags under his eyes. He was panting as if he had ran all the way there, but it wasn't that long a run, considering that they lived in the school.

"Near, please take a seat." The teacher motioned towards a seat next to Vic. Near quickly shuffled forward and sat down. Vic looked over at Near, a questioning look on her face.

Aside from the headmaster Roger, Vic was the closest person to Near. Her calm and quiet nature was similar to that of Nears' and they both rather enjoyed puzzle games. They rarely spoke to each other, but you could tell they were friends, or at least, on good terms. They knew each other well, and if Vic knew anything about Near, she knew that this was not like him. Not like him at all.

Half-way through class, Near fell asleep.

Vic stared at his sleeping figure in shock. This was not normal. Near never slept in class, always giving the teacher his undivided attention. Something was seriously wrong here. She checked to see if the teacher was looking, then quickly prodded Near with her pencil.

No response.

She tried again, this time using the sharp end.

Still nothing.

She poked again and again, each jab harder than the last.

He didn't even flinch. Near was out cold.

Near was still asleep when class was dismissed for lunch. Vic got up and gently shook him.

"Near." She whispered. "Wake up." Near mumbled something incomprehensible. She shook harder. "Wake up!"

"Huh?" He groggily opened his eyes and looked around, as if he couldn't remember where he was. It took him a while to even notice that Vic was there. "Vic? What happened?"

"You fell asleep." Near sat up with a jolt.

"What?" He quickly looked around in embarrassment to see if anyone else had noticed. Seeing that everyone was gone, he turned to Vic and asked:

"Where is everybody?"

"That's I why I woke you up. It's lunch-time." Near stood up with a groan.

"You mean to tell me I was asleep during the whole class period?" They walked out of the classroom together and down the hall. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I tried, but you wouldn't move. You were out like a rock." As they entered the mess hall, Vic looked at Near with concern. "Near…"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? First you were almost late for class and then you fell asleep. It's not like you." Near turned away, as if he didn't want her to look at him. Vic placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine Vic. Nothing's wrong." Before she could respond, Near shook her hand off and started to leave.

"Aren't you gonna eat?"

"I'm not hungry." And with that, he was gone.

For the rest of the week it was like that. Near would show up late for class, tired and out of breath, and then he would fall asleep. Vic would always have to wake him up when class was over and when ever she asked him if something was wrong, he would avoid the subject and leave. He didn't eat lunch, always saying that he wasn't hungry, and if he did, he wouldn't eat that much.

By the end of class on Friday, Vic was worried sick. Near hadn't even shown up today and she hadn't seen him at lunch. Something was definitely wrong here and she was going to find out what.

Just as she was about to leave the classroom she heard someone call her name.

"Vic." She turned around and saw their teacher for the day, (who just happened to be Roger) beckoning her over to his desk. She silently cursed in annoyance.

"I don't have time for this. I've got to find Near." Nevertheless, she walked over to his desk and sat down.

"What is it Rog-err, I mean, Professor?" When the school year had started, Roger had told the kids to start calling him Professor when discussing school matters. But Vic was having trouble with the change. It was hard to call somebody you had known for a long time something completely different.

"It's about Near." Vic's eyes widened at the mention of the boy's name. "I've been told that he has been late for class all week, and that for the past three days, he has been caught asleep in class." Vic nodded. "I'm starting to worry about him."

"So am I."

"Your friends with Near, correct?"

"Yeah. I guess you can say we're friends."

"I was wondering, do you think you could have a talk with Near? Something's clearly on his mind, and I was hoping you could find out what. I would do it myself but, seeing how you are closer to his age, I thought he might be more willing to talk to you."

"Yes sir. I was actually on my way to do that now."

"Oh. Well then, you are dismissed."

"Thank you sir." Vic quickly stood up and headed out the door.

To be continued…

What's wrong with Near? If you look at the title it's pretty easy to figure out.