Chapter 6: Diamond in the Rough
After Math Class was over, the Arabic boy who was zapped by Jeff stumbled into the nurse's office, where a young girl, also Arabic, wearing a blue headband with a big gem on it was sitting at a desk, typing various medical records into a computer. When she saw the boy, she immediately ran to him with her long black ponytail flying behind her. She managed to catch him before he collapsed onto the floor from the pain.
"Are you okay? What happened?" asked the girl as she tried to pull the boy towards the examination table. "Esmeralda!"
"Yes?" Esmeralda replied, popping out of a door to the left, which contained various medical supplies, including potions.
"I need some help over here!"
When Esmeralda noticed the boy, she quickly grabbed his legs, helping the young Arabic girl hoist him onto the examination table. His shirt was still unbuttoned, revealing a chest that was swollen red. The young Arabic girl flinched at the sight of it, while Esmeralda examined it carefully.
"It looks like he was zapped by a bolt of magic lightning. We'll have to wait until Mary gets back, but in the meantime, we'll try to ease the pain with ice-packs." Esmeralda wasted no time and quickly pulled out two plastic packs out of a small freezer and applied them to the boy's chest.
He flinched in response, but as the coolness spread throughout his body, he relaxed. The young Arabic girl unintentionally squeezed his hand, telling him softly that everything was going to be all right. This went on for a few minutes before Nurse Mary came in, wearing a white overcoat over a royal blue dress. As Esmeralda and the young Arabic girl explained what happened, Mary looked at the boy's chest, and then she immediately closed the curtains that separated the examination table from the front parlor, and told the two girls to wait outside without peeking.
"What is she doing?" the young Arabic girl asked.
Esmeralda glanced behind her, and then she whispered, "She's using magic to heal him, but she doesn't want anyone to see her using it."
"But I've heard that magic is openly used at this school."
"I know, but she says it's for a good reason."
After the 4th period bell rang, Nurse Mary pulled back the curtains and said, "He's fine now, but he does need to rest. I'll let his teachers know so that he's excused from class. If one of you could watch him until he's well enough to walk, that would be great."
Then just as quickly as she had come in before, Nurse Mary left as soon as she wrote an excused absence on a piece of paper on the desk with the computer. Esmeralda took the young Arabic girl's place at the desk, while the young Arabic girl went to check on the boy, who was sleeping soundlessly, and closed the curtains behind her. She was about to button up his dress-shirt when something wriggled from a small pocket inside. The young Arabic girl backed away as the thing emerged out of the pocket and onto the boy's chest, revealing it to be a small tan-colored monkey with big eyes and a curled tail. When it saw her, the monkey got into a defensive position, letting out a series of shrieks that woke the boy up.
"Abu!" the boy shouted, grabbing the monkey by its torso. "I told you to stay in the pocket, you little goofball!"
As the boy put Abu back into the pocket, he then noticed the young Arabic girl while Esmeralda abruptly opened the curtains.
"What's going on? I thought I heard some shrieking noises." Then Esmeralda noticed the boy. "Was that you?"
"Uh, yeah," the boy lied. "I woke up and freaked out when I saw that pretty face over there."
"Her name's Jasmine, and-
"I prefer to be called Jas," the young Arabic girl replied in an irritated tone.
"Jas," Esmeralda corrected. "And she just started volunteering as an assistant nurse today."
"Oh," the boy said. Then he started to get off the examination table.
"Where are you going?" asked Esmeralda, blocking his path to the door.
"Where do you think? My next class," the boy replied.
"But we didn't say you could go," Jas interceded, standing next to Esmeralda. "How do you feel?"
"He feels fine."
Esmeralda and Jas looked behind them and saw a skinny girl with long wavy brunette hair tied up by a purple ribbon, followed by a blue-skinned boy with a long chin and blue flames sprouting from his head. Neither of them had the standard school uniforms on, and instead wore blue jeans and leather jackets. The boy seemed to recognize them as he smiled back at the girl.
"Meg, how did you know where I was?" the boy asked, jumping off the examination table.
"Pain and Panic saw you stumble into the nurse's office, so they reported it back to Hades," Meg responded, nodding to the boy with the blue flaming head behind her.
"So what's the deal, Al? Got a case of the flu or something?" asked Hades, grinning meanly.
"I got zapped by a teacher, man, and it was not cool!" the boy, Al, said, brushing past Esmeralda and Jas.
"Then where's the proof? Every magic spell directed at a person leaves some kind of physical mark," Hades said skeptically.
Al looked down at his chest, and sighed, "Well, I did have burn marks earlier, but it looks like the nurse got rid of them somehow."
"Then she must've used magic to heal you, as that is the only way to get rid of marks left by magical attacks, but since none of us have seen Nurse Mary use magic, including Pain and Panic, I think you're lying."
"I'm not lying, Hades! These girls can verify my story!"
Hades' smirk didn't fade as he looked at Esmeralda and Jas. "Were either of you ladies in the classroom where Al got zapped by this alleged teacher?"
Both girls shook their heads.
"See what I mean? You're a liar, Al, but that's what I like about you."
Then Hades put one long arm around Al's shoulders, and walked away with him, while Meg followed. Jas was immediately going to go after them, when Esmeralda stopped her. They both stared after the three as they walked down the hallway in front of them, until the door closed.
"What was with those two, barging in and taking our patient away like that?" Jas said angrily.
Esmeralda sighed and explained, "They're part of a street gang called Pandemonium whose territory includes our school, and they've been notoriously known for stealing things from local businesses or beating up anybody who crosses them the wrong way. Most of them used to be Disney Academy students, until they were expelled by the principal due to disruptive behavior and not taking their studies seriously, but they still come here like they own the place."
"And that boy is a part of that gang?"
"I suspect so. That's probably why they came and took him away, though I am surprised someone like Al would join them."
"Why?"
Esmeralda paused, and blushed slightly as she answered. "Well, to put it simply, Al is likeā¦a diamond in the rough."
"I see." Jas sighed, and then she grabbed her school bag and left for 5th period.
End of Chapter 6
