Seventeen
A/N: I wonder what's in the letters. Well I know but I'm not saying, not yet anyway.
Alana was sat on the playground. The letters had found their way into her hands even though she didn't want to read them. She hadn't opened them. Cassie was sitting one side of her, Tyler and Tee the other. Summer and Rick were also there but Oscar was moodily standing by the fence. They had decided not to talk to him as he wasn't in a very good mood.
"So your mum's died and you've received letters from your dad. From six years ago," Rick summed up once Alana had explained what the whole morning had been about. Alana nodded. "And she died from liver cirrhosis and lactic acid which we'd been learning about in the morning." Alana nodded again.
"maybe that's why he went funny. I've never seen him react like that," Alana said.
"how did he react again?" Tee asked.
"he just lost it. He laughed and was really quite harsh about it. I've never seen him like that. It scared me a little bit," Alana replied.
"Have you noticed though? he looks ill. especially this morning. He's got loads of bruises," Cassie said. Alana nodded.
"I have. I just hope he hasn't been giving them to himself," Alana muttered. Suddenly it clicked. "Both parents - dead. Little sister to look after. He's depressed. That's why he reacted like that. To hide it."
At that moment there was a loud crash from near the fence where Oscar was. Alana looked up. She saw his distraught face and stood up. "I'll be back in a minute," she said. She walked over to her brother. His face was ashen and his white shirt had specks of red on it. She glanced at his hand, it had a deep gash in it from the sharp bit of the fence. "You can't do this Oscar," she said as she held his hand above his head and walked him over to the teacher on duty. "You can't self-harm yourself again. It's not your fault she's dead." They had reached the teacher who took one look at Oscar's hand before letting Alana take him to the nurse.
Rick spotted the pair heading into the school. He excused himself from the others to see where they went. It was a good job he did.
Alana was half dragging her brother down the corridor by now. He wasn't helping her in any way as he wasn't making an effort. Suddenly her brother slipped off her shoulder. She felt his wrist dislocate from where she was holding it above their heads to reduce blood loss. "Oscar!" she shouted. He didn't respond. "Oscar! Help!"
Rick heard Alana shout. He sprinted round the corner to see Alana crouched over Oscar. "Rick, thank God. He collapsed. Get the nurse, please," Alana cried. Rick nodded and sprinted past her and to the nurse's office. He knocked on the door. The nurse opened it.
"Quick, It's Oscar. He's collapsed," Rick told her urgently. The pair headed back down the corridor, Rick leading the way. They found Alana tying her school tie around his hand to stop the blood getting to the cut. She had placed his dislocated wrist beside him. The nurse looked him over.
"Well done Alana, that knot's really good, could save him from blood loss. What happened?" she asked.
"he cut it on the school fence, I think on purpose. I held his hand above his head to stop the blood and was carrying him to the office when he started going limp and he collapsed off my shoulder but where I was holding his wrist as he jolted down, I think he may have dislocated it," Alana explained quickly.
"Ok, we're going to have to call an ambulance. Rick can you go to my office and phone them. Tell them it's urgent," the nurse replied. Rick went back down the corridor while Alana watched as the nurse fussed over her brother.