I didn't have any past reference for how a date should go, but in general, my date with Regina was going well. Following Bob's advice, I listened to everything Regina had to say, mostly gossip. In a way, it reminded me of my last conversation with Teddy, listening to her talk about people at school and the things she knew about them, occasionally giving my opinion on some of her questions.

Even though I didn't want to be disrespectful, my attention during the date drifted to the barista behind the counter more times than I would have liked. Something wasn't right, and her condition worsened as time passed. I could notice it more easily—excessive sweating on her forehead, lack of balance, and now difficulty keeping her eyes open with irritation from the light.

Trying to ignore the nagging interest in the barista's condition, I intentionally focused all my attention on Regina.

"Then I told Gretchen that Martha Krabappel was to blame," she said after taking a sip from her glass of water with ice.

Adjusting myself in my seat to relax my posture, I picked up my coffee from the table to drink while listening to Regina.

And so the date continued. Now I knew many things that had happened in school, from who was dating whom to theories about the teachers and their romantic lives. I even found out that Alan and Gretchen had a relationship but had ended it amicably after Alan didn't have much time for Gretchen after school.

"So, what do you think, PJ?" Regina asked after finishing talking about a problem with the cheerleading captain, biting the straw of her glass.

I was prepared to give my opinion on the issue and how I would solve the problem, but a scream behind Regina interrupted my train of thought. Following the scream, the people in the cafeteria collectively fell silent, some getting up from their seats and others simply contorting their bodies, searching the place.

Regina was also interested and obstructed my field of vision, so I chose to slowly get up from my seat to look for the source of the scream.

From the front of the counter, a girl in her twenties was standing on her toes, taking small jumps, looking behind the counter with concern. I couldn't see Sarah the barista anywhere, imagining the worst, I quickly approached.

"She suddenly collapsed," the older girl was explaining to the people who had gathered around her, suddenly becoming the center of attention for many questions that she was trying to answer, completely nervous.

Pushing people that stood in my way, I stretched my neck to also look behind the counter. The barista was on the floor, still sweaty and struggling to keep her eyes open, seemingly in pain, particularly tilting her head to her right side.

As I watched the barista from the other side of the counter, a guy, also in his twenties, had entered behind the counter, and before anyone could say anything, he started applying compressions to her chest.

The compressions were poorly done, with an erratic frequency and more force than necessary.

Surprised by the guy's actions, I reacted a few seconds late. "You're doing it wrong," I said, annoyed, as I jumped over the counter, pushing a few people who were obstructing my legs.

Pushing the guy, I checked the barista's pulse. "Compressions aren't needed," I said before quickly turning to reach the landline phone on the counter to call for emergency services.

"Sarah, can you hear me?" I asked, pushing the phone into the hands of the incredulous guy in front of me. When I had my hands free, I opened one of Sarah's eyelids, an action that I could only perform for a fraction of a second before Sarah quickly moved her face, avoiding my hand.

Clearly irritated by the light. I continued, snapping my fingers near her right ear, which was closer to me. Moving my hand, keeping the action until her left ear, I finally got a reaction from the pained barista.

Checking behind her hair for any lacerations or signs of recent trauma, I continued trying to talk to the barista, now focusing on her left profile. "Sarah, can you hear me? Try nodding your head," I instructed, taking her hand to calm her down a bit and with the other hand gesturing to the people to be silent.

Erratically, Sarah nodded, still maintaining her expression of pain and tightly closed eyes.

"Do you have pain in your right ear?" I asked calmly, receiving more nods. "It's okay, calm down, you'll be fine," I told the girl, pressing her hand.

Quietly asking the guy who was on the phone a few seconds ago with my gaze, I received several nervous nods, equally silent.

A few minutes later, we heard the ambulance siren arriving. "They're here, Sarah, you're going to be okay," I reassured the still uncomfortable barista.

"Move, excuse me," I heard from the entrance of the café as people made way for the paramedics carrying a stretcher.

"What do we have here?" the paramedic quickly asked as he leaned in to check Sarah.

"The patient, Sarah, is conscious but disoriented, seems to be experiencing symptoms of labyrinthitis. Pulse is regular, and there are no signs of recent trauma. She had dizziness, nausea, difficulty maintaining balance, light and sound irritation, hearing loss in the right ear, and extreme pain. She seems stable, but a more detailed evaluation at the hospital is necessary," I quickly stated out of habit, stepping back a bit to allow the paramedic to do his job.

Once again, I spoke without thinking, the sudden silence around reminded me of my position and the age that I now have. The paramedic was surprised for a few brief seconds, quickly snapping out of his trance, definitely a professional.

Like I did a few minutes ago, the paramedic began conducting swift examinations, checking for possible traumas and eventually snapping his fingers near Sarah's ears.

"Alright, thanks, buddy, that's very helpful, we'll take it from here," he said with a friendly smile, nodding to his partner to prepare the stretcher.

"Oh, I almost forgot, it might also be necessary to check the fifth or sixth," I quickly added, pointing at Sarah's torso, recalling the daring boy's action who had at some point emerged from behind the counter with the girl who had screamed, evading my and the paramedic's gaze, who seemed to have understood the situation as he chuckled, shaking his head.

Once again, making their way through the people in the cafeteria, the paramedics lifted Sarah onto the stretcher. "If the attending ER doctor ignores the possible labyrinthitis, you can ask them to call Dr. Chase or Cameron and tell them that PJ Duncan made the diagnosis," I said after confirming with the paramedic at the hospital where they would take her.

The paramedic seemed surprised again for a very brief moment, nodding gravely, he got into the ambulance with his partner.

The paramedics quickly departed for the hospital, leaving the people in the cafeteria in an excited state due to everything that had happened. A small portion remained standing where they were when the paramedic had made them step aside, fascinated by the not-so-common situation, while many others, especially the elderly, sought a place to sit down again to calm their excited hearts.

Before I could return to the cafeteria to find Regina, she found me first, coming out surprised and pushing people out of her way.

"That was amazing," she said when she got close enough to me, "you were like a completely calm doctor, so cool," she continued, bouncing a little on her feet.

"That's true, dude," said a voice behind Regina, "that was awesome," continued the now recognized boy who had been the one performing the compressions, hugging the girl who had alerted the whole cafeteria.

"I'm Brandon, by the way," the boy, now known as Brandon, said, offering his hand for a shake.

"PJ," I replied, also shaking his hand in greeting.

"I'm Mindy, and you were really cool there," said the girl with a kind smile.

"Thank you," I said a little embarrassed by receiving so many compliments. Regina, surely noticing my embarrassment, hugged my arm tightly, smiling at the couple in front of us.

"I see we interrupted your date," Mindy said with a strange smile. "We were also in the middle of something," Brandon said suddenly, embracing his girlfriend, "nice meeting you, PJ, see you later," Brandon continued, suddenly coughing loudly.

Mindy shook her head amusedly at her boyfriend, repeatedly patting his back as she pulled him away. "See you later," she also said goodbye along with her boyfriend.

"Hmm, how rude, they didn't ask for my name," Regina said indignantly.

Watching Brandon hug Mindy by the waist as they walked away from the cafeteria, it occurred to me to do the same, embarrassed by the action, I quickly freed my arm from Regina's grasp that had loosened due to her indignation.

About to take her by the waist, I thought better of it and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want some ice cream?" I asked Regina as I quickly guided her to the opposite side of the street, trying to hide my embarrassment, taking advantage of her surprise at my obviously unexpected move.

"Ice cream?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Yes, you only had water in the cafeteria," I said as if the idea of having ice cream was obvious now.

"Do you know how many calories are in ice cream?" Regina asked with a hint of offense.

"Many?" I asked sarcastically to the overly concerned teenager.

"Yes, I'm on a diet, and that amount of calories doesn't fit into my diet," Regina quickly said, shaking her head.

Unable to help myself, I chuckled at her unfounded concern, "Alright, then no ice cream," I said defeated as I approached a public bench.

Sitting down on the bench, we fell silent for a few seconds until Regina began talking about one of her cheerleader classmates.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Regina," I interrupted the teenager, "we've been talking about a lot of people from school, how about we talk about something else now," I said, somewhat hopeful to change the topic.

"Something else?" Regina asked incredulously, as if the mere idea of talking about anything other than school gossip was a barbarity. "Like what?" she asked again, intrigued.

"I don't know, how about you? Your family, your hobbies, your dreams," I said, thinking of all the things I didn't know about the girl.

Regina seemed taken aback by the topics for a moment until with a pout and a shrug, she lifted her head as if thinking that way would make it easier. "Well, let's see," she said with a small smile, biting her lower lip.

"There's mom and dad, also Kylie," she said, raising her fingers, "my little sister," she added when she discerned the doubt on my face, "my mom has a dog," she said with much more effort than it had taken her to talk about other people.

"You met my mother," I joked, recalling the embarrassing moment. "But there's also dad, and I have two younger siblings, Gabe and Teddy," I continued, smiling happily at my large family, "oh, and I'm going to have another brother or sister, mom is pregnant," I continued, also remembering my upcoming family member.

Regina seemed enthralled by the conversation, so I decided to continue.

"As you could see in the cafeteria, my goal is to become a doctor, I've been studying hard for it," I said, recalling one of the topics I had asked her about. "How about you?" I asked the teenager.

After my last question, Regina seemed taken aback, possibly it was my mistake. I didn't know if teenagers at this age were already thinking about what they wanted to do in their future. Blinded by my own experiences, I asked without thinking.

"I don't know, I've never thought about it," she said, tilting her head meditatively. "Dad has a lot of connections, so maybe modeling for major fashion magazines, or perhaps being an actress," she continued after pondering for a moment, with a slight smile and a proud tilt of her torso.

"I definitely think you'd be a great model or actress," I said, trying to be as kind as possible.

"Do you really think so?" she asked strangely hopeful.

"You're obviously beautiful, so any magazine would be foolish not to want you for their covers, and I'd definitely watch any movie where you're the lead," I said, and it wasn't a lie. I didn't know many beautiful women, but Regina was undoubtedly one.

Regina smiled weakly again, biting her lower lip.

Talking about magazines and actresses made Regina start talking again about topics I had no clue about. Having had that significant chat, I succumbed to her chosen topic, listening to her talk about a certain clothing and handbag brand.

A few moments later, an expensive-looking car stopped a few steps away from where we were sitting.

"They've come for me," Regina said with a forced smile as she stood up.

Getting up behind her, "Let me walk you over," I said, walking by her side.

As we were a few steps away from the car, the passenger door opened, revealing a petite, oddly youthful-looking blonde woman who seemed to want to get closer.

Before I could greet the woman, Regina stepped in, "Mom, don't get out of the car," she said, raising her voice a bit, which I could discern as embarrassment.

"Alright, honey," the woman quickly said as she got back into the car.

Letting out a weak laugh, I accompanied Regina to the back door of the car, opening it for her. "Well, see you on Monday," I said to the teenager who had not yet gotten into the car.

"Thanks for today, PJ. I had a lot of fun," Regina said, reluctant to get into the car.

The passenger window began to roll down, and before I could crouch to greet Regina's mother and probably her father, Regina tugged at the end of my shirt and quickly kissed me, once again catching me off guard. I couldn't react until a few seconds later when Regina abruptly pulled away and quickly got into the car.

Still a bit stunned, I stood in place for a few seconds, "Aww, how sweet," I heard Regina's mother from the open window.

Remembering where I was, I leaned down to the passenger window with a slightly awkward smile, "Nice to meet you, I'm PJ Duncan," I greeted the woman who returned the greeting with a big smile. "Hello, PJ, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," the woman said, extending her hand out of the window in a strange position as if expecting me to kiss the back of her hand.

Awkwardly shaking her hand, I smiled at the woman.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. George," I said to the man sitting in the passenger seat, who had a stoic look on his face.

"Ah, ignore him," the strange woman said, laughing.

Receiving no response from the man, I simply nodded, embarrassed and not wanting to comment on the situation.

"Mom!" I heard Regina shout from the back seat of the car.

"Yes, Honey, I'm sorry. See you later, PJ. It was nice meeting you," Regina's mother said as she rolled up the car window.

A second later, the car swiftly drove off down the main road.

After a moment of watching the car drive away, I returned to the bench to wait for Bob. I needed a ride.

Several minutes after Regina left, Bob had arrived for me. "Hey, champ," Bob greeted cheerfully as I got into the shabby truck, "how was your date?" he asked immediately after.

"Uh, fine, I think," I said, mentally weighing the pros and cons of the date in my head. "I think her dad hates me," I said, proceeding to explain to Bob the reasoning behind my statement.

Laughing loudly after I explained the situation, Bob, still concentrating on the road, shook his head. "Yeah, definitely not a great first impression," he said, still chuckling at each word. "Girls are bolder these days," he affirmed, raising his eyebrows, undoubtedly imagining things. "I have to talk seriously with Teddy," he continued, now serious after thinking about something.

"What can I do?" I asked, concerned, to the man.

"Well, right now, nothing," he said calmly. "In fact, first, you have to establish your relationship with her, and you, being the man in the relationship, have to be the one to define it," Bob continued seriously. "Then you can talk to the father, let him know your intentions, and that you're a well-mannered boy from a good family," he decisively affirmed. "At least that's what I hope in about twenty years with any caveman who comes near your sister," he finished with a furrowed brow at the idea of Teddy having a boyfriend.

Laughing at his change in demeanor, I shook my head as I looked out the passenger window, listening to Bob's music.

"Oh, by the way, take a thousand dollars," Bob said at some point during the trip, awkwardly stretching a yellow envelope obviously filled with money.

Opening the envelope, I found perfectly straightened one-hundred-dollar bills, freshly withdrawn from the bank, no doubt.

"Thanks, Dad, I promise I'll pay you back," I said to the man, truly grateful. With this, I had a little over three thousand eight hundred dollars that, if the fight went as it did in my previous life, would multiply many times over.

"No need, son, just use it wisely," Bob said with a somewhat pained smile, still driving his car.

When we arrived home, we found the Cooper family and the rest of my family sitting at our folding table in the yard that connected our houses.

"What's up?" I asked Bob, who was parking his car in front of the house.

"Oh, I didn't tell you. We're having a barbecue for the game," Bob explained, turning off the truck's engine.

"There he is, my star quarterback," Mr. Cooper said cheerfully beside the grill, along with a man I didn't know.

"Hello, Coach Cooper," I greeted the man who was handing Bob a beer.

While Bob was greeting the man I didn't know, I approached the table where Gabe, Missy, and Chicken Boy were sitting.

Messing up Gabe's hair, who was sitting reading one of his comic books, I took a seat next to him.

"Hey, Missy, how are you?" I greeted the little girl who was playing with a doll.

Missy didn't respond to my greeting, got up from the table, and walked away huffing, bumping into Chicken Boy, who was sitting next to her.

Surprised by the girl's attitude, I silently asked my brother what had happened, receiving a shrug in response.

"Hello," Chicken Boy said with a big smile, ignoring Missy storming off and bumping into him, greeting him back despite his strange attitude.

"PJ, you finally join us. I thought this would be a dull evening," Sheldon said, arriving with his grandma, both being greeted by Chicken Boy in the same manner.

"Evening," Gabe mocked softly, ignoring my brother's weak jest. I greeted the little boy while getting up, nodding at Meemaw.

"Aces," the elderly lady also nodded, silently asking a question that I obviously understood.

"Be right back," I said to anyone who might hear me as I walked toward our house.

Inside the house, I found Mom, Mrs. Cooper, and another woman who I imagined was Chicken Boy's mother, all working in the kitchen, especially Mrs. Cooper and the blonde woman.

"PJ, you're back!" Mom said excitedly as she came out of the kitchen. "How was your date with Regina?" she asked suggestively, raising her eyebrows, causing Mrs. Cooper to crane her neck while she continued to chop vegetables in a poor attempt to appear nonchalant, trying to eavesdrop.

Mom's nonchalant attitude, as always, managed to get a weak laugh out of me. "It was good, Mom, thanks," I told the excited woman. "Hello, Mrs. Cooper," I greeted the other woman who exaggerated my fake amusement, pretending to be surprised by my presence. "Oh, hi, PJ. Good of you to join us. Dinner is almost ready," the woman said sweetly.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," I also greeted the woman, who simply smiled kindly, sipping from a glass.

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," I replied to the kind woman. "I'll be right back, Mom. I need to put some things away. Excuse me," I said, separating myself from the women, hastening my pace to my room, where I had all my money stored in my desk. Using the envelope that Bob had given me, I counted the money before stashing it along with the money Bob had handed me.

In total, with the bets I had made at the hospital, the money I was saving from the allowance Bob had given me these weeks, the money that PJ had hidden in his dirty clothes, and the thousand dollars Bob had given me, I had three thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars. I wrote the amount on a piece of paper along with the name to whom the bet was directed and stored it with all the bills, securely closing the envelope, which was now much bulkier than before, hiding it in my pants and covering it with my shirt.

Leaving my room, I found the house empty. Everyone was probably in the backyard. Fist-bumping Georgie, I sat back down next to my brother. In front of me, Meemaw was explaining something to Sheldon. When the elderly woman and I made eye contact, I nodded, stretching the envelope with money under the table. Understanding, Meemaw took the envelope from under the table, nodding in complicity.

The last people to arrive were Teddy, Missy, and a little girl. They seemed to be talking about something in secret, occasionally glancing at me with annoyance, especially Missy, while Teddy laughed.

"Alright, who's ready for some burgers?" Bob asked from the grill, which he shared with Mr. Cooper and the other man.

"I am," a little voice said before anyone else, surprising us all. I quickly turned and found the little boy I had to accompany the last time Gabe brought friends.

Surprised by the sudden appearance of a little boy, everyone fell silent. "Who's he?" Sheldon finally broke the silence, asking bluntly.

"Dewey," I finally remembered the name the shirtless man had mentioned.

"Yes?" the boy asked, with a small innocent smile.

"What are you doing here, little buddy?" I asked the boy as I stood up.

"Your parents will be really worried, little one," Mrs. Cooper also got up.

"No," the boy, no older than five, said calmly as he approached the table.

"PJ," Mom said worriedly from her spot, "do you know where his house is, right?" Mom also got up.

"Yes," I said, amused, as the boy took the opportunity to sit down calmly, waiting for a burger, smiling quietly at Sheldon, who gave him a less friendly look, surprised by his presence.

"What if we invite his family?" Mom asked, specifically focusing on the parents who were at the grill, supported by the other two women.

Bob, checking the row where all the burger and sausage meat was, nodded. "Yes, there's enough for more people," he said sincerely.

"Alright, PJ, go and invite them, and don't take no for an answer," Mom said sternly. "And someone give this little kid a burger," she continued, ordering.

Not wanting to argue with the pregnant woman, I nodded and quickly left for what I remembered was the boy's house.

A few minutes later, I arrived at the house and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer.

From outside the door, I heard a woman yelling reprimands.

As soon as the woman stopped yelling, the door opened, revealing the same woman who was surely shouting a few seconds ago, her brow furrowed. "What?" she asked irritably, obviously very annoyed.

"Hello," I said nervously, the woman was intimidating. "Dewey is at my house," I continued quickly as the woman maintained an intimidating aura, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked incredulously, furrowing her brow even more if that was possible.

"Who is it Honey?" the same man who had opened the door for me last time asked, fortunately wearing a shirt this time.

"Hello, sir. Last week, I brought Dewey," I quickly explained as the woman's brow furrowed more and more.

"Ah, yes, I remember. How are you?" the man greeted before turning back inside his house.

"What is Dewey doing in your house?" the woman asked, now much more upset.

"I don't know, he just showed up there, and my mom wanted to invite you to the barbecue. We're basically new in town, and Mom wanted to meet more people. Dewey is with my family and some family friends," I quickly explained to the woman.

Taking a deep breath, the woman seemed to be containing a lot of anger. After taking one last deep breath, the woman nodded with a smile. "Alright, we'd be happy to come. Thank you," she said with a kindly smile that, for some reason, sent shivers down my spine.

After giving her the address of our house, I bid her goodbye and returned home.

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Glossary

Labyrinthitis = Infection or viral or bacterial inflammation of the inner ear that can cause dizziness, loss of balance, and temporary loss of hearing.

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Author Thoughts:

As always, I'm not American, let alone a doctor.

I'm cured, long live modern medicine!.

I think that's all, as always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I will correct them immediately.

Thanks for reading :D

PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.