It is 7 o'clock, so l turn off the clock and get up. Uniform has been on my body since last night. l get off the bed, open the door, then ask carefully: “Mom?” 

The woman lying on the sofa doesn’t answer me. A light blue blanket is covering her body with an empty glass bottle in right hand. l get myself flip-flops up, coming slowly to her way, shaking her slightly. “Can you hear me?”

  She moves, but in an extremely small way. Then she starts to mumble something like the voice of animals. She seems and sounds like l am doing something really cruel while trying to wake her. I finally give up the thought of making my mom prepare breakfast. So I open the fridge, luckily finding two eggs and two pieces of toast. I am considering whether I should put some bacon in it but end up throwing away this idea. I go into the kitchen, frying the ingredients with food oil in the pot which was just washed. When my work is almost completed, Mom turns her body round and makes a long, tired yawn, “You have woken up, honey.” 

  “Yeah.” I say, putting my breakfast on the paper plate to the table. “I am hungry to death, my little Sherry!” She mumbles,     “My darling, Mommy is suffering. And I am so tired, so can you send those things here?” 

  “You mean this?” I point at my breakfast.

  “Yes, baby.” She says, tiredly.

  “But I only made mine because I didn’t know when you would wake up.” I say. She looks at me sadly, then goes back lying on her sofa in a second. I sigh, secretly. After finishing my breakfast, I put on the socks and school bag, ready to go to highschool. When I am opening the door, I turn my head back, saying: “Goodbye, Mom. And don’t forget to take a bath.”

  She doesn’t reply, but I really have no time to think about it.

***

  I get on the bus like usual. Another thing like usual is Melanie,  my friend. I come to her way, sitting next to her. We talk a lot on the way to school. Suddenly, she asks. ”Have you heard about the hall?”

  “No.” I say.

  “Why are you always so clumsy?” She sighs then keeps talking. “Bentley Price built a hall called ’Meetup Hall’ in our school, and claimed that the teenage girls and adult men can try to date with each other. And the weirdest, our school allowed this idea.”

  “Who is Bentley Price?” I asks. By looking at her face, I know   I have said something dumb again.

  Melanie rolls her eyes. “Hey, won’t you check daily reports by yourself? Now open your cell phone and check the news, now!” I open my phone, clicking a report about it, and it says:

“Bentley Price Changed Wallis Female High School Into Meetup Hall.”

  “At twelfth, 9, 2024, Wallis Female High claimed breaking news that their Library and Cultural Center has been transformed into Meetup Hall by famous businessman and investor, Bentley Price. The building project has been being processed since the last 2 years. And Wallis hasn’t explained it until now.  It is filled with single male adults, allowing students to date with them in their free time. To this project, Price said: “ This is really an efficient way for…

  I can't read all the content because the bus is making me dizzy.     “Don't you think it's so gross?” She says. “Yes, of course.” I say. “I am not surprised that someone wanted to build such a building but that our school allowed this.”

  “Exactly.” Melanie whispers. “Do you think that students will have a protest?” 

  “Absolutely.” I say. “Students in Wallis are really good at protesting. Last time they prevented parents from checking their grades without permission through the App designed by school.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Melanie smiles. “But you have to know that the…” She hasn’t done talking yet, but the bus is right on the station. The bus stops, with a slight and classical shake. We get off the bus in the line of people after the doors opened. She doesn’t talk anymore throughout the way to our classes. And I don’t, either.

***

  Upon my foot stepping into the classroom, I hear the voices come all the way discussing today's society exhibition. Most of the groups have made a great effort on it, expecting to present impressive things to catch the audience’s eyes, and also, the teachers’. There are still some people who have been perfunctory, but obviously, my team leader Rose is a total opposition.

  “Hi, Sherry. Here is something that needs your help. You have to complete the part of the canvas shop.” She comes to me and says. “Ok.” I reply. At the moment when I saw the information about the exhibition in our online classroom, I didn't care a little, because I thought my teammates wouldn’t have extra energy to transform our report into an exhibition. But the fact gave me a big slap. They are really hard working.

  “We will discuss it at the library in sixth to seventh class, you have to come.” She reminds me, although she has said that on Line group. But considering my frequent actions of skipping the class which aren’t very important, I have to admit that she’s doing the right thing. 

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Ok.” I say, then she goes. 

  “Hey, don’t forget to do your exhibition.” Suddenly, Melanie texts me on the Messenger. “How do you know that?” I ask. She quickly replies: “Do you truly think that everyone is as unconcentrated as you? Come on.” I tap some words on the phone: “You are really talented at being a detector.” But I still delete it. “Don’t skip the class again.” She says. “Ok, I won’t. I promise.” I say. 

  I turn off my phone, then open the Chromebook borrowed from the library. And just at the moment, I realize that we can still use the library on the ground floor as normal. So that means the Library and Cultural Center is transformed on those upper floors. That’s why Rose planned to meet us there.

  I start working on my part, and to my surprise, not everyone is talking about the hall. Hope the library—aka the playground of nerds—won’t be filled with those silly pornies. 

  My Line blips again. It is my boss, Shelby.

  “Hey, dear, just informing, our customer will arrive at 10. Don't forget to come.” He texts.

  I reply a “Got it”then turn off my phone.

***

 I ring the doorbell in front of an apartment, breathing hard.“Who?” It’s Shelby's voice answering.

  “Rachel.” I say.

  “Got it! Please come in.” He says, with the gate opening. I come into the lobby, or a temporary site for waiting for the elevator, clicking the bottom of upper floors. I get into it, then choose the fifth floor. Soon, I get to house 503 and ring the bell. 

  Shelby opens the door immediately: “Huh, you finally came…” He smiles like flirting. “Do you know how much I missed you?”

  “Sorry.” I say.

  “Oh, you still know how to say sorry, huh?” He keeps smiling: “You just kept our customer waiting for 10 minutes, and being a professional one, don’t tell me you don't know how important such an amount of time will be. So you should feel sorry that I missed you.”

  “I will be quick!” I run into the house and grab a white gown on my body. “Where is the customer?”

  “Room No.5, the third bed!” He says.

  I get in the room in the medical gown. . Here it is full of groans and yelling from druggies. I get to the third bed, pulling up the curtain, and a young black man is lying on the bed, wearing an oversized sick gown and shaking painfully. Beside him is a middle aged man and woman. They must be his parents. I come to them and ask: “Hi, I am the Doctor here, you can call me Doctor Rachel. Are you the parents of the patient?”

  “Yes, we are.” The woman says with her eyes red.

  “Ok, I am going to ask you a few questions about his personal situation.” I take up the documentary board and a blue pen to record it.

  “Ok.” Woman says.

  “Name?”

  “Ruby.” The man says.

  “Gender?”

  “Female.”

  “Age?”

  “Twenty.”

  “What kind of drug?”

  “Cannabis.” The man sighs.

  “How long?”

  “For about six months.” 

  “Ok.” I say. “Now we will start to treat her. The process will last for one to two months, depending on the situation. And, I believe that you all know, the charge won't be low. You have to pay the down payment first to get initial treatment, Ok?”

  “Ok.” They both say.

  “Thanks. You can get the check at the desk with a computer in the living room. Our nurse will help you with that.” I hand a handwritten bill to the woman.

  “Thank you.” She says. They sneak quietly out of the room. 

 I hold the curtain up again, observing my customer. She is still shaking, but less. I come to her side, asking: “Hey, Ruby. Can you hear me?”

  “Yes.” She breaths hard.

  “I am your doctor, Doctor Rachel. Do you know why you’re here, and what you have to do?”

  She nods.

  “Ok, let me check your basic information first. Your name is Ruby, female, twenty years old, having used cannabis for about six months, right?”

  “Yes.” Ruby says weakly.

  “This question is important: Except for cannabis, do you use other kinds of drugs? Please answer me honestly, because it will influence your treatment a lot.”

   “No.” She says.

   “Ok, now I will estimate your heart rate and blood pressure.” I pull the IV stand , then get her arm on the monitor. Soon the machine blips. “Your blood pressure is 120/78, normal. And your heart rate is 105 bpm. The normal rate at your age should be 60 to 100 bpm.” I say. “But don’t be too worried. You’re just slightly elevated.”

  “Ok, Doc. I feel I want it very much now…I want it, I want…!” Ruby starts to struggle, hugging herself tightly and yelling. “Calm down and don’t leave your bed. I will help you.” I take up my walkie-talkie and turn the channel to Nurse: “Here is Room No.5, the third bed. I need one dose of NAC injection and tranquilizer, over.” 

  She shakes more severely. I take a look at the walkie-talkie, and the nurse is still on line. So I ask: “Nurse?”

  “What?”

  “I also need a pair of shackles, hands and feet, over.”

***

  Now Ruby has been injected for NCA and tranquilizer. I also injected an IV into her body, for she will very possibly be unable to eat anything. 

  “A–lright, good job, Doctor, now you can go, for she is asleep.” Shelby comes into the room. “I remember that you still have class today, sweetheart.” 

  “Bye-bye.” I wave to Jacob at the desk with the computer, or the Nurse Desk. As usual, he is smoking and doesn’t answer a word. He wasn’t born with coldness. At least every time Shelby says goodbye to him, I see this guy answer fervently.

  “See-ya.” Shelby walks to the living room and opens the door, smiling: “You won’t forget to check the situation of our customer, will you?”

  “No.” I walk away and say.