One
Ulrik Carmine liked to be by himself most of the time. That's why he usually stayed away from everyone and didn't talk much to other people unless he had to. Since the death of his parents, his life has been dramatically changed and destroyed on the inside. He knew his brother, Tristan, had something to do with it but he didn't have enough evidence to call the police to have his psycho-maniac of a brother put behind bars. He also knew Tristan was doing drugs since he found a new band of friends just a month before their parents' murder, but Ulrik didn't have enough evidence to call the police for that either. It was frustrating for him down to his very core but what really pissed him off more was that he had to live with the sonofabitch until he was eighteen. Right now he was seventeen, just a few mere months away from turning eighteen and he knew that Tristan would somehow make those last few months of living hell until then. He wished he could shoot himself with the small hand gun that Tristan kept locked up in his closet under lock and key, but when he really thought it through, he realized that he'd be playing right into Tristan's little mind games. He hated playing mind games if he wasn't the main target, but loved playing mind games with everyone else, especially with his class mates, and especially with someone named, Lucinda Emerence.
But today, Ulrik wasn't in the mood for mind games. He had a massive headache that even resting his head on his desk wouldn't help. The constant yelling from his teachers telling him to sit up and pay attention to class wasn't helping any either. When third period finally came after what felt like an eternity later, the second after his English teacher, Mr. Minoan, told him to sit up, he got up and walked out of class. He didn't care if he was given detention, his head hurt like hell times infinity as he slowly walked to the nurses office, his right hand supporting his forehead and his right elbow resting on his left arm that he held against his ribs. His pain so excruciating he also felt like throwing up.
To Ulrik, it was normal for him to have headaches like this every few days or weeks. His physic made him look like he was anorexic though he probably was, he never paid attention to his eating habits nor did his older brother, Tristan, care.
When Ulrik got to the nurses office, he took his hand off his forehead to open the door and fount out quickly that it started to look like a bad idea. When the pressure on his forehead was released from where his hand had been, he got dizzy, doubled over in pain, fell to his knees and threw up, then blacked out all in that order within seconds. The last thing he thought of was if anyone saw him or heard him puke his guts out onto the semi-clean, bi-colored tile of the school floor.
Ulrik didn't know where he was when he regained consciousness other than he was lying on a cold, hard surface with a very thin pillow underneath his head. He couldn't open his eyes no matter how hard he tried, then remembered what happened, the vomiting and blacking out in front of the nurses office, but that was it. He still didn't know if he was still at school or if they took him to the hospital. It was frustrating so he sighed heavily and tried to move. Now it started to get painful again, the throbbing came back in his head and brought back the nauseating feeling in his stomach. Feeling the contents of his stomach starting to come up his esophagus, he rolled onto his side, accidentally falling of what he was lying on and landed on his stomach on the floor, his hands underneath him as he vomited for the second time as he tried to catch his breath at the same time. His day was not going the way he wanted. It felt like some unnatural force was making his life a living hell today as someone started running toward him.
“Ulrik! You alright?” a female voice panicked as she got down onto her knees to help him up.
“I'm . . . I'm fine . . . j-just help me up please.” Ulrik choked out between coughs when he stopped vomiting.
“I'm going to have to call an ambulance Ulrik.” the female said, a heavy tone of worry drenched in her speech.
“No . . . I can't go to the hospital Nurse Adira.” Ulrik pleaded with her. He was desperate not to go to the hospital, mainly because then he'd have to be home with Tristan until his headache was gone.
“It's not my choice Ulrik, I'm calling Principal Medeia in, she wants to look over you anyway before we make any calls anywhere.” Adira said firmly and helped Ulrik onto the bed and went to get the principal. Ulrik hated seeing Medeia, she was an old granny that didn't know shit about him. She always pissed him off when she tried to suggest therapists and nutritionists because of him being under weight.
When his anger was rising, he felt another urge to vomit and pulled the trash can over to him as he started getting sick again when the door to the office opened up, Adira rushed to sit next to him and patted his back to help get the vile out of his throat. No one spoke, they made up their minds to call an ambulance in and Ulrik decided that refusing wasn't the answer. There was something wrong and he had to find out what. Vomiting like this when you don't eat isn't a good sign for anything. It's probably because you haven't ate in four days Ulrik, a voice in his head spoke as he wiped the vile from his chin, convincing himself it's one of the reasons why he was sick right now.
“When was the last time you had a meal Ulrik, and I mean a real meal, not some snack or just one bite of something here or there.” Medeia asked, sighing as she hung the phone up.
“Well if you put it that way . . . two weeks ago.” Was all he had to say before Medeia started throwing anything she could possibly get her hands on that wasn't school property.
“That's why you are getting sick like this and getting those headaches Ulrik! You have to eat something or you'll die from malnutrition and some other disease!” She ranted. “Call the janitor and get this cleaned up Adira!”
“Yes ma'am.” Adira squeaked and went to page a janitor in to bring cleaning supplies to clean up another vomit mess.
“I'm going to the hospital with you Ulrik . . .Why are you not wanting to go anyway?”
“Because . . . he's made my life nothing but living hell ever since mom and dad died . . . and that's all I'm going to tell you so no more questions.” Ulrik answered menacingly, he hated to talk about his life to other people, it just wasn't his personality to go around and brag about how fucked up his life is.
“Fine . . . I can make arrangements for Tristan to never know where you were alright? I can pull some strings and pay the bills myself for your tests. Tristan will never know you were at the hospital.” Medeia sighed, rubbing her temples as she closed her eyes. She was getting annoyed, starting to get a headache, she started to wonder why she ever took the job as a high school principal.
Ulrik nodded in agreement, knowing she would keep her word as he requested an ice pack for his head. It was throbbing worse that it was earlier and it was starting to make it hard for him to keep his eyes open or to concentrate. He felt like he was on the verge of blacking out again when he heard the wail of sirens coming up to the main entrance of the school which was down the hall from the nurse's office.
“I think I'm going to be sick again.” Ulrik warned and vomited into the trash can again, this time his vile looked green with some hints of red as his vision went black again as he blacked out for the second time that morning.
