RUN WITH ME
CHAPTER 13: DOWN

Along the crowded second-floor hallway, a woman ran over with a face full of panic. The action certainly attracted the attention of students who passed by, wondering why the woman acted as if she was being chased by a ghost. The woman continued to run until she finally stopped in front of the room that read Medical Room. With a sigh, the woman opened the door.

"Vin," called Hera in a soft voice and before long a curtain from the most exposed corner bed, revealing the face of Gavin who only let out his head.

"Here," Gavin asked with his hand waved slowly. Hera walked closer. Inside the curtain room was Arunika who was lying with her eyes closed.

"Why did he faint?" asked Hera while sitting on the chair that Gavin gave her.

"The doctor said he had fatigue and symptoms of dehydration. The doctor asked to be left alone and gave him two glasses of water after waking up." Clearly Gavin folded his hands in front of his chest, while Hera exhaled softly while stroking Arunika's hand.

"How could you bring him here? Though he should be in the biology laboratory for assessment," asked Hera again while glancing at Gavin.

"You went to class with him, right?" gavin's question-and-answer is a nod by Hera, "her judgment is based on the absent number. Arun's in the number eight, I'm in the number eighteen, so he's grading first and I have to wait in class." Gavin rounded his mouth, a sign of understanding of the explanation.

"We met when Arunika had just come out of the lab and I came from the music room, wanted to go to the toilet. We had a little chat and he said that there was a biological assessment. But suddenly Arunika nosebleed and immediately fainted, so I'll bring her here" explained Gavin in a voice as slow as possible, not wanting to disturb Arunika's sleep. And so did Hera who nodded.

Silence followed after. Hera only focused on Arunika who fell asleep with her innocent face, looking very comfortable as if she had been able to sleep this soundly for a long time. While the man who stood one step behind Hera occasionally glanced, there was actually something he wanted to ask his only close friend Arunika, but he hesitated.

"What's wrong?" In fact Hera caught the desire as well as the doubt. Gavin slightly flinched then scratched his nape slowly, he was caught. But since Hera already knew, she better ask.

"Are you aware that Arunika looks exhausted this week?" Hera was silent for a while then nodded.

"Since Monday, I've realized that his face looks more lethargic, but at that time he reasoned that he was sleep deprived because it was too exciting to read books. The next days I felt that Arun looked more tired, but he again reasoned that his fatigue was caused by the Valentine's Day event. It's very difficult to know the condition because every question always answers it's okay." A heavy breath followed after Hera finished her sentence.

"Did Arunika faint often? Because when I came here, the doctor seemed to know how he was doing." There was a pause before finally answered another nod by Hera. Then the woman drowned her head in the bed.

With her sayup voice, Hera spoke in a warning tone, "don't tell anyone. All I knew was Arun, me, and the school doctor, who now added you. Actually I don't know why Arunika really wants to keep this a secret, but I can only respect her wishes."

"His family doesn't know?" Still with his head on the bed, Hera shook her head slowly.

"This secret is even the most Arun hid from his family." Well, the more Gavin knew the woman lying down, the more Gavin felt that Arunika was a different figure from the one he knew.

"Has Arunika's body been weak from birth? That's why he fainted so often" asked Gavin one last time.

"Said Arun yes, but I don't believe. I don't know, I was confused to see this kid, from the outside he looks very open, but after getting to know him more closely, it turns out he is very closed and looks—"

"Mysterious." Gavin cut Hera's sentence and the woman nodded in agreement, "like wearing a mask." Clarify Hera while raising her head.

"I never knew what he was thinking or feeling, as if a great wall was standing in the way." Hera continued while stroking her close friend's hand, while Gavin could only stare inside the woman who had recently raised a foreign feeling in her heart.

The silence resumed, but before long the two bright brown neutrals opened slowly. Arunika blinked her eyes a few times, trying to familiarize her eyes with the piercing light. Hera helped him to settle down, while Gavin had thrust a glass of water at him.

"Why is Gavin here?" ask her in a soft voice.

"You forgot? You met him and suddenly fainted in front of him, so he's the one who brought you here." After hearing that Arunika recalled the situation before she fainted so she rounded her mouth.

"Totally so."

Gavin returned with a full glass of water and gave it to Arunika again, leaving the woman confused.

"The doctor says you have symptoms of dehydration, so two glasses of water should be given after waking up." It was clear that Gavin made Arunika nod his head, then re-emphasized it. After that the man took the glass and put it on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Well, since you're awake, can I go back to class?" ask Gavin who made Arunika a little flutter.

"Of course, I'm sorry to bother you and thank you for helping." Gavin smiled gently and gently rubbed Arunika's head. Hera who saw that was slightly dumbfounded.

"It's okay, we are friends, right? Glad to see you waking up in a better condition." Hearing that Arunika also smiled gently, then her gaze turned to Hera.

"You didn't go back to class either? It's still biology class time, right? Already appraisal?" tanya Arunika repeatedly, making Hera chuckle.

"Yes, it's still biology class hours and I haven't had an assessment. You still want to be here? If so, I'll go back to class and ask your teacher for permission" Hera replied as she stood up from her seat.

"I still want to be here, my head is still a little dizzy," Arunika replied as she held her head slowly. Hera also nodded in understanding.

"Alright, rest. Me and Gavin are going back to class, I'll be here again at recess" said Hera, patting her friend's feet gently. So also with Gavin who waved his small hand, which was reciprocated also by Arunika.

Afterwards the two men disappeared from behind the curtains and a door opened and closed, indicating that both of their friends had actually walked out of the room. Arunika exhaled heavily with her tired face, then changed her position back to lie down and tidied up her blanket. His right hand was raised and placed over his eyes, while his left hand was placed on his stomach.

The main reason why Arunika fainted was because of fatigue, but the cause of fatigue was not from the excitement of reading a book or dizziness thinking about the Valentine's Day event. It's all because of that fucking dream.

At first Arunika thought her nightmare memories only appeared once—di on Monday. But in fact not. For the past five days, Arunika always woke up at three in the morning due to the dream, fortunately not accompanied by a panic attack like on the first day. Even so, Arunika still feels uncomfortable and disturbed—moreover Arunika is not the type of person who easily falls asleep again after waking up. He begins to suspect that his trauma is relapsing and may be caused by his conversation with Gavin at the Rosverd family event.

Arunika realizes that she must go to her personal psychiatrist, who treats her secretly without the knowledge of her family. Unfortunately, Arunika can only go on Saturday or Sunday because the day is usually very crowded. Arunika also had to think of reasons when it turns out that her father and mother are at home. He had to make a reasonable excuse so as not to arouse suspicion from anyone. And the plan is, the woman will visit her doctor tomorrow.

Still in the same position, Arunika clucked in annoyance, "why should it relapse again, anyway?" This condition is really not his desire, especially the woman did not expect to be able to relapse just because of a small conversation with Gavin.

"Why .... conversation ... it .. can .... be .... trigger?" There was a pause in every murmur that came out of Arunika's mouth due to drowsiness that suddenly attacked. During these five days he could not sleep well and it was difficult to fall back asleep after waking up so that the quiet atmosphere around him made the drowsiness come quickly. Arunika has no intention to fight because he realized, he really needs this sleep, even if only one hour.

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