[right]Ash Mareino with Jamie Drummond
Roof of the Gym
1:01 - 1:30pm[/right]

Ash cried. That wasn’t something she did very often. Jamie’s last conscious words had sent her into a full tilt panic. Something she had only experienced when her brother had almost drowned, and then she had been able to do something about it. This time she had been asked to not get help. Who would she have gone to anyway? Probably Mrs Joy, the school nurse. It didn’t matter though. She wasn’t leaving his side.

“Jamie.” She cried out again and again, feeling hot tears burning her face and throat, and he still wasn’t responding. 

Ash had no idea how much time passed, she was certain she didn’t hear the school bell though, when finally Jamie’s eyes fluttered opened. His hand went to his nose, and pinched the bridge of it. Did he have a migraine?

“Jamie?” Her voice leveled out, still cracking a bit, as fear slid back and worry became her primary emotion. “What in the hell happened?” Ash was never one to shy away from cus words if the situation was appropriate. 

It took him a second – more than a second – to answer, and even then it wasn’t much of one. “Can’t – g-give me a minute, alright?” Ash nodded, pulled from her bag a water bottle and held it out to Jamie.

“Drink something.” Jamie reached for the bottle, a tremor running through his arm as he took it. Just as shakily he drank from it. After a sip he coughed, fear blossoming in his eyes enough that Ash reached out to reassure him, and if necessary give him the Heimlich. She had some training with drowning just because of the nature of her favorite sport. Her own heart beat had started to slow down, as Jamie took another sip. “Better?”

“Not even close,” Jamie answered with grim honesty. Still ghostly pale.  He was still shaking and tucked an arm close to his body as if to stop it. His eyes shot up to look Ash in the face, worry etched into his features. “Ash? You all right? Not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine, why would I be hurt? You’re the one who just passed out. What was that about anyway?” Ash was freaked out, to say the least, and here Jamie had the gall to ask her if she was okay.  

“Just a – just a ‘quirk of biology’, somethin’ like that.” It sounded rehearsed. He was avoiding Ash’s gaze, rubbing the back of his neck even as he rummaged around inside the inside pocket of his blazer for the silver foil packet of the little white pills he always took at breakfast.

“Jamie, I have known you for three years, you have never just passed out like that before.”

“I’ll have you know that I [i]have[/i].” He took the pills quickly and without any water before stuffing them back in his pocket. “Just never when you’re around.”

“I’m around you like ninety percent of the day. How in the world have you avoided passing out like that in front of me?” She was getting annoyed with him now, and crossed her arms. [i]Why would he keep that from me?[/i]

Jamie cringed, but he was still looking anywhere but at Ash. “It was just an Episode. No need to worry ‘bout me. They usually pass quite quickly and they’re – they’re not a big deal.”  He is lying. And she knows it. More than enough times the pair of them had had to lie their way out of getting into trouble, and Jamie was easy, at least for Ash, to read. His lip did that curl. 

“You’re lying Jamie. I know you too well. There’s something more at play here, what aren’t you telling me?” Ash leaned forward invading his space a bit. There was a every so small part of her that wondered if the Viking, or whatever she was, girl hadn’t been totally off her rocker. That maybe just maybe her best friend was similar to her in more ways than they had realized.

Jamie laughed humorlessly and finally looked up at her. He didn’t make eye contact but was looking at her cheeks. They were probably wet even now from the tears. “Oh, there’s a whole lot I’m not telling you, Ash – you don’t [i]want[/i] to know. I don’t want you to know. I don’t want to – bother you with it.”

At first Ash could feel anger building up inside of her. Anger at Jamie, she felt like he was throwing away their friendship, and then it all tumbled away from her, because he was her friend, her best friend, and she couldn’t be mad at him. “What are friends for then?” Her eyes started burning again, and she futilely tried to wipe it away without him seeing.

“Oh, [i]shite[/i],” Jamie said, obviously thrown for a loop with something wavering in his voice. He leaned ever-closer and softly pulled away Ash’s hand – surprising her. And then, without taking his eyes off of hers’, he wiped the tears away with his thumb. “I’m okay, you’re okay, [i]we’re[/i] okay. Believe me, if it was important, I would have told you in a [i]heartbeat[/i], but it’s... something I can live with. It’s – it’s nothing, it’s insignificant… it’s [i]inconsequential[/i].”

Jamie always did use big, poetic words and sweeping statements whenever he was emotional. Ash could swear she could feel his own fear, the twisting feeling she had just felt, and something else, that heart swell she got whenever she saw him. Of course her own guilt for not telling him her big secret, the one no one but the school staff knew. The big secret that she had kept carefully guarded for years. 

“I should’ve told you. God, I wish I [i]could[/i] have.” He sighed, his exhalation mixing with her inhalation. He was close, very close. “Sorry. I must look like a [i]right[/i] freak.” Ash shook her head.

“No, you don’t. I’m being unfair.” She took a deep breath of air. “I’ve not told you everything either.” She couldn’t bring herself to pull away from him, not even an inch.

“Ash… You don’t need to.” Ash started to respond, her mouth was open and the words had started to form, and the bell rang announcing the end of lunch and silencing her. Reminding her where she was and what the rules were.

Jamie scowled up at the sky but started to shuffle to his feet using the air vent as support. “That is [i]the[/i] worst timing I’ve ever witnessed in my life – I hope you realise that.” He linked arms with Ash to help her up after him, no matter how unsteady it felt. “God forbid we keep Ash Mareino from Swimming, yes?” Ash’s heart flipped, swimming was next, how in the world could she have forgotten that?

“Right, we’ll talk later then?” Ash nearly demanded.

“Of course,” Jamie said easily – but then he tilted his head to the side and in a swift move planted a kiss on Ash’s cheek. “S-Something to talk [i]about[/i] later, yeah?” Ash’s face got hot, very hot. She stared at Jamie, impressed, surprised and elated all at the same time. 

“Definitely.” She agreed, and in a slight daze headed for the propped open door that led to the gym below. Hell she’d probably even smile at Katalina.