Title: The Real World
Part: 5/?
Author: Wendy
Category: Others
Rating: PG
Copyright: 1999-2000
<> Wendy <>
"Oh, no!" I yelled after Aryela dropped her glass.
She had collapsed on the floor and we all stood up. I looked at Drew and he immediately got up to attend to her. I remembered that he was an EMT, so she was probably in good hands.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" Drew yelled to no one in particular.
Other people started to gather around our table as a waitress called an ambulance. Drew checked on Aryela's pulse.
"She's breathing," Drew stated.
I saw the manager of the restaurant rush to the phone next to the waitress. They were on the phone shortly, and then gathered to the middle of the room, where we were. Everyone surrounded us and I heard Drew telling everybody to just give her some room.
I sat down on my seat slowly. I really couldn't believe what happened to her and I was really worried. Sara sat down next to me and tried to comfort me. I hadn't realized that I was started to freak out and maybe cry a little. All the emotions just got caught up in me.
Soon enough, the paramedics arrived. They started to check up on her, and that was when she started to come out of her fainting spell. The paramedics decided to bring her to a nearby clinic just to check her out for sure.
Only one of us was allowed to go with her there and everyone told me to just go with her. So I did.
<> Drew <>
Aryela definitely worried us and we really hoped that Wendy would find out exactly what was wrong with her later. Sara, Lance, Nick and I returned to our seats, but our appetites were lost. All of us could only worry about Aryela.
We decided to leave the restaurant not soon after the whole incident. The first night definitely didn't turn out as we had hoped.
The sun slowly set in the west. The sky was in an array of colors, ranging from dark burgundy to different shades of reds and oranges. It was so beautiful, more than anything else I'd seen ever back home.
We walked together quietly back to the house. We really didn't know what we were supposed to say to each other. It seemed very inappropriate to be talking about what happened with Aryela, we could only wonder in our minds about the truth.
After we got home, we all just settled around the house. I grabbed something to eat and just decided to call my parents and siblings back home. It was a really good thing there are a couple of phone lines in the house since Nick decided to check out the internet.
"Hey, bro, what's up?" I said after my brother Nick answered the phone.
"It's great to hear from you. how's Spain?" he asked.
"It's completely amazing."
I began to get into a great conversation with him, especially about my roommates. I could tell that he wished he were here with me. I decided that it'd be best to keep what happened with Aryela to myself for now, until I hear more about it.
<> Sara <>
Things definitely didn't start out like we had hoped. With what happened to Aryela, we all just postponed getting to know one another until we knew she was fine. I really wondered what had happened to her. Hopefully, we would find out soon enough.
Nick was busying surfing the internet while Drew called him family back home. Because Drew was talking to his family, I was reminded of Alex. I really wished that he could come here with me, but we both knew that he couldn't. I really wanted our relationship to survive, no matter what happens while I was in Spain, but leaving for ten weeks would be a huge break in our relationship, especially after getting back together only for two short weeks. I didn't know if we could handle the relationship on its own with us so many miles apart from one another.
I went to take a shower. My head was filled with images of Alex. I missed him so much already, and the next ten weeks would be rather interesting where our relationship is concerned.
<> Lance <>
After Drew finished calling him family back home in Ohio, I called my parents in Mississippi. They were thrilled to hear all about my roommates. If they were in Spain with me, they would love it so much. They've always been into the cultures around. Every summer, we would travel to some exotic countries and we would spend at least a couple of weeks there. It just seemed a little different and strange when I'm so far away from home without my parents, who had been so supportive of anything and everything that I had ever done.
Just minutes after I said goodbye to my parents, the phone rang. It was actually our first phone call to the house.
"Hello?" I answered.
"This is Wendy."
"It's Lance. How's Aryela?" I asked as everyone gathered around me.
"She's okay. We just have to stay here for a little while longer and then we can go. Can one of you just come pick us up?" she asked.
"We should all come."
"No, I'll fill you guys in when I get back, but I don't really think she wants all the attention and questions that she'll get if all of you come."
"Yeah, I guess so. Well, I guess we'll see you later when you get home. I'll get someone to get you," I replied.
<> Aryela <>
Wendy entered into the room after she called the rest of the house.
"What is up with you?" Wendy asked as we both sat in the waiting room.
I really didn't know what to tell her. She used to be one of my closest friends, but it just wasn't the same anymore. There was no doubt that I was glad to see her, but I didn't want to tell her everything just yet.
Just as I was thinking about what to say, the doctor entered the room. Both of us looked at him, although I knew what he was going to say already.
"I don't know if your doctor back home told you before, but any, and I mean any, amounts of alcohol in your body system can be serious," Dr. Lopez said solemnly.
I nodded at him as I thought back to the anti-depressant drugs I was taking and my bout with depression during my senior year of high school. No one knew of this except for my family. By that, I mean just my parents. No one else. None of my friends knew it either. It would be rather difficult for me to tell Wendy about this.
"For now, you just need some rest, to normalize your body system again. I would like for you to come back in a few days just to make sure that everything is okay with your body again. You can make the appointment with the secretary outside."
Wendy and I remained in the room for a little while longer. We just sat there in silence. I could tell that she didn't want to pry, but she wanted to know what was going on. I knew there would be a time to tell her what was really going on, but just not yet.
<> Nick <>
I arrived at the clinic after catching a cab. I ran toward the emergency room area and saw Wendy and Aryela sitting in silence. I approached them, but didn't know what I was going to say to them.
"Hey, Nick," Aryela smiled weakly.
"How are you?" I asked nervously.
"I'm a little better. Thanks for coming," she said.
"No problem. So you guys ready to go back home?"
They both nodded at me and we left the clinic.
On the ride home, none of us really said anything. I could feel a little bit of tension between Aryela and Wendy, but I didn't want to ask what was really going on. If they wanted to tell the rest of us what was going on, they would. We had only known each other for a day, so I just didn't think I should push.
We arrived back at the house pretty soon. We entered and everyone had been sitting in the living room, watching some television program in Spanish. They saw us enter, but didn't really make a move. It was probably awkward when we didn't know each other too well, but wanted to find out what happened at the same time.
I just really wanted Aryela to tell us that at least things were okay with her, but she didn't. She didn't say anything to anyone and then just headed to her bedroom. Wendy entered the living room and just sat down on the couch next to Drew. Deciding against following Aryela to her room and asking some questions, I followed Wendy into the living room and sat down on the armchair.
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