Dizzy Up the Girl

Karma, as I have said before, is a complete and utter bitch. Taking a look outside of the window next to me, I could almost have been bothered enough to go sit on the windowsill if it weren’t for the draft going through the room. Despite my best efforts, the nurses who cared for me absolutely refused to turn off my air conditioning unit. Something or another to do with the other patients complaining about the boiling weather outside, and while that much may have been true, I was even less enthusiastic about the chilly breeze that had taken root in my room.

“Well, maybe if I go out and wear some sort of offensive snuggie, they might just turn up the thermostat a few notches...,” I mumbled as I swung my legs over the side of my bed, goosepumps prickling my skin. Though dressed in a pair of my favorite, worn out sweats, I could feel the cold through my hoodie. I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I made my way to the window. And I came face to face with one of the most beautiful sights. The sun was just beginning to set now, and the sky was a brilliant collage of reds, oranges, purples, and blues. Summer was just around the corner, and all of the trees rustled with their leaves being blown by the wind.

Sitting down on the ledge, knees pulled up to my chin, it was easy to admire the scenery. It’s one of the few things that I could do here. I had never been one for pessimistic thoughts, but being a nineteen year old girl who was admitted to the hospital sucked. But being a nineteen year old girl diagnosed with cancer...well...that was on a whole new level of awful. I had only been admitted for a week or so this time around, but I would give anything to get out of this place. It was very...clean. The entire wing smelt like antiseptic spray, medicine, and it was just too quiet for my taste. Peering out of my window for the past seven days was my only means of getting to see the world.

Turning my attention down towards the garden, just outside of the hospital’s entrance, I found myself stopping short. Instead of seeing the dandelions and primroses that normally filled up the front entrance, there were...people. News crews were positioned alongside the roundabout, and a massive group of girls were stationed outside of the hospital behind some makeshift barriers. Scooting closer to the window, I could faintly hear what must have been the group shouting, and I could make out a few hospital staff members hovering outside the front doors nervously as security continued to push the crowd back.

“Well, this is certainly different,” I said to myself as I took my hands out of my pockets, finally adjusting to the cool temperature in my room. Taking a quick look back outside, and with a glance towards the hallway, I decided to check it out. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but with how much karma owes me, I do surely believe that I have about 9 lives left. If anyone asks me what I’m doing wandering around, as they’ve done several times before, just a flash of my hospital bracelet and a plea for food from the cafeteria should do the trick. After all, when my treatment and medication was still light, my appetite was infamous.

I took a cautious step into the hallway only to see a few knackerd nurses chatting towards the end of hall. Slipping on a pair of flip flops, I left my room and headed towards the elevator. The ride felt longer than usual as I tapped my foot impatiently as each floor passed. I was never overly fond of using elevators, much rather preferring to use the stairs, but physical exertion was frowned upon in my case. Whether or not that is due to my diagnosis or my poor coordination, well, that’s yet to be determined. Another stop came to, and I let out a muffled groan. While I’d never wish anything bad on anyone, whoever was being treated at the moment was obviously interesting enough to draw a crowd, and I would be damned if I missed one of the few interesting things that happened at this place.

The doors slid open, and if I hadn’t already been leaning against the side of the elevator, I might have fallen backwards. Instead of an irate family member or doctor joining me, a boy about my age came in. The boy, now standing across from me, seemed tall for his age. His face looked tired, eyes unfocused, but I couldn’t help but stare at him. For the past week, I had seen no one else but middle-aged doctors with clipboards and over-friendly nurses carrying needles. He was dressed nicely, wearing some slouchy khakis and a bright blue polo that matched his sneakers. As he walked in, he looked to the elevator’s controls to pick a floor but stopped. He looked over towards me, and I took a deep breath, because I had never seen such beautiful eyes before.

“Oh, didn’t see you there. Looks like we’re heading to the same place,” he said in an accent that I couldn’t quite place. He took a step back as the doors slid shut, and the elevator began heading back down. It was quiet, but I couldn’t help myself from glancing over at him once or twice. He kept his head down, typing away on his phone, and his blonde hair fell over his eyes. I had, however, caught him looking expectantly at me once or twice which made me feel nervous. Taking another look at myself in my worn out sweats, I began to tug at my hair. If I had know this was going to happen, well, let’s just say I would have tried to look a bit nicer. But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, the elevator came to a halt on the first floor, and it was time to go. I made my way towards the door until something knocked into me, pushing me out of the elevator quite ungracefully.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t see you, uh, again. You alright?” Turning back around, I found the boy staring at me with a concerned look. I laughed, bringing my right hand behind my head and nodded.

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m just really clumsy. It’s really bad actually. Just...try to keep your eyes open for other girls, alright?” He laughed loudly, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s good to know...uh...,” he trailed off, and I realized that he didn’t know my name. I moved my hand from the back of my hand towards the end of my hair, wringing it with nerves.

“I’m Elizabeth.”

“Nice to meet you. My name’s Niall.”