“Let’s go to Guardians!” Emma R. said. “And then maybe later you can join us, Cass? When you’re feeling better?”
“For sure,” I lied, already starting to walk in the direction Ms. Mulaney had pointed.
Ms. Mulaney directed us toward Carthay Circle, and we walked in silence for a moment or two, Ms. Mulaney shooting me concerned looks, while I just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. “You’re in a lot of pain, huh?”
“Yes,” I said, hearing my voice catch. I knew I was a few minutes at best from bursting into tears. “I really am.”
She pointed ahead of us, and I could see a door I’d never noticed before. It was tucked away, but printed on the glass door, unmistakable, wasFIRST AID. “I can tell,” she said, shaking her head. “And on your Grad Nite, too. It doesn’t seem fair. You only get to have this once.”
“Yeah,” I said sarcastically, with a short laugh. “Sure.” Ms. Mulaney glanced over at me, surprised, when her phone rang, just like I knew it would. She reached into her tote bag for it?, and her eyes widened when she saw her screen. “This—this is a call I really need to take,” she said, her voice nervous and hopeful.
“I’ll get myself to First Aid.” We were just feet away, after all. “And…just…” I took a breath. I knew I couldn’t do anything about what she was about to go through, but I wanted to try and mitigate what I could. Even though it didn’t matter, and it never would. “You’re the best teacher I ever had. And I think you’re great. No matter what what anyone says. Okay?”
Ms. Mulaney smiled at that, looking touched, and I nodded at the ringing phone in her hand. “Good luck,” I said, and turned and hurried toward First Aid. I glanced behind me to see her take a deep breath and answer the call.
“Hello? This is Courtney Mulaney.”
Ms. Mulaney walked away, and I stood by the entrance, hesitating. This was usually the time of night I would have gone to find Freddie, back when I still had some hope about what the night could bring, when I still thought I might be able to fix anything. But there was nothing else to do—nobody I wanted to see, nothing that was going to change. And so, going to the infirmary did sound like a good idea. It would be a place, at least, where I could sit in a quiet room for a little bit and try and grapple with what was happening.
I must have really looked bad, because the nurse running First Aid—her name tag readHELEN,PISMO BEACH, CALIFORNIA—asked me a series of check-in questions and then pretty quickly showed me to a room lined with narrow blue cots with white sheets, blankets folded on the foot of them. The room was quiet and dark, and seemed so peaceful I felt my shoulders drop a little bit just looking at it. She checked my vitals and took my temperature but seemed assured I didn’t have to leave the park and go to the hospital—that I was just dizzy and needed to get my bearings.
“It happens with motion sickness sometimes,” she’d said as she pointed out the cot for me to take. “Especially on Grad Nite. You kids do the rides over and over again and sometimes the inner ear just can’t take it. But if the vertigo gets worse, let me know, and we can get you to a hospital.” She then took my information, and Ms. Mulaney’s information, and then headed out, turning off the lights behind her.
I lay down, curled into a little ball, and closed my eyes. I let myself imagine that, somehow, when I opened them, I’d be back at home, and this all would have been a bad dream.
And with that thought in my head, I drifted off to sleep.
“Cass?”
I opened my eyes and blinked. I wasn’t at home. It wasn’t all a dream. I was in First Aid at California Adventure, on Grad Nite. I hadn’t actually gone anywhere—I’d just taken a nap. Bryony was standing over me, looking worried. “Are you okay?”
“How are you feeling?” Nurse Helen asked as she bustled in, snapping on the light. I squinted against it.
“Better,” I said, pushing myself up to sit. I didn’t feel better. In fact, I felt exactly the same—but I didn’t want to deal with the nurse calling an ambulance I didn’t need.
“It’s almost over,” Bryony said, her mouth twisting. “You missed it.”
“I really didn’t,” I assured her, rubbing my eyes.
“What?”
“Nothing—sorry. Still fuzzy-headed.” I pushed myself up to standing and grabbed my bag. Then I picked up my jean jacket and pulled it on—it was cold in here without the blanket.
“We need to get going,” Bryony said, looking down at her phone. “We have to go get the bus.”
I blinked at her, taking in what she’d just said. “Because Grad Nite is over,” I said slowly. “Because it’s ending.”
“Uh, right,” Bryony said, exchanging a look with Nurse Helen. “Yousureyou’re okay?”
“I’m great!” I felt myself smile for what felt like the first time in forever. “So much better. We should go.” I grabbed Bryony’s arm and pulled her out of the infirmary, calling my thanks to Nurse Helen behind me as I went. How had I not thought of this? I’d always leftbeforeGrad Nite ended—enough things had always gone wrong that it just made sense to start things over. But I’d never stayed for the whole night. Maybe this was the missing piece! Maybe this was how I got back on track—I just had to let the whole night play out. Could it be that simple? I felt hope flare in my chest.
“You really missed a lot,” Bryony said, matching my pace and falling into step with me as we joined the crowd of seniors and chaperones streaming for the exit. I’d never seen people here ?this late at night?—and there was a distinct difference. They seemed tired and happy, and nobody was walking as fast as they had when the night had kicked off.
“I’m sorry,” I said, meaning it. If this was the last time—if now I was finally getting to leave—this would be her Grad Nite, the one she remembered. And we hadn’t been able to spend any of it together.
“Don’t be sorry,” she said immediately. “I’m just bummed we didn’t get to spend time together. I’m glad you’re feeling better, though.”
“So what did I miss?” I asked, giving her a quick glance before looking ahead of me, focusing on the exit. We’d walk through it with everyone else and then maybe—hopefully—I’d be able to keep going. I never thought I’d be so excited by the possibility of walking into a parking lot, but it had just turned into the promised land.
