My friend, Lottie, has been acting off today.

It started off with her telling me she didn’t sleep a lot last night which isn’t unusual. She often stays up late doing group projects when the rest of her group doesn’t want to, or on a call with her boyfriend. She looked pale but then again, she’s always had a paler complexion. So throughout the day, she’s been acting tired but swore that she was alright.

I believed her.

Near the end of school, she asked if we could hang out today because she didn’t feel like going home.

I agreed but we always hang out after school anyways, she didn’t need to ask.

But just before class ended, she said something along the lines of, “Lucas, whatever you do, do not send me to the hospital. Even if I faint, even if I come close to death, do not send me to the hospital.”

I laughed it off as one of her jokes. Lottie has always had a — unique — sense of humour.

However, now here I am with her unconscious body in my arms. My first instinct was obviously to call the ambulance or police or something but she told me not to do that.

I remember she’s briefly mentioned her dislike towards hospitals in passing conversation but never why.

I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had “gut instincts” and I’m a very logical person but idk what to do. Usually I would ask Lottie for help in situations like these but she’s unconscious. She fainted into my arms. I would usually review my options and pick whichever makes the most sense but I don’t know what my options even are.

I tried to wake her up but she hasn’t woken. It’s been 40 minutes and I’m typing this up on my phone while she’s lying on me in the middle of our favourite park.

No one comes around here, it’s about a mile or two before we can get back in town. And it’s almost dark.

She’s incredibly pale and warm, her face is almost blue-ish.

I don’t know what’s going on, just a moment before she was talking and laughing but in a second I barely even had time to catch her before she fell into me.

I tried to pull out my phone and contact friends and family for help, but no one picked up. I’ve been googling what to do, but all answers haven’t worked. They seem to all lead to “call an ambulance.” Which I considered doing, but there was something stopping me from doing so. Every time I was about to call an ambulance, Lottie would clench her fists in her unconscious state or a tree branch would fall and scare the shit out of me. It’s almost like the world itself doesn’t want me to call the ambulance.

I think my best choice is to take her back to town but that’s a few miles away. I don’t know how I’m going to carry her for that long. I don’t know if she’s going to wake up any time soon. I don’t even know how she needed up like this.

I’ve been trying to theorise why she might’ve fainted but everything I’ve come up with doesn’t seem really plausible. I doubt it could’ve been something to do with her sleep. Though she did mention she didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, she’s pulled many all nighters before and never had a problem. It might’ve been something she ate or drank but she’s eaten the same things she does every other day. A ham and cheese sandwich, some chips, a bottle of sparkling water. (She never liked the taste of normal water.) She hasn’t been eating too much nor too little. She hasn’t had a lot of stress with school. Just a few hours ago she was laughing and talking freely with teachers and students.

It might be something a lot more personal to do with family or her love life but she would’ve told me if it was.

I’m stumped.

I feel pathetic turning to strangers on the internet for help but I figured someone will know what to do. I’m seriously considering calling the police but something tells me I shouldn’t do that.

Please help. I don’t know what to do.