This week, my desk mate came down with conjunctivitis. She missed school two days ago, and She returned to school today before she had fully recovered, with her eyes looking quite red.
Everyone was surprised when she first returned, especially me. I didn't dare look at her and even told her not to look at me. When I asked other classmates if she was better, they all said, "Not yet, look for yourself." I was too afraid to look, but then C whispered to me, "Stop talking about her." I immediately fell silent, thinking that she is indeed my friend and that C was being very considerate. After returning to my seat, I glanced at her a few times. At first, I couldn't see much, but by the second or third look, I realized her eyes were indeed red and hadn't healed. After a few classes, I completely forgot she had conjunctivitis and acted as close as usual, leaning over her desk to ask math questions. Despite the warning that "you shouldn't touch anything of someone with conjunctivitis because it's contagious," I still shared a pen and a ruler with her. I even thought about using a tissue to wipe her eyes and then using it on mine.
After school, while walking down the stairs with PT, he made a big fuss, telling me to stay away from her and suggesting I disinfect everything at home so I wouldn't catch it. Q also told me not to touch her, though I knew they were just teasing me.
Hearing all the scary things about conjunctivitis—the isolation, being unable to attend school, and the intense eye pain—I felt terrified. As soon as I got home, I applied eye drops several times and drank some herbal tea to calm my nerves.
To be honest, I am quite afraid of catching it. However, I value our friendship more. In our class, she and I are the ones who always study together and face challenges as a team. It was that sense of friendship that made me momentarily forget the risk of contagion. I just hope the illness doesn't catch up to me.
