These Bright Lights Have Always Blinded Me

Grrrr. I don’t feel good!! I buried my head under my pillow when my phone rang. Heilige scheisse who’s calling me!?

I grabbed my phone and slid it open. “What?” I whined, “I was sleeping.”

“Oh. Sorry if I woke you up. I just wanted to see how you were feeling,” I heard Tom say.

I sat up. “No. it’s fine. I need to get up anyway. Frank owes me soup,” I replied.

“What kind of soup?” he asked.

“Chicky noodle,” I replied. Yeah. I’m weird when I’m sick.

He laughed. “You’re a dork,” he said.

“I know. But I’m your dork so it’s okay,” I said.

“When did I claim you?” he asked.

“When you kissed me. Duh,” I said laughing.

“Okay. Fine by me,” he said.

Suddenly, Ali burst through the door. ”You kissed who?!” she asked.

“What are you doing here?!” I asked her.

“Who’s there?” Tom asked me.

“Who are you talking to?” Ali asked.

“Ali’s here,” I told Tom. I looked at Ali. “None of your concern,” I told her.

“Come on!” she said, “Tell me!”

I shook my head when she took my phone. Being too weak, I couldn’t take my phone away. “Ali,” I whined before hacking up a lung, “give me my phone back please.”

She shook her head and asked, “Hello? Who is this?”

She was silent when her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “So you two sucked face?! Details! Oh don’t hold out on me man! I wanna know! Fine! I’ll ask Chelzers,” she said before hanging up on Tom.

“Hey,” I whined, “I was talking to him. Don’t hang up on Tomi.”

She smirked like she was gloating. “I was so right. You do like him. And you kissed him! Oh man,” she said.

“Don’t tell anyone. Please Ali. I don’t want anyone to know. Because sooner or later it would get back to Kat,” I said, “Ah crap she’ll murder me if she finds out!”

I buried my head under my pillow and screamed. There were rushed feet coming towards my room. “Chelsea!” Frank exclaimed, “What is it?”

I unburied my head and replied, “Nothing Frank.”

He gave me a yeah-right look. “Come on Chelsea. Tell me or I’ll ask Ali,” he said.

“No,” I whined, “Ali just totally interrupted my phone conversation with Tomi and then proceeded to hang up on him!”

“Tomi?” Frank asked, “You mean Tom? When did you guys start talking?”

“Since forever ago Frankie,” I said, “Can I have soup please? I don’t feel good.”

He nodded. “Chicken noodle?” he asked.

I nodded and he smiled before leaving my room. Ali turned back to me before asking, “How was it?”

For as tired and weak as I was, I couldn’t help but smile. “He’s a good kisser. And even after we left to go to Dairy Queen, he could not stop kissing me. He kept apologizing for doing it, too,” I replied.

“Awe!” she said, “That’s awesome. Now we have to proceed with Operation Overlord.”

“Wasn’t that when we stormed the beaches of Normandy during World War 2, or Welt krieg zwei?” I asked. Yeah I’m a history nerd. Sue me.

She hit herself in the face. “Point is we have to get rid of the girlfriend now. I personally want to send her to Antarctica. But that’s just me,” she said.

“That’s kind of hard and illegal.”

“Or we can tell her you totally made out with Tom.”

“Oh hell no! Do you really want me dead Ali? Really?”

She was quiet. “Okay. No telly Kat about you and Tomi. I promise.”

“But you just totally told me,” Frank said suddenly with my chicken noodle soup.

I looked over and saw him. And I could not tell how he was feeling about it and I don’t like that! “Frankie?” I asked, “Can I have my chicky noodle soup please?”

He looked from me to the soup and back to me. “Hmmm,” he said, “Do I really want to give you the soup? Or should I say no and take it away?”

I pouted. “Frankie,” I whined, “I don’t feel good! Mommy said to be nice to me today!”

He sighed. “Here,” he said giving me the soup, “Happy sis?”

I nodded. “Can you do me a favor bubby?”

“Sure,” he replied.

“Don’t say anything about me and Tom to anyone. And I mean anyone. What is said in this room stays in this room. Capeesh?”

“Fine,” he replied, “How are you gonna get rid of Kat then?”

I shrugged. “Ich weiss nicht,” I replied.

“Well, how about you eat and we’ll talk afterwards, okay?” Frank asked.

I nodded before I started on my soup. It needs crackers. “Frankie! Can you get me crackers?” I asked before I started violently coughing.

He nodded and said, “I’ll be back. I’m going to get you some Tylenol and a glass of water.”

“Thank you Frankie,” I said. Hey, he’s good to me.

“Anytime sis,” he said before leaving the room again.

I sat my soup on the end table and laid down as I looked around my room. My walls were blue and they’re covered in pictures. And I mean covered. I have 30 Seconds to Mars, Escape the Fate, Paramore, and a bunch of different bands. Even a few I don’t recognize. Hmm. Oh well.

Ali sat on my bed and asked, “You don’t feel so great, huh?”

I shook my head, not even caring that I had no comeback. “I was feeling good yesterday,” I said, “And now I feel like crap. I don’t like it.”

“I know Chelzers,” she said when I heard Frank walk back up the stairs.

I whined. “Why do I feel like this?!” I asked, “I don’t feel good and I don’t like it!”

“Sounds like it,” I heard Tom say.

I looked up and saw Tom with crackers, Tylenol, and a glass of water. I smiled weakly and said, “Got that right.”

He walked in and sat the stuff by my soup. He sat next to me on the bed and put his hand on my forehead. “You’re really warm. You okay babe?” he asked.

He smiled and shook my head. “My head hurts, my tummy hurts, and I want my soup,” I replied.

He smiled and said, “I wish I could make you feel better Chels. I really do.”

I nodded. “Ich weiss Tom,” I said.

“Aren’t you supposed to meet up with Kat after school?” Ali asked.

Tom nodded. “I’m not going to though. And you probably know why,” he said.

Ali nodded. “Well, I’m going to hang out with Frank. Later,” she said before standing up. She walked out of my room and decided to yell, “Keep the noise level down while you’re at it!”

I shook my head and Tom laid down next to me on his side. “You don’t have to be here Tom. You should be at school,” I said.

“I know,” he said, “But Ali told me you and Mikey were sick so I decided to see both of you guys to make sure you were okay. And to be honest babe, you look worse than Mikey.”

“Gee. Thanks Tomi,” I said sarcastically.

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Anytime,” he replied.

I pushed the shoulder that wasn’t on my bed down and had Tom on his back. I laid my head on his chest and asked, “Can I sleep on you?”

I felt him pet my hair. “Yeah babe,” he replied.

I closed my eyes. “Hey Tomi?”

“Yeah Chelsea?”

“You realized you called me babe three times already, right?”

“Yeah. Does it bother you?”

“No. Just thought you ought to know.”

“That’s fine. I really wish I wasn’t with Kat. But I know I couldn’t be with both of you. It isn’t fair if you have to share me with someone else.”

I smiled and asked, “Then why not dump her?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. She really hasn’t given me a reason to.”

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

I sighed. “When she dated Gerard, she forced him to not talk to Ali and me. I know she’ll try and con you into not talking to us as well. My plan was to just not get close to you. But you made that plan fail. Not that I’m complaining, but still. Not the point.”

He sighed and was silent for a moment. “You know, I can believe it. The day she does is the day I dump her. No one tells me who I can and can’t talk to.”

“I know. She actually came by here and told me to stop talking to you and said she’d be able to. Probably say she’ll leave you or not fuck you if you continue to talk to us.”

He chuckled. “I’d rather not get laid than not talk to you and Ali.”

“Good.”

“Yep.”

“Fine.”

“Peachy.”

“Did you ever figure out what that meant?”

“Nope.”

I chuckled. “It’s the same as fine. Only more…American-ish. You know?”

“Yeah. Now relax. You’re probably tired.”

I nodded and said, “I need to take my meds though.”

I sat up and grabbed the pills and glass of water. I popped two in my mouth and washed them down with water. I lied my head back down on Tom’s chest and snuggled into him. “Night Tomi,” I said.

He chuckled. “Technically it’s still day,” he said.

“Eh bite me,” I said as I involuntarily yawned.

He wrapped his arms around me. “Get some rest. You need it.”

I nodded and fell into a dreamless sleep.