The Girl Next Door

On Saturday morning, Cam woke up early to get ready for the day. He was taking Emmie to the zoo. After all, he HAD promised. The clock on the wall across from his bed said 5:48. He sat up and felt a throbbing pain in the side of his head. He groaned and swung his legs to the side of the bed, putting his feet on the floor. He stumbled to his private bathroom and leaned over the white porcelane sink. Splashing cool water on his face, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. There were bags under his eyes and his face was pink with fever. Groaning again, he felt his stomach churn. He gagged and rushed to the toilet, vomiting into it.
Cam wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and the tears from his eyes. Then he flushed the toilet and sat on the rim of the bathtub. Reaching for a paper cup on the sink, he filled it with water and drank it. The foul taste in his mouth made his eyes water. Downstairs, the doorbell rang. He stood, and immediately had to sit back down. The doorbell rang again. Taking a breath, he leaned on the rim of the sink, then the door, then the wall, and in this fashion, he slowly made his way downstairs.
As he opened the door, he suddenly felt lightheaded. "Emmie, I...I don't think I can come today." The room was spinning. Cam put his hand to his head.
"Cam?? What's wrong?? Cam!! Help!! Mrs. Lund, come quick!!" Emmie screamed. The floor was hard under Cam's back. His eyes began to drift shut. He felt his beautiful friend take his hand. "Cam...please...wake up..." she sobbed. And then his world went black.
He woke. He didn't know how much time had passed, where he was, or or even WHO he was. His head hurt, and he couldn't move. There was a chair beside the bed he lay on. In it, there was a girl. She was very beautiful, even in sleep, but he did not recognize her. He didn't recognize anything about this strange place. The walls were white, and so was the hard floor. The bed was very uncomfortable, and also covered in a white sheet. In fact, everything about the room was white. Except for the girl. Her long, brown hair fell, tangled, around her face. Her skin was toned, and her arms were slightly muscular. Her green t-shirt was rumpled. He stared at her until his head felt as if there was a little man in his skull, pounding on the backs of his eyes with a hammer. Then, he let the darkness take him once more into a dreamless sleep.
When he woke again, his head no longer ached. Opening his eyes, he looked around him. He was in a hospital room, and in the chair beside the bed sat Emmie. She was sleeping; tears dried on her face. Cam watched her sleep until a nurse came in.
She smiled at him and said, "Good morning, Cameron. You've been asleep for quite a while. How are you feeling??".
"I like to be called CAM, not Cameron. And I feel fine. Is Emmie okay??" The nurse smiled again.
"Yes, yes. She's fine. Just a little tired. You know, she refused to leave your side all night?? Insisted on staying here. Your mother put up quite a fight, but in the end, the girl won out. Mrs. Lund is in the waiting room. I'll be back shortly with your breakfast." said the nurse, and then she walked briskly out of the room.
Emmie began to shift in the chair, and Cam turned toward her. She opened her light brown eyes, and saw that he was awake. "Cam!! Oh thank goodness!! I was so worried!!" She began to stand, but the nurse came in and she sat back down again. The nurse handed Cam a tray with an apple, two pieces of toast, and a banana, which he hurriedly scarfed down. The nurse took the tray and left.
Cam turned to Emmie again and said, "What happened??" Emmie began the story.
He had opened the door, and she'd come in. They'd been standing in the hallway when he had fainted. As it turned out, he had a concusion. A mild one, but he'd still needed to go to the hospital.
"Oh, I get it now!! Friday, at the game, I got tackled and hit my head on a rock. But I didn't realize that it was serious until yesterday morning!! But I feel better now...so why are they keeping me here??" he said. Emmie shrugged. The nurse came back in, and said, "Cameron, you seem fine. Your mother is waiting in the lobby to take you home. You may go, now." Cam and Emmie stood and walked through the door together. They made their way to the lobby. Cam's mother saw him and ran to him. He felt his face get red, and stood rigidly until she released him. The three of them walked to the car.
When his mother drove up the long driveway and pulled into the garage, they jumped out and ran to Cam's room. Shutting and locking the door behind them, Emmie collapsed on his bed. "Safe!!" she gasped. They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Cam realized suddenly that this was the first time in a while they'd been alone in his room. He stopped laughing, and so did she. An awkward silence stretched between them, and Cam searched desperately for something to talk about. He went to the double doors leading to the balcony and opened them.
"You coming??" Emmie nodded and they walked onto the balcony. Cam shut the glass doors behind them. The broken sunshine tangled itself in Emmie's hair, turning it a dark golden-red hue. It took Cam's breath away. She stared into the distance with her chin in her hand. Cam watched her for a while, then said, "What are you thinking about??" Emmie jumped, and he laughed. "Scared you , didn't I?? Your face is really, really red!! What's that?? Emmie has...a...a CRUSH?? Haha, remember when you did that to me??" Emmie laughed...nervously?? A tingle went up Cam's spine and he refused to let himself think of it.
"No...I was just...thinking. I just noticed that you can see through my windows from here." And she blushed again.
"Don't worry," he said. "I haven't been spying on you." Emmie laughed and shook her head, making her hair dance with the movement. The sweet smell of her shampoo wafted through the air, and he was overwhelmed. Cam felt himself moving towards her. He saw his hand on her shoulder. He watched her turn, a puzzled look on her face.
Then he realized what he was doing and pulled his hand away. Emmie laughed at him, obviously misunderstanding what he was feeling. Why couldn't she just be a normal girl?? Why did she have to be his best friend?? Why??