The Wasted Days.

I found myself being shaken awake. Subconsciously my muscles tightened and I was curling myself into a ball, eyes squeezed shut tightly. “C’mon Sayers. Wake up.” A soft voice whispered in my ear.

“Wake up, bitch!” A voice, obviously Lexa’s, screamed from farther away. I flinched my eyes.

“Lexa!” Jared bursted from right above my head.

“What?” She asked, sounding annoyed.

I cracked my eyes open a little. Alexa’s hair was styled into an obviously intended bed-head look. Her eyes were rimmed thickly with black eyeliner and mascara and her pink lips popped even more due to the lip gloss she seemed to only use for games, dates, and sometimes even dances. I smiled slightly at her annoyed stance. “Sorry.” My voice was hoarse and by listening to it my instinct said to cough.

“You don’t have to come, I guess.” Jared mumbled looking at his feet.

I coughed. “No. I promised I would.” I sat up slowly and twisted my body so that my legs could hang off of the edge of the bed. The world swirled before my eyes and colors blurred together. Abstract art formed before my eyes. A splatter here, a blur there, a huge pink smudge.

“No, no, no.” Jared said quickly, he sounded louder than he thought. It sounded like yelling to me. “Lay back down.” He demanded and I complied immediately. I let my head fall into my pillow and let my legs hang awkwardly off of the edge. I closed my eyes, blinking hard; blinking slowly. I tried to bring the world back into focus.

“Okay, okay.” I mumbled, flicking an arm over my forehead. The cold skin felt amazing against the burning clamminess that was my forehead. It felt like my head was on fire, I started to feel the sweat seeping from my hairline.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay if we leave you?” Jared asked quietly. I turned to peek at him from under my elbow. He was kneeled down so he was right next to my face. His knees had to start aching soon. He was too tall to be bending down this low to the ground.

I giggled and nodded a yes. I closed my eyes as I heard a light, dull tapping. Lexa was getting impatient. “Jare, you have to be there in, like, ten minutes.” She said quietly. So quietly I almost didn’t hear. Maybe I didn’t hear her right? That didn’t stop the anger from flaring up in the pit of my stomach.

A door slammed downstairs.

“Jared. Her parents are here. They can take it from here. We really need to go.” Lexa said louder. Maybe she thought that he hadn’t heard her the first time. The fire in my stomach burned hotter.

Maybe I’d throw up.

“Not,” He sounded upset. I listened as he took a deep breath. “Not right now Lexa. This is more important right now.” I shook my head and pouted out my lip.

That statement sounded wrong. Jared loved nothing more than his sport. He could have owned it if he wanted. He was a regular David Beckham.

Or maybe I had the name wrong.

I felt warm fingers pulling at the arm slung over my face. I held it tighter, but he was too strong. His hand wasn’t as warm as my forehead because when he placed the back of it upon my temple I found myself moaning.

“Jesus.” He gasped, flipping his hand over so his palm was on my burning skin. My checks felt an angry red. “Come here. Feel this.” I peeked up at him to see his head was turned to face Lexa who, I had to remind myself, was his girlfriend.

She took a few hesitant steps towards me before placing fingers colder than Jared’s on my forehead. I pressed my head up into her hand.

It felt so good.

A yell penetrated through the floors. “Are you all up there?!” It was my mom.

“Go, guys. Before you’re late.” I murmured, no matter how much I wish I didn’t have to. I wished he could just stay here with me. I half smiled as Lexa’s worried face filled my vision. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mouthed.

Why?

“We’ll be by as soon as the game is over.” Jared assured, ruffling my hair and letting his hand graze my heated forehead almost tauntingly. I watched, glassy eyed, as they left my room, running into my mom. I could only watch as they talked, glancing at me, before Jared and Lexa took off down the hall.

I felt deaf.

The silence was crushing my ears.

Crushing my mind.

I closed my eyes and felt footsteps coming towards me. My guess was that they were my mother’s.

“Honey,” freezing fingers pushed hair out of my face, “baby, are you okay?” My mother’s voice was soothing and calm, making my stomach jolt. This had to be the worst flu I’d ever had.

And the earliest.

“Jared said you had a fever.” Her fingers felt my forehead. Gently pressing my temples with her cold fingertips. I found myself moaning again.

“Let me go get the thermometer.” She muttered, mostly talking to herself, I guessed. She stood up, pushing off from my bed and walking down the hall. She was still wearing her shoes.

My stomach jolted again and I felt liquid in my throat, too high up.

I jumped to my feet and ran across the hall to the bathroom, sliding on my knees into the toilet where I emptied my stomach into the bowl. I sat there for a long time with my hair everywhere, my eyes closed.

“Where’d you-?” she cut herself off as, I assumed, she found me in the bathroom, kneeling over the toilet. I lifted my head up to look at her.

I watched as she dropped the thermometer in her hands and her eyes grew larger than I thought possible. I could hear a loud barking from downstairs and I smiled slightly, Riley.

And then she screamed.

She screamed so loud that it made me want to scream.

My ears throbbed and my head, as a whole, pounded.