Choke on Your Misery

Alex

It had been two days since I got sick, and I was still completely miserable. My mom had taken me to the doctor and he diagnosed me with the flu. He gave me some antiviral medicine and told me to take some ibuprofen for the fever, but that was it. I had been told that this could last up to two weeks, which just pissed me off even more. The Battle of the Bands was in a week and a half! If we didn’t play in that, we were pretty much screwed when it came to making a name for ourselves. My mom wouldn’t let me get out of bed much, which didn’t matter because I didn’t really feel like doing anything. All I had done since Wednesday was sleep, drink water, eat soup, and talk to Zack.

On Friday afternoon, Zack came over when he got home from school. I had been dozing off when I heard a soft knock on my door, and opened my eyes to see Zack standing in the doorway. I smiled slightly, rolling onto my back. “Hey,” I said hoarsely, clearing my throat and coughing.

“Hey Alex,” Zack greeted quietly, walking over to my bed. “You feeling any better?”

I shook my head, “I still feel like complete shit. Whatcha got there?"

Zack looked down at the books he was holding, "Oh, your mom asked me to bring some of your homework home."

"I'm too sick to do homework," I groaned as Zack put the books down on the end of my bed.

"Sorry," Zack shrugged.

I let out a rough cough into the crook of my elbow, grimacing and looking back up at Zack. I sighed, "Have I missed anything interesting at school?"

I thought I saw Zack wince; but then again, I was so tired I couldn't see completely straight. "Uh, not really... milk came out of Evan's nose at lunch yesterday because Jack was throwing out jokes left and right.”

I chuckled, "That would've been a sight to see."

"It was pretty funny," Zack smiled, sitting beside me on the bed.

I reached out to hold his hand, and he squeezed it gently. "You aren't going to get sick from being around me, are you?" I questioned.

"Nah, I don't think I will; I had a flu shot a few months ago. Just don't kiss me until you're a little better," Zack said.

"But that could be over a week," I whined. "I can't wait that long!"

Zack chuckled softly, leaning in to kiss me on the forehead. "Sorry, I don’t want to get sick."

"I know," I sighed. “Can you hand me that bottle of water?”

He nodded, standing up to grab the water bottle from my bedside table and handing it to me. I lifted my head slightly to take a sip before screwing the lid back on and tossing the water bottle down on my bed. We were silent for a few minutes before I spoke up.

“You’re being really quiet, Zack. Quiet for you, even,” I said, looking at him. He shrugged in response. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Nothing. I’m just... tired out from school,” Zack said, wringing his hands together.

I raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, Alex.”

I raised my hands up in defense, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he sighed, frowning as I pushed myself up into a sitting position weakly, "You look like death.”

"I feel like death."

"Poor baby," he said sympathetically, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. I leaned my head into his chest and closed my eyes, holding onto him loosely as he leaned back against the headboard. I relaxed into him as his scent washed over me, and almost dozed off for a few minutes. We sat like that for at least ten minutes before I felt Zack get up, and I opened my eyes.

"Don't go," I mumbled sleepily.

"You're exhausted, Alex. Get some rest, we'll talk tonight or tomorrow," Zack promised quietly.

I sighed, "Fine."

He smiled slightly. "Feel better babe."

••••••••••

By the following Wednesday, I was still sick but getting better. It was already May 4th, meaning the Battle of the Bands was in five days. Luckily, I was regaining a bit of energy, and my mom said I might be able to go back to school by Friday. I had lost a few pounds due to not eating much; a fact that annoyed me because I was beginning to look far too skinny. Zack had only come over once more since Friday, and was calling me less each day. I was beginning to get a bit worried. He always had his phone on him, and nearly always answered when I called him.

I called Zack a few times Wednesday afternoon, after school had let out. He didn’t pick up, and I left him a voicemail asking him to call back when he got a chance. After waking up from a nap that evening, I saw that he still hadn’t called or sent any texts. I frowned, sitting up in bed with a cough. I looked over to see that my mom had left a glass of orange juice on my bedside table. I wrinkled my nose – I had drank way too much of this shit in the last week. I took a sip to swallow my medicine, then flipped open my phone to call Rian. The line was busy. I tried again after a minute and he picked up.

“Hey, Alex. I was just trying to call you,” Rian said.

“Oh; that’s why the line was busy,” I said, and he chuckled.

“Yeah. Have you heard from Zack at all today?”

I frowned, “No, that’s actually why I was calling you.”

“Shit. He’s been acting a little strange lately. Some of the guys... ah...” Rian trailed off.

“The other kids have been giving him shit about being bi, haven’t they?” I questioned.

He sighed, “Yeah. Zack’s been trying to brush it off like it’s nothing, but I can tell that it’s starting to bother him. Now that you’re not there to defend him, they think he’s completely vulnerable.”

“Well you guys have been sticking up for him, right?” I asked hopefully, moving the phone away from my mouth as I coughed. I reached for the glass of orange juice to take another drink.

“Of course; there’s someone with him at almost all times. It’s only after fifth period that he’s alone, and that’s when he went missing today.”

I nearly choked on the juice I was drinking, coughing as I spit part of it out onto my blanket, “Missing?! What the fuck are you talking about, Rian?”

“Chill out, Alex! I didn’t mean it literally; he just completely disappeared from school after fifth hour. Jack texted me in a panic when Zack didn’t show up to French class. We’re pretty sure he walked home, because a few people said they saw him leave the school,” Rian told me.

“So he just left? Who’s been teasing him since I was gone?” I asked.

“Mostly the assholes on the football team, but there are a few other people doing it too. It’s mostly guys; quite a few girls have been defending him too.”

“I’m gonna hurt everyone who’s been giving him shit,” I growled. “They haven’t laid a hand on him, have they?”

“I honestly don’t know. There have been rumors all week that they’ve been shoving him around, but Zack told us they hadn’t touched him,” Rian sighed. “You know how Zack is when it comes to stuff like this though.”

“He’ll swear nothing happened all the way to his grave,” I rolled my eyes. “I’d go over there, but my mom won’t let me leave the house.”

“Oh, right; you’re still deathly sick, aren’t you?” Rian asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

“I’m feeling a little better, but I’m not going to be back in school until Friday or Monday. Maybe tomorrow if those assholes don’t lay off Zack,” I scowled.

“We can handle him while you’re sick, Alex. Just try to get a hold of him tonight, if you can. I’ll try calling him too. If he doesn’t show up at school tomorrow, I’m definitely going to go over to his house and see what’s going on,” Rian assured me.

“Alright, good,” I sighed. “Um, if you talk to him first, do me a favor – make sure he’s not cutting again.”

“I really hope he isn’t. This is the kind of stuff that upsets him. I hadn’t even thought of that until now,” Rian admitted.

I sighed, “He better not be. He’s been doing so well about not cutting lately.”

“I’ll check and make sure he isn’t. I’m going to get off the phone so I can try to call him, alright? Hurry up and get better so Zack will cheer up.”

“I’ll try my best.”