Fantasy World

"How are you doing with school?"

Maci rubbed her forehead. "It sucks... It's so stressful right now. I've been studying for weeks for finals and now that they're getting closer, I feel like I don't know anything," she admitted. "How are yours going?"

"Pretty well. I take my final next week and leave the week after. I'm just trying to keep calm. I always do better on tests when I'm relaxed. Maybe you should take a day off, relax a bit," Stephanie offered. 

Maci sighed as she looked over all her work. "I just... I need the time... If I don't use it, then I feel like I'll be wasting it," she responded. 

"Come on. One day. Go to the beach, get a tan, eat some unhealthy food, and relax," Stephanie suggested. "It'll help you more than stressing out for another day."

Maci rested her head down on her physics book. "I can't shake this bad feeling, though. I just... I feel so bleh and I have all week," she mumbled. She hadn't been able to shake the feeling in days. No matter what she did, it never went away. 

"What's been going on? You're not pregnant are you?" Stephanie teased. 

The thought alone made her want to puke. "No, I'm not. As far as I know, anyway," she joked lightly. "I just feel beat down, I guess."

Stephanie laughed at her first comment, but stopped when she caught what her best friend added on. "Take a day off. Seriously. You'll make yourself sick with this amount of stress. Besides, I have heard sneaking comments that you've got yourself a man that could use some attention," she added on with a hint in her voice. Maci paled instantly. 

"What?" she asked, her mouth going dry. 

"Yeah, mom said Steven hinted at you having a guy in Tampa the last time they talked. What's up? Do you have a man?" she asked curiously. "At first I assumed it was just Steven being stupid, but I don't know... Did you and this mystery man get in a fight and that's what's bugging you?"

Maci swallowed hard. She didn't like lying to her best friend, no matter what. Keeping the whole... Thing... With Steven a secret had been killing her each time his sister asked about the girl he was "seeing."

"We aren't really dating. It's nothing, really. We didn't get in a fight either. We're just fine. Just dandy and peachy and all that," she rushed out. 

Stephanie snorted. "What are you hiding? What's going on?" she asked bluntly. 

Maci pulled her hair away from her face. "Nothing. I'll explain it when you get here," she mumbled. That was less than two weeks away. "Or after graduation. I promise."

"Are you okay, Mace?" Stephanie asked softly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Really," she insisted. 

There was a pregnant pause between the two. "Maci... If... If a guy you were ever seeing got... Abusive, you know you can always tell me or tell Steven. We're here for you no matter what," Stephanie finally said. 

Maci closed her eyes tightly. "I promise that's not it. He's honestly really nice. He's a good guy," she assured her best friend. "Things are just... A mess, I guess. I think it's all just stress building up."

"Well, take a break. Go to bed early tonight. Sleep in tomorrow. Take the day of. Make Steven be your bitch and go buy you some food or something," she added on with a laugh. 

Maci smiled a little. As her stomach turned uncomfortably, she decided she would turn in early. "Alright. I'll talk to you later. I'm going to curl up in bed and watch some TV," she decided. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Feel better!" They hung up after that. Maci cleaned up her things and set them aside before going to her closet. She pulled out a pair of comfortable shorts and Steven's Lightning sweat shirt. She quickly changed before crawling into her bed with the lights off. 

The game was luckily on one of the local channels. It was the middle of the first period and the Bolts were down three already. Maci sighed and curled up in a ball. Her eyes drifted shut as a goal horn went off and Steven's name was exclaimed by the announcer. 

-----

Maci was woken up by a light kiss on her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes. She squinted against the harsh light in the room before focusing on the face in front of her.

"Corey let me in. She just left for some study group thing. She said you weren't feeling good?" Steven asked as he sat on the side of her bed. 

Maci groaned and rolled onto her stomach, feeling it churn again. "I kept getting sick last night," she mumbled. 

Steven frowned and lightly brushed her hair away from her pale face. He didn't like that she didn't feel good. "Want me to go get you anything?" he asked. 

"Some soup would be awesome," she said through her pillow. 

Steven lightly squeezed her arm. "Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised. 

---

"Mace, you have to get up. I brought you some noodle soup and juice," Steven said gently as he tried to wake the sleeping girl back up. She finally opened her eyes and just frowned at the wall across from her. "What's wrong?" he asked. 

"I don't know... I just... I don't know," she mumbled as she ran her hands over her face. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Steven handed her the food carefully followed by a spoon. He sat at the foot of her bed, his back against the wall. 

"I talked to Stephanie while I was gone," he commented as she began eating. 

"I talked to her last night," she added. 

He nodded. "She said you weren't feeling good then, too, but different than sick... Have you been okay?" he asked warily. 

Maci shifted in her bed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think it's just my nerves about finals and graduating."

He watched her carefully. "Is it about... Us? And Steph coming soon?" 

Maci swallowed some of the soup broth. "I don't know. Probably," she guessed before shrugging. "I just feel bad for lying to her."

Steven frowned. His hand rested on her knee. "Well, maybe we should tell her then. If it's making you feel like this..."

She shook her head. "I just caught a bug or something. I'll be fine," she assured him. "I figured we could just come to that bridge when she gets here."

He hesitated before nodding. "When did you guys get back into town?" she asked after a few minutes. 

"About two this morning."

"How'd the game go? I turned it on, but I fell asleep..." she admitted. 

He sighed. "We lost. No matter what, after losing this game, there's no way for us to make it into the playoffs. They beat us six to two," he told her. "I scored once in the first."

She offered him a small smile. "You guys will make it one year. You have too much talent not to," she told him. Her stomach sank at the news, though. She'd been hoping they'd make it into the playoffs again.

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I hope so. It'd be nice not to live with this crushed feeling for months after spring," he mumbled. 

Maci watched his sad face for a few moments before turning so she was sitting beside him. She placed a small kiss on his cheek before going back to eating the soup, her left arm touching his the whole time. 

Steven looked down at her. Her newly cut hair was a mess and poking out in all different directions. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes looked dull. But she was still beautiful to him. He felt lucky he was even being given a chance. He knew she could find someone so much better for her. A guy that would be around more often, one that didn't come along with the stress of being family with her best friend, and one that could make everything okay in her world. He wanted so badly to be perfect for her, but he knew it wasn't possible. He wasn't perfect. 

"You're taking the day off, right?" he asked. 

She nodded her head. "I'm giving into what your sister told me to do," she replied. 

He offered her a smile. "You're more than welcome to stay at my place if you'd be more comfortable there. I have an actual bed, privacy, and quiet," he offered. 

She chewed on some of the noodles while she debated it. "I don't want to ruin your carpets if I get sick... I'd feel bad," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed. 

He shrugged. "Downie puked on them twice when we had some of the guys together to celebrate," he told her. 

She gave him a wary face. "Come on, you'd be more comfortable. I'll even let you borrow some of my comfy sweats," he added. 

She was sold at that. "Deal. After I'm done eating?"

He nodded his head. "Whenever."

They sat in silence while she finished her soup and juice. Steven didn't mind the silence or little activity, he just wanted to be there for her. He hated seeing her look like she felt miserable. He could remember when she and his little sister were fifteen and stayed at his house all day. He walked into Steph's room to find them cuddled up on the bed, green as grass, and looking like they wanted to die. She'd puked on his favorite pair of skates that day. 

"Okay, let's go," she mumbled as she threw the trash away. She climbed off her bed and looked back at him. "Do you mind if I take a bath at your house?" she asked shyly. 

He gave her a smile. "Of course you can. It won't ever be used otherwise," he responded. 

She quickly packed a small backpack with her things before they left the dorm. She curled up in his car and closed her eyes while he began the drive. Steven frowned, hating how helpless he felt seeing her like that. His hand rubber slow circles on her back as he drove, lulling her to sleep.