Bad Decisions Make Good Stories

- 12 -

Twelve

Please go check out Resolution, a new story I'm writing. It's in the external link. You never know, it may be the last story I write because no one seems to read meh anymore and I'm starting to move on.

Waking up on Sunday, I didn’t too feel too good at all. I was functioning but my back had a dull ache and there was a small pain behind my eyes. I ignored it though, writing it off as not enough sleep before slinking downstairs. Ariel and mom sat at the kitchen, discussing plans for the day. I kept my head down, grabbed some food and left. They didn’t bother me which meant their plans didn’t involve me. I was so happy.

With three weeks left until the wedding, everything was getting more hectic and I was getting more tired. Racing back upstairs, I dropped back into bed and stayed there for the rest of the day watching TV and falling in and out of sleep. As the day progressed, I started to deteriorate, the aching got worse and the pain behind my eyes pulsed vividly.

Something wasn’t right when I awoke the next morning. I was a shivering cold but I was sweating as if it were the middle of summer. My body ached from my head to my toes and my head felt cloudy. I tried getting up but I felt I had no energy. I tried calling for my mom, but my voice was thick and scratchy. So I just lay there, waiting for her to come and yell at me. It took her all of ten minutes.

She came bursting into my room but as soon as she looked at me, all her frustration seeped away, soon replaced by worry. She came to my bedside. “Honey you look deathly. What’s wrong?”

She put the back of her hand to my forehead and frowned. I groaned. “I don’t know. I didn’t feel to goo yesterday or Saturday night but it just got worse.”

“I think you have the flu. No school for you today. I’ll make you a hot drink and some breakfast. You go and have a shower to see if it will make you feel better.”

She gave me a kiss on the cheek then disappeared. I smiled and built up all my courage to drag myself from under my covers. Even though my mom could be a high-end bitch sometimes, she could still be a great mother at the best of times.

Getting into the shower, I turned it to a comfortable temperature then sat on the tile floor. I didn’t have any energy to stand upright. I washed myself while sitting down then stayed their awhile. Eventually, mom banged on my door so I had to get out. I dressed into clean, flannel pyjamas and raked my hair into a ragged top knot.  

She set a tray of assortments on my bedside table and helped me into bed before placing it on my lap. She stroked my hair. “I hope it’s not stress from the wedding, sweetie. I know this is a big strain on the family, having the van der Sande’s here but it’s only for a few more weeks then they’ll be gone for at least another year,” she paused then muttered, “thank God.”

I laughed. “Aw mom, I’m sorry Ariel is so horrible to you.”

“It’s fine. I’m trying to be strong and wait on every need but I have a lot of work to do, so it’s hard.”

I put my hand over hers. “A few more weeks, mom.”

She sighed. “I hope they don’t come back. Like, ever.”

I gave my mom a tight hug. “I knew you were cool deep down.”

She ruffled my hair. “This conversation never happened. I love Ariel and David!”

She winked before telling me to eat up then get some sleep. She disappeared because Ariel was calling out to her.

I text my friends to say what’s up then for the rest of the day, I was in and out of sleep. I had a bunch of used tissues all around my bed and cough lolly wrappers littered my duvet. Mom had bought me up some junk food because she felt sorry for me so that was lying on my bed too.