"You did," Lizzy confirmed, referring to Teagan's habit of believing that the world revolved around herself while she ignored the people around her and their own nagging issues.
"I'll stop by later, okay? Feel better."
"Thanks, T. Text me if anything happens at school."
"I will. Love you."
"Love you too." Teagan hung up and Lizzy snuggled into her soft pillow, willing for the torment in her head to fade away like a vibrant cloth in the sunshine.
❁
Sleep consumed the rest of Lizzy's day. It was basically heaven to her, her inner soul frolicking in the sky from cloud to cloud with glowing angels consoling her and leading her on an adventure in the world above. The intriguing, fascinating land of dreams cuddled her close like Lizzy was a kitten. Sometimes coming down with a sickness was a blessing, a perfect excuse for her to lay around in bed in serenity.
Lizzy updated her mother on her condition. I'm doing okay. I've been drinking my fluids and getting some rest. My temp's been around 101 for the whole day. I'll see you soon! Love you! Lizzy also received a text from Teagan, simply saying that she'd stop by right after school to check on Lizzy. The clock beside her read 2:45 pm, signaling that Teagan would be arriving shortly. To pass the time, Lizzy decided to rest a little more, her eyelids heavy as though they were filled with pebbles.
Lizzy was startled awake by the doorbell. She tore her blanket off of her body and trudged out of her bedroom with slow, calculating steps. Sleeping all day wasn't the best idea; her legs were wobbly from hours of disuse, vertigo blooming in her head. When she finally reached the door, gratefulness washed over her. She opened the front door and gesticulated for Teagan to enter.
Teagan's oval eyes drooped, a couple wrinkles prominent from the shadows of Lizzy's front porch. Concern bubbled in Lizzy's gut and she was about to ask what was wrong when Teagan simply shook her head, a despondent smile curving her pink lips. "I'm okay. It's just hard, you know?" Lizzy nodded, her own voice about to respond when she noticed there was something that Teagan was concealing behind her back.
Lizzy resisted the urge to laugh. "What did you do?" she demanded, crossing her arms and smirking at her friend.
Teagan's gloomy grin beamed brighter, Mateo and Paisley dropping from the focus of her mind. "I got you something."
"No, you didn't," Lizzy said. "You didn't have to get me anything."
Teagan rolled her eyes, nudging the front door until it closed behind her as she and Lizzy ambled to the living room. "Of course I had to."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did."
A pang stabbed through Lizzy's head again and she squeezed her eyes shut in order to block out the pain. "Sorry, sorry," Teagan expressed, regret evident in her voice. She sat beside Lizzy and placed a small package on Lizzy's lap. "I felt bad about the whole phone call this morning. I can be such an idiot sometimes."
"Aren't we all?" Lizzy countered rhetorically, gazing at the polka dotted package with white tissue sprouting from the top like crests of ocean waves. Lizzy slowly removed the tissue paper one at a time, similar to peeling an onion, once she was given permission by Teagan. Next, Lizzy isolated the inner contents of the gift from its package. Inside was an ancient picture of Teagan and herself when they were around ten or eleven years old. Their arms were slung across each other's shoulders, their smiles brighter than the sun. The camera focused in on their cheerful faces, blurring the unimportant background. Lizzy smiled at the passé photograph, tears springing in her eyes. The photo was framed with a plain white border and written in beautiful calligraphy were the words, "T + L : Always and Forever."
09 | seagull
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