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Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Song: Time is Running Out by Muse 

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I wake up on Monday morning, clutching my stomach as my head spun in circles. I glance up at the clock on my bed side table, my eyes widening as I realized I had one minute until my alarm would go off.

After turning off the alarm I let out a groan as I throw the blankets off of me and climb out of my bed, my hands gripping my stomach as I slowly make my way across the hall to the bathroom. I start the bath water before peeling my clothes off. I reach into the medicine cabinet for some pain killers, which I swallow down with water from the sink.

I climb into the bathtub and close my eyes, begging my head ache and the pain in my stomach to go away. Miranda doesn’t like when I miss school and most likely wouldn’t feel any sympathy for me now.

After spending fifteen minutes laying in the hot water without the pain going away I get out of the tub, wrapping a towel around myself and heading towards my closet to find some clothes to wear. I settle for my usual sweatshirt and black sweats that fit loosely on my legs. I don’t bother with any makeup.

Glancing outside of my bedroom I make my way downstairs; glad that nobody is in the kitchen. I reach for the phone and quickly dial the schools number, turning my back to the hallway and keeping my head low. I really hoped Miranda couldn’t hear me.

“Hello, Lakeview School District.” The voice on the other line came.

“Hi, this is Miranda Richards. I’d like to call in for my daughter, Veronica Swenson. She isn’t feeling well today and won’t be making any of her classes.” I say as I try to make my voice to sound older; more mature.

“Alright, that won’t be any problem, thank you for calling in. We will let her teachers know.” The woman says.

“Thank you.” I say, before placing the phone back on the receiver. I turn around and grab a bowl and a box of Coco Puffs from the cupboards, and the milk from the fridge. I pour my cereal and sit at the table, smiling as Riley and Miranda enter the kitchen a couple minutes later.

Miranda nods at me as she pulls out a bowl similar to mine and sets it on the table in front of Riley, who has sat down beside me at the table.

“What type of cereal would you like?” Miranda asks.

Riley taps her chin, biting on her lip as she decides. “Cinnamon Toast Crunch!” She smiles over at me, her dimple popping out on her cheek.

I smile back at her as I take another mouth full of my cereal. “Sleep well?” I asked her after swallowing.

She nods, “I had a dream. You and Zayn were in it! We were in some field picking daisies and I got tired of walking so Zayn put me on his shoulders and I held the flowers while he picked them. Then we rode white and black horses to a barn where we put them away and fed them carrots.” She grins.

I laugh; a part of me happy that her dream included Zayn in it. “Do you like Zayn then?” I asked her.

She nods, “Yeah he’s nice to me. And he’s your friend.” Riley smiles at Miranda as she sets the bowl on the table. I notice that her jaw was clenched and remembered her last confrontation with Zayn and how she didn’t like him at all. But really she didn’t even give him a chance.

I finish my cereal and put it away in the dishwasher before running up the steps to grab my backpack. I head back down stairs and stick my head into the kitchen, “I’ll be back after school.” I say to Miranda before heading out the front door. As soon as I’m outside I throw my backpack into the bushes to hide it.