LOCKDOWN

Chapter 16

It had been two days and Peyton had barely spoken a word to me. We had gotten into the routine we developed when she first arrived here — she'd stay holed up in her room and I would deliver breakfast, lunch, and dinner to her door. At least this time around she was picking up her towels and putting them on the rack. It's not as if she expected me to cook for her, I just did. I knew she was grateful, even if she hadn't said anything. I could just tell.

I wanted to know why our almost-kiss had bothered her so much. Would she have been acting this way if I had just leaned in and kissed her fully? Or would she still be under the impression that I was just using her to figure myself out?

The day started out as normal as it possibly could have, given we were experiencing a pandemic. I had made breakfast, exercised with Dennis, and set myself up on the lounge for the day to fry my brain with ridiculous reality TV. I could feel my brain cells dying off one by one as I continued to watch reruns of 'The Bachelor', and I knew that if Peyton we're down here she would definitely have something to say about my choice of TV show.

My phone began to vibrate and my mum's caller ID flashed on the screen. I excitedly answered, having not spoken to her in the last two days.

"Hey, Mum!"  I answered.

"Is this Zara McMann?" a deep voice came through the speaker.

"Uh, yes...who is this? Is my mum okay?" I asked nervously, my heart rate steadily increasing with every passing second.

"I'm afraid not. She hasn't got the virus, but she's run out of her epilepsy medication and our clinic has no stock. We've tried to order some but there's a shortage nationwide and we won't have any delivered by at least next week."

"She has medication here. How can I get it to her?" I asked frantically, running up the stairs two at a time to get to my mum's room.

"I can send someone to get it from you, but we need all hands on deck here at the moment, so I can't say when that would be. I just wanted to call you to update you on your mother's situation," he told me.

I rummaged through her bedside table drawer, pulling out the box of medication that she so desperately needed.

"What do you mean you don't know when it would be?" I cried hysterically, shaking the box of medication in my hand. "I have the medication right here! She needs it!"

"I'll do my best, okay?" the man said before hanging up.

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move, I couldn't wrap my head around what had just happened. Two minutes ago I was sitting on the couch, worrying about Peyton wanting to kiss me and thinking that it was the worst thing in the world, and now I'm faced with the reality that my mother might die. My hands shook with fear as reality set in, and I eventually pulled myself together enough to stumble frantically toward Peyton's room. I didn't knock, I didn't announce my presence, I just burst into the room hysterically, not caring what her reaction would be.

"Don't you knock?" she snapped, her tone thick with annoyance as she sat up in bed, bed covers pulled up around her.

"M — my mum," I gasped, hyperventilating heavily.

"What's wrong with her? she asked quickly, annoyance now replaced with concern. She left the bed and walked towards me, placing her hands on my shoulders and forcing me to look into her eyes.