The next day, Shauna decided to stay home. She sat in her room for the majority of the day, her favorite music playing in the background and had spent at least six hours awake until she'd picked her phone up in her hands again.
She looked at the message Jackie had sent her the night before. Her thumb aimlessly hovered over the keyboard, thinking of what to type.
From: Shauna (Sent at 4:43 pm)
[Hello.]
Jackie:
[Hey Hey Heyyyyy!]
[I must have texted you while you were asleep!]
Shauna was dumbfounded. She'd never received a faster response in her life.
Shauna:
[Yeah, that must've been the case.]
[You say "Hey" a lot, Jackie.]
Jackie:
[I know! It's kind of my thing!]
Shauna could feel Jackie's enthusiasm through her text messages. She spoke to Shauna as if she hadn't had a friend to text in years.
Jackie:
[Soooo..]
[How are you today, Shippy?]
Shauna:
[I'm well, thank you... Just catching up on some soccer things...]
Jackie:
[SOCCER?! You like soccer too?! WE HAVE TO PLAY TOGETHER.]
Wincing a bit, Shauna squinted at her phone screen. Such an energetic texter, Jackie was. She was kind of difficult to keep up with, and Shauna felt like there would be a long-term sort of thing.
Shauna:
[Uh, sure. I mean, will they let you out of the hospital?]
Jackie:
[I guess. I can still walk around and get to where I have to go! Pretty much the only thing wrong with me is that I can't sleep!]
Shauna scowled. She could feel the ignorance emanating from Jackie's text messages. Did she really think she was admitted to a hospital just because she was having trouble sleeping? She knew full well the name of the disease she had. So then why was she so cheerful about her entire situation? Why did she lack the understanding of just how serious her condition was?
Unless... Jackie was purposely playing the fool. She must have been.
Right?
Shauna's grip tightened around her phone. She had to be.
Shauna:
[Then I guess I'll see you at the hospital around a week or two from now. I know a field we can go to...]
Jackie:
[A WEEK OR TWO?!]
[SHAUNA SHIPMAN.]
Shauna:
[Is that too long a wait? I can probably reschedule...]
Jackie:
[Nah, it's alright! I guess I can wait that long. I've got time.]
I've got time. The words echoed in Shauna's head as if they'd been spoken aloud. She stared down at the screen, her brow furrowing slightly. Did Jackie know about the lifespan of victims with her condition? Was she just playing the fool after all? Just what kind of woman was she?
Indifference morphed into curiosity and said curiosity was what drew Shauna closer to her new friend.
Shauna:
[Great. I'll see you then.]