Chapter Twenty-Four
“Jules?” someone said quietly, creaking open my door.
“Come in!” I said in between coughs.
“Are you okay?” Aiden asked, as he, Chase, and Mason filed into my room. Great.
“Yeah, totally, I just don’t want to go to school, so I’m pretending to die here while my lungs explode, and I sneeze every ten seconds,” I said sarcastically. Being sick sucks. The only good outcome is missing a drudging day of school, and even then I still have to do all the homework.
“Well feel better!” he said cheerily.
“You look like crap,” Chase said.
“Thanks. That really makes me feel better!” I said, throwing a pillow closest to me at him. Jerk.
“I’m just being honest,” he said, walking closer to me, and sitting down on my desk chair. Aiden slumped down in a corner, facing me, and Mason sat down at the foot of my bed.
“I think you look beautiful,” Mason said, smiling brightly at me. Ugh. I hate that boy! He’s so fucking perfect! Everything about him! He’s Mason! He’s nice, and cute, and everybody loves him! It just annoys the shit out of me! I still can’t believe we went out…
“You’re lying! I look like shit!” I said, kicking his back with my foot.
“Aw! Did someone have a bad day today?” Chase laughed.
“Yes, actually, I did!” I said. I was home alone all day. No one else- just me. It sucked. I was so bored. I was sleeping, and watching brain numbing TV for most of the day. Sure it wasn’t school, but it still sucked! I need to be around people!
“Miss me that much?” he teased.
“Totally Ryan,” I said, rolling my eyes dramatically at him.
“You know it’s true Jules.”
“Uh huh. You can think whatever the fuck you want,” I assured him.
“So Jules, what do you have?” Mason asked, putting his head down on my feet. As if a reflex, I flinched back so his head dropped onto the bed itself.
“A headache,” I answered.
“Right… Do you have the flu? A fever? A cold? What?” he clarified.
“I think I have a very contagious case of get the fuck away from me!”
“Man you’re in a shitty mood!” Chase remarked.
“If you don’t shut up I’ll be in an even shittier one!” I wheezed.
“Well, we just came by to say feel better,” Aiden said, who had been smart to keep quiet. I don’t know why I wasn’t the amazingly happy person that I can be at times, but being sick gives you a pass.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Well, we’ll just be leaving now. See ya tomorrow,” Chase said, standing up from my chair.
“Ugh. I have to see your face tomorrow too?”
“Yes Jules,” he smirked, “you do.”
“Sucks for me. By the way, how’d you guys get here?” I questioned suspiciously.
“Talia drove us,” Chase answered.
“She’s here?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged.
“I want to see her!” I whined.
“I’ll go find her,” Chase said, excusing himself from my room. Aiden, Mason, and I sat in my room in a comfortable silence for a few brief moments before Chase resurfaced with Talia behind him.
“Hey Jules!” she said, giving me a sympathetic look.
“Hi,” I said.
“So you’re sick. That sucks. Hope you feel better. I’ll see you tomorrow; Chase we seriously have to go- mom and dad are making us have some stupid family dinner or something,” she said, giving me an apologetic look.
“Okay. Bye Talia, Aid, Mason. Oh yeah, and you too Chase,” I said, letting out a loud, “achoooo!”
“Bless you,” Aiden said.
“Thanks. Bye. Oh, I hate to ask, but you guys didn’t bring homework or some shit with you, did you?” I asked, hoping they wouldn’t be dumb enough to do something like that.
“No, I think Izzy’s bringing it over later,” Chase said.
“Okay, cool. Bye. Get out,” I said, waving to them.
“Bye Jules, feel better,” Mason said, exiting the room.
“Hope you’re in a better mood tomorrow,” Aiden said.
“Don’t worry, she will be,” Chase said, winking at me as the two of them left my room calmly.
“Bye Jules!” Talia said, departing, and following after the boys.
Alone once again. This sucks. I got up from my bed, only to be hit by an overwhelming sensation of dizziness. Being sick REALLY sucks! I slowly and carefully took a few steps over to my desk, and unplugged my phone from its charger. I reached for a pair of white ear buds, and went back to my bed.
I have white ear buds. Simple, and small. I listen to music a tremendous amount, but I’ve never really been interested in getting those obnoxiously big headphones that cover your entire ears, and that boys have to “look cool”. The cute, little, white ones are just fine by me.
I inserted the pointy part of the earphones into the top of my phone, and plugged them into my ears. Unlocking my phone, I pressed shuffle. On came Good Feeling, by Flo Rida (Josh was the one who explained to me that Flo Rida is just Florida split up. Who knew?!). I love how ironic my phone always is when I play music. Good feeling my ass! I am most definitely not feeling good right now. *Not feeling well. You know what Flo? Sometimes I get a crappy feeling!
My head clonked against my pillow, and I didn’t change the song, due to the laziness of not wanting to go through the entire process of unlocking my phone just to press a button. Good Feeling remained, and I closed my eyes, only to open them back up when my door flew open.
“Ever heard of knocking?” I asked, looking up to see who the perpetrators were. Trent, Kim, and Izzy. There were three missing.
“Nah. That takes too much effort,” Trent said.
“Are you okay?” Kim asked.
“Nope,” I said, taking out the little things in my ears.
“Well feel better!” Izzy said energetically.
“Will do,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Oh! We have homework for you!” she said, opening up her bag, and ejecting from it a paper folder.
“I don’t want it.”
“Too bad,” Kim said, grabbing the folder from Izzy, and placing it on my lap. I looked at in repulsion. School is so stupid. I’m sick, why the hell would I want to do homework? Answer: I DON’T!
“So, did you have a fun day playing hooky?” Trent asked, sitting down on my legs.
“Get off, and no, I didn’t.”
“I know, the day’s no fun without me!” he said, moving off of my legs.
“No, it was a fucking blast without you; I missed everyone else.”
“You’re lying Julesy,” he sighed.
“Uh huh. Totally. Where are Owen, Logan, and Mia?” I asked, interested about the missing three’s whereabouts.
“They’re coming over tomorrow, because they couldn’t make it or something,” Kim shrugged, rolling her eyes.
“Okay. Cool. Now I really don’t want to come off rude, but I feel like shit, and would you guys mind leaving?” I requested, coughing mid sentence.
“Okay Julesy. See ya tomorrow!” Trent said, giving me a hug to which I didn’t return.
“You are aware that I’m sick, and there’s a possibility that it’s contagious?” I said, smirking as he quickly pulled away.
“Ew! Jules germs!” he said, wiping the invisible molecules off his shirt like it would help.
“Your fault if you get sick Trenty!” I said.
“I know. But hey, maybe that’ll give me a legitimate excuse to skipping school,” he said optimistically.
“Could be,” I said.
“Feel better!” Izzy said cheerily, waving at me.
“Thanks. Now please get out,” I said.
“Hope you feel better by the end of this week!” Kim said.
“Okay. Bye guys!” I said, as they all reluctantly left. I know being alone sucks, but I’m sick, and too tired to talk to people. The door swept shut, and I sighed, taking in the emptiness that the room was once again. Sure there was a load of crap on the floor, but metaphorically speaking, it felt empty. I wanted to be near people, but at the same time, I didn’t.
“Jules!” Adam’s voice bellowed from the hallway beyond.
“Yeah!” I yelled back, then realizing that sore throats and screaming aren’t a good mix. There I go again, not thinking.
“Mom said that I have to stay home with you tomorrow because she and dad have work, so we’re going to an amusement park,” he said, coming into my room.
It took a minute for his words to sink in, before I said, “First of all, I don’t need you to babysit me, and second of all, an amusement park? Really? I’m sick idiot!”
“Okay fine, the movies.”
“I’m sick!”
“Well we’re not staying in the house all day! I get a free day off, so we’re totally doing something fun!” he said.
“Let me rephrase my past sentence: I AM SICK!” I said, talking too loudly.
“Cool Jules, we’ll leave at nine! Feel better!” he said, patting my leg, and leaving my room. I am not going to an amusement park tomorrow, or anywhere for that matter. If Adam thinks we are, he’s in-fucking-sane.