they say,” h e said , lifting his hand to touch my face.
“Thanks for the help with Beauwolf Mr. Knightl ey, ” I said as a group of girls walked by from our school.
He ran his hand threw his hair instead , and the girls giggled, staring him up and down . “Of course, Vera . I’ll see you in class in a little bit?”
“Yeah,” I replied, but I didn’t make it to school that day, or the next. I had sat on my bed for the past three days, staring out the window with my parents’ photo clutched in my hands. Its sharp edges dug into my hands and left marks, but I still gripped it as if it would leap out of my hands. I had tried to grasp at the straws of reality, but the pain was just too deep. It was so deep that I felt numbed out even when my phone rang and interrupted the silence. I could have let him save me, but for some reason I thought I deserved the torture of my loneliness. I knew he wanted to make sure I was okay, but how could I tell him that?
People thought I was a murderer.
The thought made me sick and on the fourth day of my absence from life it physically brought me down.
I knew my phone was ringing , but made no effort to move, it took too much effort, everything was taking too much effort. The fever wa s consuming me , and I was going from hot to cold without any sort of pattern . E ach time the chill came I was dry heaving , unable to puke because there was n othing left in my body.
I had lost track of time, and I had no idea how many days I had been out of school. The phone stopped ringing , and I found myself drifting off into a s weaty sleep that was more of a hallucination than anything . When t he door bell rang I didn’ t immediately answer , thinking I was dreaming, but then the pounding on the door pursued , and I was wide awake.
“ Vera ! Vera !” Tad was yelling . “Let me in!”
I stood with my legs shaking and made my way to the door. I opened it to find Tad sta nding there in full teacher dress .
“Tad, why are you here?”
“I was scared. I went to see Kirsten and she said you were really sick and you have no one to take care of y ou, ” Tad replied as his eyes took me in.
The background around him was starting to fade to black as I fell forward into his arms. When I opened my eyes he had a wet cloth on my forehead and was carrying me towards his car .
“Tad?” I mumbled . “What are you doing?”
He opened his car door and placed me in the passenger seat , reaching across and buckling me in.
“Bringing you to the walk-in ,” h e replied.
“What if you get in trouble?”
“It doesn’t matter — you don’t realize how sick you are,” h e commented as he wiped my sweatin g brow . “I should have come sooner — you should have called.”
“I don’t want you in trouble, ” I said , closing my eyes, but I was too weak to fight him.
He shut the door in response and rushed into the driver’s seat , slamming the car into gear.
“I don’t want you dead, ” h e snapped.
I tried to laugh , but it came o ut a choking sound . “I wouldn’t have died.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Thanks, ” I mumbled.
“Move ! Damn it! It’s a stop sign not a god damned train!” Tad yelled at the car in front of us.
My head was pounding , and my heart was pounding , and the world was swirling.
“Calm down , Tad, ” I whispered.
“I miss you calling m e Tad. Mr. Knightley is so cold, ” h e replied, his voice cracking and tears falling down his cheeks .
“That’s because it is.”
“If something bad happens to you…”
“I might have lost some brain cells from the fever, so I might t rip over more invisible objects, ” I teased as I tried to lighten the situation.
“Always the comedian . ” Tad shook his head.
“More like ditz, ” I replied , and he smirked as I drifted off.
Chapter 2 6
As I walked to my first class I heard my name called to my guidance counselor’s office. Tad was just entering his classroom and his head popped up
“Thanks for the help with Beauwolf Mr. Knightl ey, ” I said as a group of girls walked by from our school.
He ran his hand threw his hair instead , and the girls giggled, staring him up and down . “Of course, Vera . I’ll see you in class in a little bit?”
“Yeah,” I replied, but I didn’t make it to school that day, or the next. I had sat on my bed for the past three days, staring out the window with my parents’ photo clutched in my hands. Its sharp edges dug into my hands and left marks, but I still gripped it as if it would leap out of my hands. I had tried to grasp at the straws of reality, but the pain was just too deep. It was so deep that I felt numbed out even when my phone rang and interrupted the silence. I could have let him save me, but for some reason I thought I deserved the torture of my loneliness. I knew he wanted to make sure I was okay, but how could I tell him that?
People thought I was a murderer.
The thought made me sick and on the fourth day of my absence from life it physically brought me down.
I knew my phone was ringing , but made no effort to move, it took too much effort, everything was taking too much effort. The fever wa s consuming me , and I was going from hot to cold without any sort of pattern . E ach time the chill came I was dry heaving , unable to puke because there was n othing left in my body.
I had lost track of time, and I had no idea how many days I had been out of school. The phone stopped ringing , and I found myself drifting off into a s weaty sleep that was more of a hallucination than anything . When t he door bell rang I didn’ t immediately answer , thinking I was dreaming, but then the pounding on the door pursued , and I was wide awake.
“ Vera ! Vera !” Tad was yelling . “Let me in!”
I stood with my legs shaking and made my way to the door. I opened it to find Tad sta nding there in full teacher dress .
“Tad, why are you here?”
“I was scared. I went to see Kirsten and she said you were really sick and you have no one to take care of y ou, ” Tad replied as his eyes took me in.
The background around him was starting to fade to black as I fell forward into his arms. When I opened my eyes he had a wet cloth on my forehead and was carrying me towards his car .
“Tad?” I mumbled . “What are you doing?”
He opened his car door and placed me in the passenger seat , reaching across and buckling me in.
“Bringing you to the walk-in ,” h e replied.
“What if you get in trouble?”
“It doesn’t matter — you don’t realize how sick you are,” h e commented as he wiped my sweatin g brow . “I should have come sooner — you should have called.”
“I don’t want you in trouble, ” I said , closing my eyes, but I was too weak to fight him.
He shut the door in response and rushed into the driver’s seat , slamming the car into gear.
“I don’t want you dead, ” h e snapped.
I tried to laugh , but it came o ut a choking sound . “I wouldn’t have died.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Thanks, ” I mumbled.
“Move ! Damn it! It’s a stop sign not a god damned train!” Tad yelled at the car in front of us.
My head was pounding , and my heart was pounding , and the world was swirling.
“Calm down , Tad, ” I whispered.
“I miss you calling m e Tad. Mr. Knightley is so cold, ” h e replied, his voice cracking and tears falling down his cheeks .
“That’s because it is.”
“If something bad happens to you…”
“I might have lost some brain cells from the fever, so I might t rip over more invisible objects, ” I teased as I tried to lighten the situation.
“Always the comedian . ” Tad shook his head.
“More like ditz, ” I replied , and he smirked as I drifted off.
Chapter 2 6
As I walked to my first class I heard my name called to my guidance counselor’s office. Tad was just entering his classroom and his head popped up
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