𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍

nine

『 nine 』

WHY DO THEY CALL IT a cold? You have a fever. Your body is heating up. So why do they call it a cold? Was it because you needed to get colder? Was it because you got it from being exposed to the cold?

These were the questions Natalie found herself asking as she lay awake in her bed two mornings later. 

Her fever had come out as 102. She had gotten zero sleep that night. Only one small blanket covered her now, as did a heating compress at her abdomen. A full bottle of Pepto Bismol sat on her desk. 

She was miserable. 

It had been a particularly chilly night at the beach. A low for that spring, the weather man had called it. She relaxed at her pier for hours. It was a nice change from her now-regular violent afternoons. No rain or tsunamis. No birds pooped in her personal bubble. It was very therapeutic. And very easy to lose track of time. 

Natalie had slipped back home at around two in the morning. Leila caught her, courtesy of GPS tracking on her phone. Thank god it was a weekend, or Hawk and his dad would've heard a bloody murder from the kitchen. 

She had the whole house to herself that day. Her parents were out on a fishing trip, or something of the sort. She wasn't sure. They took the van and ran away at dawn. Hawk was spending the day with their friends at the park all day. 

The free house would have been great if she had the energy to get out of bed. 

It didn't matter what sickness it was. Natalie highly doubted it was a cold. She had never had any cold like this before. But she wasn't going to the doctor, and she was still a functioning human being. It didn't matter what it was, it sucked. For now, it was a "cold."

She spent the first few hours of her day binging reruns of the TV shows she hadn't touched since the previous summer. They were a great distraction. 

At least her friends were keeping her entertained throughout the day. 

Around noon Hawk texted her about their plans to give Yasmine a slice of well deserved revenge. Aisha's idea. It was Yasmine's birthday. She had posted about the party she was throwing at the canyon. They were going to beat her to it with an even bigger, better party. Everyone was invited. Yasmine would be outshone in her own game. Embarrassment at its finest. 

They could've chosen any other day to throw a party. Any other day. But it had to be the exact day she was bedridden sick. Natalie wished she could go. She really did. But unless they brought the party to her back lawn, she would be sitting this one out. 

But that wasn't where the drama ended. Miguel and Sam's relationship hadn't been doing well. He hadn't been able to contact her all day. She wasn't answering her texts or calls. His mind was going everywhere, and all the wrong places. No one could get back from her. She was silent to everyone. 

It didn't seem like Sam was ghosting him, as Natalie tried explaining to him time and time again. Natalie figured her phone was broken. 

Miguel wouldn't have it. He was beyond jealous. He told her he had seen her with another guy the previous night. He had gone over to the LaRusso's house to check on her. Sam had yet to tell her father about their relationship, which he took as a red flag. So he took the initiative himself to meet the family. 

That was when he saw her with another guy. Not one of her little brother, Anthony's, friends. Someone their age. Someone Miguel vaguely recognized. They were sitting at the dinner table, laughing together. 

No one saw him on their driveway, he made sure of that. He spied on them for a minute or two, watching them have a fun time without him. 

"Was that really the best idea?" Natalie asked him over call around noon. "I wouldn't feel the most comfortable if my boyfriend decided to come snooping on my front lawn while I ate my dinner."