Coastal [h.s]

eighteen

SENIOR YEAR//MARCH

~MAGGIE~

I slowly pulled myself up off of the cold tiles of the bathroom floor into a seated position. I moved extra slowly as I grabbed the corner of the sink and heaved my body up to lean slightly against it. I quickly flushed the toilet before turning the sink on and cupping my hands to splash cold water on my face. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste, placing a large dollop of the minty paste on the bristles.

When I finished brushing my teeth I grabbed one of the small bottles of mouthwash that housekeeping had left on the counter and swished it a few times in my mouth before spitting it into the sink.

I don't think I'm ever gonna be able to eat a taco ever again.

I made my way out of the bathroom and towards my bedroom. When I entered the small cozy room I pulled the comforter off the bed and grabbed the four pillows in my hand making my way back out to the living room. I set the pillows on the floor in front of the fireplace and made a makeshift nest against the couch before plopping down.

I reached up onto the couch behind me and grabbed the worn book I had snagged from an end table in the lobby when I had been coming back from the doomed lunch earlier today. Now that I was stuck in this room for the rest of the day I was probably going to be able to make some pretty good headway.

The door of the room unlocked behind me and creaked open slowly. A bumble of whispers rushed into the room and I smiled as Niall tried to quiet everyone down. Footsteps made their way across the room but when he didn't see me curled up in my bedroom he made his way over to the fireplace. He looked at me cocooned in the white comforters and lowered down to the ground.

"How's my favorite Mags doing?"

"Well haven't thrown up in the last twenty minutes so pretty stellar I'd say"

He gave me a concerned look before settling down into a seated position in front of me. "Whatcha got there" I closed the book and flashed him the cover "It was laying around the lobby so I figured I'd reread, not much else to do around here when your stomach betrays you" He gave me a small laugh and brought the back of his hand to my forehead, checking for a fever. I heard a little squeal from behind me and when I turned my head I was met with a beaming Caroline who had her fingers intertwined with an equally bright Brady.

"I'd recognize that cover anywhere. 'The Great Gatsby' right?"

I gave her a nod and a small smile as she dragged Brady behind her so they were both standing behind Niall and in front of me. "That's my brother's favorite book, I've lost track of how many times he's reread it" My smile widened.

Caroline talked about her brother a lot. They clearly had a special bond that I couldn't fully grasp, being an only child and all, but the way she lit up when she would tell us a story or tidbit about him always made me smile.