Pick Your Poison

Michael's Sickness

Michael Wirre was a quiet, bright kid at Norman School of Science Technology Engineering and Math Academy . He got in easily because he had a mind like no other kid at the school. Why? The principal thinks he has found several cures of various diseases, even cancer. He has been having these thoughts since he was a child. His mom died when he was only six years old and his father died in a car collision when he was eight. He lived with his aunt until he was ten when he was discovered by the principal in the library during recess. He asked what he was doing and he told him that he was writing down the symptoms of cancer. The principal then asked why and he said that he wanted to find a cure for cancer. Michael then showed her all the reports that he wrote himself and she was amazed. This is when she asked him to go the the Norman School STEM Academy.

So there he is now, at the age of eighteen, graduating year, at the Norman School STEM Academy. Norman now has several academies and over 1000 kids there. Michael was walking around the school to get to his dorm when he saw a sign. He read it and went into his dorm a few minutes later. He then found his roommate, Ricky, studying several papers and Michael scanned the room and found more and more papers scattered around the room. Michael and Ricky grew close over the course of the eight years that they have been rooming together. So close that they are dating now, four years and counting. Michael tried to find an open spot for him to put his bag down, he found a corner and set it down gently.

Ricky turned around, "Oh hey," he said.

"Hey, what is all this?" he said while spinning his finger in a big circle.

"Oh, this? Well," he stood up, "this is all the information I found about Whooping Cough,"

"Why do you need information about Whooping Cough exactly?" he said while moving some papers off the couch.

"Well, see, there has been an outbreak," Micheal's eyes widen. He has a thing for germs, a big hatred for them. "Now, now, now, there is of course a cure for Whooping Cough,"

"So why aren't they cured yet? The message said that three students are in quarantine. Quarantine," Michael said.

"I was getting to that. Anyway, not only do they have Whooping Cough, they have flu like symptoms and when they cough, they bleed too,"

"So, this isn't a normal case of Whooping Cough?"

"No,"

"That's why I have to do all these reports on Whooping Cough and other diseases,"

"Uh, hello, I'm in your class to you know? And Mrs.Urani says if we can come up with a reasonable diagnosis and/or a possible prescription for the three people, we can get extra credit,"

"Did she say we can work in partners?" Michael said while sitting behind him grabbing his waist. He pinched his waist, Ricky yelped.

"I don't know, I'll email her though," Ricky kissed Michael on the cheek and got up from his circle of papers.

"Do you wanna grab food?" Ricky asked.

"Yeah, and let's organize this,"

Ricky and Michael organized the papers in the following piles; Flu, Whooping Cough, what happens to the body when you cough out blood, and several other piles. They placed the piles next to the TV in an orderly fashion and went to Taco Bell. They sat in the fast food place and ate while Christmas music was playing in the background. Ricky ate his taco, "What are you getting me for Christmas?" he asked. Michael usually got him something small like a Promise Ring or matching ugly sweaters. This year, he wanted to do something different.

"I don't know yet. What are you getting me?" Michael asked.

"Something," Ricky's face turned red and he smiled. He looked up and saw that Michael was smiling too.They cleaned up their table and walked out of the Taco Bell. Ricky sat in the passenger seat and sighed. Michael put the car in reverse then set it to drive and they went back to campus. The Taco Bell wasn't far away from the school so it only took them five minutes to get back. There, they saw there friend, Katilyn, pulling in next to them.