You can Bet on Me

Part 22 ~ Fever

Maddison
I was an absolute wreck. When I got a good look at myself in the mirror, I knew that it wouldn't take a genius to realise that I had been crying all night. I managed to pull myself to the bathroom to get ready for school, and after I brushed my teeth, I went straight downstairs. Unable to bother to bake something for breakfast, I toasted a pop tart for Eleanor and Danielle.
I knew for a fact that Addison and Abagail would get up and go to school on their own accord just barely five minutes before school started, so they were always still in bed by the time I left with Eleanor and Danielle for school.
Today was no different – when I had passed by their rooms earlier, I found them still snoring and asleep. Honestly, I wish I could have stayed in bed like them. I didn't want to go to school – not when that meant I would see Michael. Just thinking about him began a war of emotions in my stomach – anger, misery, longing, and so many more that I couldn't recognize. All I knew was that Michael had chosen to hurt me, and it only hurt because I loved him.
I whisked the pop tart out of the toaster as soon as it dinged and served it to Danielle on a plate. Usually, she would have demanded a freshly-baked breakfast, but she had seen how broken I was and besides, she loved pop tarts, so she wasn't complaining.
"Ellie! Wake up already or we're leaving without you!" I yelled. I didn't get a reply, and I let out a groan. As if my day wasn't bad enough already.
Stomping grumpily up the stairs, I marched straight to Danielle and Eleanor's room and burst inside. All my frustration and anger dissipated when I saw Eleanor in her bed, her face red and an unsettled expression on her face. I rushed straight to her side and put a hand on her forehead – she was burning hot. She had a fever.
"Dani," I called downstairs, trying to hide the panic in my tone.
"Yeah?" Danielle yelled.
"G-Get a cold towel," I said. "Ellie's sick." There was some scrambling downstairs as Danielle was aware of how desperate the situation was. Soon, I heard her thumping up the stairs and when she appeared at the doorway, she quickly handed me the towel. I put it on her forehead as Danielle stood behind me, looking over my shoulder with a worried expression.
"Guess I'm not going to school today," I sighed, not surprised that I felt relief.
"Am I going?" Danielle asked, even a little hopeful.
"No," I shook my head, "I can't drop you off. Looks like Ellie's going to need a lot of attention, and I can't just go to drop you off because I can't leave Ellie home alone."
"Can't Abby and Addy watch her?" Danielle asked. I had temporarily forgotten that Danielle loved school, but that was probably because she was popular and loved. I wasn't.
I snorted. "Would you trust them home alone, much less to take care of someone?"
"Fair point." Shrugged Danielle. "And no. I wouldn't."
"Go get changed back into comfortable clothes, and I'll call the school." I told Danielle, and she quickly disappeared. I pulled out my phone and dialled the school. As quickly and briefly as possible, I skimmed over the reason why Danielle, Eleanor, and I wouldn't be at school. I had no doubt that Abagail and Addison would go to school, and even if they didn't want to, I would probably force them. Thankfully, the school secretary was understanding of my situation and didn't press it, so I was able to end the call by the time Danielle got back in a casual short sleeved shirt and her favourite shorts.
"Should I get her a cup of water?" Danielle asked.
"That would be great, actually." I said, sighing. Danielle popped off and I was left Eleanor. She opened her eyes slightly and murmured, "Mads? I don't feel well."
"I know," I nodded, swallowing. "You've got a high fever." She nodded slightly and closed her eyes again. My heart cracked at seeing how weak and tired and sick she was, and I wished so badly that she was better, but yet again, I had also wished that Michael would tell me that Sarah was lying, and that obviously wasn't going to happen.
I went downstairs and took a thermometer and when I was back upstairs, I found Danielle by Eleanor's side, stroking her beautiful brown hair that was slightly lighter than mine. I smiled at the warm scene and took Eleanor's temperature – she was 41.7 degrees Celsius and her breaths came out short and stuffy. Both me and Danielle stayed by Eleanor's side until lunchtime, but by then, she was even worse with a temperature of 42. It was clear that she wasn't getting any better, and it killed me to see how much she was struggling.
I decided to pull myself together and actually cook something proper for lunch, so I left Danielle with Eleanor to look after her. I was distracted as I cooked – couldn't help but think about Michael. It hurt so badly just to think about it as if I was reliving it, yet I couldn't pull my thoughts away from it. Just looking into the dining room reminded me of how he had randomly showed up at my doorstep and ended up having dinner with my family. The thought made me shiver.
A lone tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away, eager to forget Michael quickly but unable to think about anything else.
"You'll feel better soon," I was startled by Danielle's voice and quickly turned around. She was looking at me with a small flicker of understanding. "Give it time. I hate to see you so sad."
I forced a smile on my face and nodded. She disappeared off and I thought about her words. Time. She said that if I gave it time, I would feel better. Would I though, give it time and come out unscathed? No. I had put my heart on the line, and Michael hadn't just broken it – he had utterly decimated it.
People always said that time healed wounds, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't leave a deep scar.
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