Behind The Glass Door

Chapter 13

Riley:

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I've stayed in Lacy and Val's room since Lacy went back to the dorms early after fourth period. She had a temperature of a hundred and one but she kept getting hot flashes and cold flashes.

She looked awful as well, under her eyes were red and her eyes were swollen, all color was flushed from her face, making her sun-kissed skin look like a greyish color.

The nurse asked me to stay with her until Val got back, so someone could look after her. Usually, I would've brought her back to her dorm and then left but she looked like she was on her deathbed, and she agreed to help me out.

She had a gallon water bottle on her bedside table filled with two electrolyte packets that I offered to make her. It was half gone by now.

"Do you need anything?" I asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

She shook her head as a silent 'no' in response.

She ripped her covers off her body and planted her feet on the ground, highly regretting it by the look on her face when she fell backward with a thud and the sound of her mattress springing.

I winced in response before she stood up again, tightly gripping her bedside table for support as soon as her butt got off her mattress. She dazed out for a minute before shaking her head and gripping her stomach tightly.

"I think I-" she gagged.

I scrambled out of my seat at her desk and found her trash can, picking it up by the edge with the bag slung over it slightly before sticking it in front of her face as she depuffed her cheeks and loud gagging and vomiting noises filled my ears.

I put my hand on her bare back, below the band of her sports bra, rubbing small circles as she kneeled on the wood floor, going with her as I placed the trash can on the ground and she held it with both hands while I pulled her hair back in my hand.

I could feel the ache in her heart every time she threw up, and the tight pain in her chest every time she gagged, her stomach flexing in every time, making her ribs even more defined than they usually are.

"It's okay," I muttered, my thumb rubbing up and down her back.

She sobbed loudly between releases, her tears dropping down her cheeks and neck and down her bra.

"Just breathe," I whispered, twisting her hair in my finger.

She leaned up against my body, her thigh lying on mine and her torso leaning onto my side as I tried to soothe her.

I tried not to look, knowing that if I did then I'd throw up too.

Her sobs were uncontrollable, loud, as wet, hot tears flowed down her face, covering all of it in tears.

"Shh it's okay, I got you, you're okay," I whispered to her, rubbing small circles in her back like my brother used to do for me, and what I'd do for him when we drank too much or we came down with something.

She pushed herself into me more as I welcomed her in an embrace. Her blond hair had very small undertones and hints of red in some strands of her hair, noticing her brown roots that also hinted at copper.

"Are you cold?" I asked her gently, referring to her small bike shorts and white sports bra.

She shook her head and continued sobbing and quivering as she threw up.

Sweat clung to her back and her thighs. I noticed the brown and pinkish marks on her inner thigh, my eyes widening before she noticed me staring and quickly turned her leg inward, away from me.

"I'll be back in a second," I whispered, grabbing my hair tie and tying her hair back gently, trying not to pull her hair.

I got up and grabbed a washcloth from the linen closet before crossing the hall and quickly wetting it with cold water, ringing out the water and then folding it, and going back to her dorm to see that she stopped.

"Calmed down a little?" I asked with a soft voice while I walked over to her.

She nodded and panted and sighed over the trash can.

"Let's lie down," I muttered, slowly putting my hand on her forearm to see how she'd react.

She stayed calm and I helped her up, hand on the small of her back as I led her over to her bed, she shivered, lying down before I put her covers over her.

"Thank you," she muttered, clutching a pink teddy bear to her chest.

I chuckled at her as I pushed her hair back, the butterscotch strands that stuck to her forehead, putting the back of my hand to her head and feeling the hotness radiate on my hand.

I grabbed the cloth and placed it on her forehead, wiping away the previous sweat.

"You're burning," I mumbled.

"I'm freezing," she chattered.

I huffed at her response and grabbed a blanket before peeling away her comforter and putting a blanket on her and then her comforter.

"Better?" I asked smoothly.

She hummed in response, mascara-covered eyelashes batting against her skin.

I got up and went to her desk, grabbing a package of makeup remover wipes and pulling one out before going over to her.

"Close your eyes," I mumbled, gently rubbing the cloth against her eyes until I removed the wipe and wiped the black under her eyes away.

I threw the wipe away, hearing the rugged coughs she let out.

I put my hand under her head and opened her water bottle, pressing the straw to her lips before she sipped it multiple times until I parted it away from her lips and she exhaled deeply.

"You remind me of my sister," I chuckled, putting her water bottle back in its place.

"Hm?" she hummed, telling me she was too tired to talk but she wanted to listen.

"For a while, my Mom and Dad weren't uh- well so I had to take care of my little sister and she kept getting colds from school, sometimes they were bad, so she used to hold her lamb that she got when she was little," I chuckled to myself, trying to ignore tears that jerked in my eyes at the memory of her.

"How old is she?" Lacy asked, her voice quiet and raspy.

"Seven," I smiled.

Lacy let out a small series of bubbling giggles as her limp body moved with every laugh that shook her body.

I smiled at her actions, a wide stupid grin across my face as a tear poured down the corner of her squinted eyes.

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked, clearing my throat and stuffing the smile away.

"Mhm," she smiled slowly. "I'm the youngest of four," she coughed out as I grabbed her water and held the bottle for her as one of her small hands wrapped around the handle of the gallon.

"Leo, Levi, and Lorelei," she sighed out, parting her lips from the water bottle.

"All L's?" I asked.

"My parents must have been high when they named us," she sighed.

"They're nice names," I smiled softly.

She hummed in response.

"Why are you doing this? You should be back in school," she mumbled.

"You don't look good and you aren't feeling well at all. If I wasn't here then I don't know how you'd help yourself," I said, pushing her hair from her forehead again as she shivered under my touch.

"Cold?" I asked.

"Hot," she said, kicking her covers off with a groan.

"I know it sucks, but today is the worst of it, you'll be better tomorrow," I told her.

She hummed again with a small nod. I could hear her stomach rumbling, the twists and turns inside her belly.

"I'm gonna get you something to eat," I said.

"No," she sniffled, putting her hand on mine to prevent me from getting up.

Heat ran through my head, covering my brain and everything behind my eyes at the movement.

"Lace, I can hear your stomach growling," I said.

Her chest rose heavily as I spoke until she steadied her breath again.

"I'm fine, not hungry," she grumbled.

"I'm not arguing with you over this," I said, getting up and opening her door before closing it and leaving.

I ran down the stairs and out the front door of the building, turning to the right and walking down to the corner.

I walked into a store with a blue and white awning and the words 'Colette's' in big letters on a sign that hung on the awning. I walked in and a ding traveled through the small store.

I found my way around until I cursed to myself, I should've asked her what she wanted and I didn't have her number.

I went with a few guesses and got a small four-ounce container of chocolate ice cream before calling Val.

"Hey, what food does Lacy like?" I asked, looking around at the bags of chips.

"Why? Gonna take her out?" Val asked with a laugh.

"Shut up," I grumbled, "She has the flu right now, the nurse made her go back to the dorms but she asked me to take care of her until you got back. She looks awful, throw up and everything," I said to her.

"Is she okay?" Val asked with worry in her voice.

"She will be, but she's refusing to eat, I know she's hungry and I don't know what she likes," I sighed.

"She likes pineapple pizza,"

"She's lethal for that," I cringed.

"Stop being prejudiced and get her a small pineapple pizza from that place down the road when you turn right, she loves it there," Val said.

"Alright, thanks," I said before hanging up.

I checked out at the store and continued down the road, cars honking and tires screeching as I made my way to the pizza place.

It was small and it had the words 'Mouvementville Pizza' across the top. I walked in and walked to the register where a small lady with grey hair beamed at me.

"Bonjour," she smiled sweetly at me.

"Bonjour, puis-je avoir une petite pizza à l'ananas s'il vous plaît?" I asked, stumbling over my French.

"Oui, il sera sept heures trente," she smiled.

I pulled out my card from my back pocket and swiped it across the top, putting in my pin and then smiling before she disappeared in the back as I sat down.

The thing that sucked about this school was that every time you want to leave the school to do something, you have to know French and you have to learn euros, usually, it was just a dollar under what it is in U.S dollars but at this point, I block out how much it is and just nod and smile.

I called Val again, her annoyed voice picking up through the phone.

"Can you give me Lacy's number?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll text it," was all I heard before the line beeped, pressing the hang-up button as well and copying and pasting her number into my phone.

I pressed the call icon, hoping she'd pick up.

"Hello?" her nasley, raspy voice rang in my ears.

"It's Riley, I'm getting you a pizza right now but I just want to see how you're holding up," I spoke softly.

"I'm okay, finished my water," she coughed through the phone.

"That's good, very good," I exhaled, leaning back in my chair.

"It looks like your pizza is just about ready so I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?" I asked.

"Okay," her voice was tired and soft.

"Okay," I said breathily before she ended the line, staring at her contact until a voice tore me out of my daze.

"Voilà, bonne journée," she smiled, handing me my pizza.

I still was stuck in my daze.