Parasitic relationship

Chapter 7 - falling...

The school day had just finished and Alex was changing his clothes.
"I should go meet Rosie to see if she's ok after all that's been happening. If those girls from her school acted bad towards me, I can only dread what they might've done for her. And not only that, but I don't wanna be seen by anyone from the school. But before I go anywhere, I should definitely cover my face." Alex thought as he put on a black leather jacket and put on a face mask and a cap.
"I don't wanna wear everything black or else I'll look suspicious. But I don't think I'll be recognised." He thought as he looked at himself in the mirror.

He then walked out of his house and headed towards Rosie's house.

Rosie sat on her bed, continuously coughing.
"Ugh...What happened all of a sudden? My whole body is aching and it feels so hot... Why did this stupid illness come back again so quickly..." she thought to herself as she laid back on her bed.
"I need water." she thought as she tried to get up.
She winced in pain as she grabbed onto her stomach.
"Now the pain from when I got beaten up is really catching onto me..."
Tears began to form in her eyes as she began to feel immense pain all over her body.
"How can I even go down the stairs when my whole body is aching so much!?"

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

"Oh shoot! Who could it be right now!?" She thought as she tried to get up.
She then tried to walk down the stairs and it took a while for her to walk every step. Meanwhile, the doorbell continued to ring a few times.
"I'm coming! Just wait!" She said loudly. "I'm not feeling too well." She murmured.
Once she'd reached the ground floor she slowly walked to the door and opened it.

"Alex?" She exclaimed.
He then walked through the door and into the house.
"Quickly, close the door! I don't wanna be seen." He hissed.
She then shut the door, locked it and then turned to Alex.
"You know next time, if you wanna come over, please let me know beforehand. You gave me your number for a reason." She muttered.
Alex stared at her and noticed her sickly state.
"Rosie, are you alright? You look really red...Do you have a fever?" Alex asked as he approached her and touched her head. She took his hand away from her head and looked at him.
"It's just my illness. It's nothing new for me...I've gotten used to it at this point." She muttered.
"I don't know why, but I'm getting a sense of Deja vu for some reason...Anyways, is there anything you need help with?" He asked.
Rosie nodded.
"It's ok. A bit of sleep-"
She winced in pain as she grabbed her stomach again and fell onto the ground.
"It hurts...My whole body..."
She began to cry.
Alex knelt down and looked at her as he took her shoulders.
"Rosie...Did something happen at school?" He asked, with a concerned look on his face.

Rosie continued to cry but thought to herself.
"Should I tell him? But I don't wanna make him feel guilty or upset about all this...Yeah it's better if I stay quiet about the situation..."
Rosie nodded.
"No, nothing h-happened...I-It's just that...My body's been...Aching ever since I r-returned from school..." she answered.
Alex gave her a sceptical look.
"Do you really think I'll believe that? Just tell the truth Rosie..."
"C-can you help me up? Sorry for the trouble..." Rosie muttered.
"Of course, and don't apologise." He replied as he took her arm.

As Alex held onto her arms, they walked towards the sofa and sat down next to each other.

"So what happened?" Asked Alex.
Rosie stayed quiet for a moment until she replied, "Well...The girls...They saw it. The post..."
"Of course they did. That stupid picture is all over social media now. And you know the user who posted the photo goes to your school. I don't get why she even did that."
Rosie nodded. "Yeah...I know."
"Did they do anything to you?" Alex inquired.
Rosie clenched her fists.
"Well, don't get too shocked by this but they kind of just ganged up on me and beat me up. It's not something to be surprised about though...Almost all the girls are obsessed with you. I guess I saw it coming but the pain is starting to catch up now." Rosie explained in a nonchalant manner.
Alex stared at her in shock as he felt heartbeat increase from anxiety and concern.
"Rosie...I..."