Through My Eyes

Chapter 13

My head doesn't hurt. My leg doesn't hurt. The scratches on my hands from falling into that darn bush don't hurt. But my mom insists on keeping me home and babying me the next day. I didn't mind the first hour but four ice packs, six cups of tea and two teddy bears later, I'm about to lose my mind. And it isn't even noon yet.

When my phone starts ringing a little after noon, I almost cry with happiness.

"Don't get out of bed, Adelaine. The doctor said you needed rest", my mother catches me as I try to slip my legs out from under the comforter and onto the floor.

"The phrase 'take it easy' doesn't mean bed rest, mom! It means don't run a marathon or try to do the tango!"

My phone stops ringing by the time I get my point across. Two seconds later it rings again.

"Can you please hand me my phone?" I ask my mom as humbly as I can.

She sighs. "Alright but don't strain yourself."

I wait till my phone is safely in my hands before I make my retort. "Yeah, I'll try to keep my energy consumption while taking on the phone as minimal as possible."

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm calling to speak to a patient by the name of Adelaine Porter, please", Ross's teasing voice fills the line.

"I sure as hell-"

"Addie, language", my mom calls from the next room.

"I sure as heck am not a patient", I tell him, lowering my voice a few octaves to keep people from eavesdropping. "My mom's put me on freakin bed rest and won't let me use my phone because it's strenuous", I complain.

He chuckles. "Have fun with that."

I scowl.

"If you want we can postpone our date to next week-" he starts.

"No I'll be fine by then", I say a little too quickly because he used to word date.

I'm cut off by a shrill noise that sounds like the mating call of an injured beaver.

"Umm, Cami want to talk to you, I think?" Ross says, sounding a little scared.

"Sure put her on."

"I'm just going to put the phone down and walk away", I hear him tell her and I grin.

"I told ya told ya told ya", Cami screeches happily into the phone and I pull the phone a few inches away from me to keep my ear drums undamaged.

"Pardon?"

"He used the d word!" she squeals. "Or are you so dense you didn't hear it?"

"Umm, yeah I heard. But I date doesn't have to mean something romantic. It could just be a best friend date", I protest.

"Yep, sure, whatever you say chicka. How does Radelaine sound? Or ...dang your names are hard to mash. I ship it anyways though. Team Radelaine for the win!"

"Camilia, please tell me that Ross isn't listening to you", I say, closing my eyes.

"I hope not. That was the point of the initial squealing", she says seriously.

"Squealing? For lord's sake, it sounded like an ostrich murdering a baby penguin", I say, rolling my eyes?

"Now how in the world would an ostrich be in the same ecosystem as a baby penguin to murder it? You need to improve your comebacks, girl."

"Whatever. See you tomorrow Cam. Unless my mom keeps me in bed for another few months. In which case see you after I graduate", I tell her.

"You're so melodramatic, Adelaine", she tells me fondly. "Get better soon." 

I'm melodramatic? That's the pot calling the kettle black.

"Cami can be a scary person when she wants to be", Ross tells me when she hands the phone back to him.

"Hey! I heard that!" she calls from the background and I laugh.

"Well, lunch break is almost over. Get well soon, baby doll", he says cheerfully.

"Don't you dare call me that", I practically scream. I hear him laughing before he cuts the call. "Jerk", I mutter.

I decide to call Meredith to tell her about Tyler's phone call since I didn't know when I'd next get my hands on my phone again. She'd be on lunch break now anyways.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mere. It's me."

"I know it's you. Caller ID has already been invented. What's wrong?"

"Why does everybody ask me what's wrong whenever I call?" I ask.

"Well, you're accident prone. Make it quick. I have a Biology test after lunch to study for", Meredith says.

"Haven't you already studied for it everyday for the past week?"

"Don't undermine the effect of last-minute studying", she tells me and I don't doubt it, being the hardcore procrastinator that I am.

"So, umm, Tyler called me", I tell her, the name sounding foreign on my tongue.

"He did? What did he want?" she asks, surprised.

"He said he wanted to be friends. Like that's ever going to happen in this lifetime", I say in an annoyed tone.

"Mmm. Well, he didn't get a date to the Valentines' day dance a few weeks ago because all the girls called him selfish and inconsiderate."

"He is selfish and inconsiderate", I say matter-of-factly.

"I know. But he ended up going to the dance alone so everyone's kinda making fun of him right now. You know how it is, being on the football team and being single is a blow to your reputation", she says.

"Jerk deserves it" I mutter under my breath. "And, umm, Mere, I don't know if you're good with this kind of stuff but how to you know the difference when a guy asks you on a friendly date and when he asks you on a date date", I ask quickly.

"And are we speaking hypothetically?" she asks curiously.

"Maybe", I say, tentatively.

"Maybe?"

"Okay fine a guy from my class asked me out to a concert on Friday but I think it's just a friendly thing", I blurt.

"Ooh, can I come help you get ready? You know. Pick your dress, do your hair and makeup. That kind of stuff" she asks, sounding excited.

I hadn't even thought this through. Sure, he wouldn't care how I looked but I was pretty sure it was a formal thing and I didn't want my mom to play dress up on me. 

"Sure, that'd be great! Thanks", I tell her. "Now go study for your darn quiz. I don't want to be the one who causes you to go into depression when you miss a quarter of a mark."

"I would make a sarcastic response but it would be so heartbreaking to be one fourth of a mark away from a perfect score that I probably would go into depression", she says solemnly.

"Thank God I don't have to go to school with you anymore", I say in mock relief

She giggles as she hangs up. Ahh, the nerd life.