Brain Dead; A Zodiac Story

❖ Chapter 6 ❖

November 26th, 2009
5:37 PM

~Cancer~

"Ahhh...what a day.." I sighed, kicking off my black crocs as I stepped into the living room and flopped down on a nearby couch.

As soon as my stomach hit the soft surface of the sofa, I immediately felt my muscles relax as my cheek pressed up against one of the blue cushions. I hummed, practically stuffing my face into the cushion as I slipped my heavy bag off my shoulders and dropped the few bags of groceries I held in my left hand.

I had just gotten home from the nearby corner store, having picked up a few cans of beans and some ricotta cheese for my mom. By the time I made it back home, I felt drained out and my head felt like it was spinning.

"I just want to sleep..." I rolled over onto my back, beginning to rub my temples as I felt my head throbbing against my skull.

After a day full of worrying and panicking over what I saw in the nurse's office, I just wanted a moment to rest my thoughts. The news from last was stirring up, everyone beginning to speak about it on social media; whether it was Instagram or Snap.

"Ugh..." I slapped my cheeks, unable to shake the image of those people laying down in those beds; writhing around in pain as if they had contracted some illness.

I would've liked to believe that my mom knew what she was doing and that she was able to handle it, but just seeing the way she was worrying during that moment; vowing to me that she'd handle it, despite how out of control the situation seemed, only caused me to worry.

And then...taking matters into my own hands and letting there be an early release to investigate the health concerns within the school. Was it the right thing to do..? I mean, what if it caused unnecessary panic?

What if I was just being paranoid?

I turned over onto my side and kicked my legs out of frustration, pulling at my messy hair. I took one of the cushions and plopped it over my head, groaning endlessly as lay there unable to halt my never-ending thoughts.

It was already starting to get a bit dark outside, the sun beginning to set because of the winter season. I didn't bother turning on the main lights and just kept the little lamp on the coffee table on, sitting there and staring at the light.

I lay there for another minute or two before I nearly jumped once a sudden vibration was felt right against my hip. I shuddered at the feeling, slowly sitting up in my spot and reaching into my pocket for my phone. I didn't even bother seeing who was calling, too tired to care at this point.

   "Hmm? Who's this?" I answered, swinging my legs over the couch and letting them dangle as I sat there with a palm on my cheek.

I heard a slight chuckle from the other side of the line and I tipped my head in curiosity, leaning back against the couch and crossing one leg over the other.

"Did you even look at the caller ID? It's Gem."

"Oh..! Hey, what's up?" I perked up almost instantly, not recognizing his voice for a minute since I was still kind of 'out of it'.

"I don't know, just wanted to...check up on you I guess. See how you were doing." Gem's voice came out as soft and caring as always, quieting down as he spoke the last few words of his sentence.