Adjustments

Chapter two- What are Brothers for? Part one

December 20 2019

Billy's and Freddies room

"How many chapters are in the book?" Freddie asked from his bunk. He sat there with notes spread about him while his bad leg hung off the side.

"Which one?" I asked. I sat at our shared desk leaning over, trying to study as well, but my stomach has been bugging me all day, so staying focused was harder than it should be.

"The one for English, which other books would I be talking about? You know I don't read books unless they have pictures or-"

"Superheroes, yes I know," I said, cutting in.

"Smartass," I heard Freddie mumble under his breath.

I opened my copy of the Lost Hero by Rick Riordan and looked through the table of contents searching for the last chapter number.

"56," I told Freddie.

"Thanks," Freddie said, scribbling down the number on his paper.

The pain worsened in my stomach as if my intestines were fighting with each other and added a hint of nausea. I began rubbing circles, hoping to ease the pain.

My stomach started bothering me right before lunch, but I assumed it was from skipping breakfast. I had overslept this morning and barely had time to get dressed, throw on my sneakers, and grab my bag before getting in the van. Now, after having lunch and dinner, I was starting to think I might be sick.

"You ready to study some more we need to nail this test," Freddie commented not looking from his notes.

"Yeah...sure," I said in discomfort, continuing to rub circles along my stomach.

"Alright, what're the names of the three main protagonists?" Freddie asked.

Suddenly the pain in my stomach felt stronger, and I felt as if I might throw up.

"C' mon dude you know this I saw how hard you were reading the other day," Freddie encouraged. He noticed my hesitation but not my discomfort. Thank God

"Yeah... Umm," I said as nausea began to feel stronger. "Jason, Leo, and Piper."

"Correct," Freddie said, giving me a thumbs up and his traditional goofy smirk. I gave him a weak smile as the knots in my stomach tightened.

"So, you finished your essay. Right?" Freddie questioned.

"Yeah, I finished it during study hall today," I answered when a sudden chill came over me. I began rubbing both my arms up and down to try and warm up. It wasn't working.

"Cool," Freddie said as he looked up and noticed my discomfort, "You, cold?"

I nodded, "Can, you pass me my jacket?"

"What? Too lazy to get it yourself," Freddie lightly joked as he grabbed my hoodie and threw it to me. I caught my red hoodie and began to put it on. My body didn't agree with the sudden movement and began to feel worse. Once the hoodie was pulled on, I threw my hood up and closed my eyes.

"Alright, next question," Freddie said, began looking over his notes, "What school did the kids start at?"

"The wilderness school," I said quietly keeping my eyes closed. The jacket wasn't doing much to warm me up.

"Another one," Freddie smirked before looking up at me. "Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it?"

Another wave of pain hit, and I felt vomit crawling up my throat, "What?"