Broken Bottles

Broken Bottles: chapter 6

"Then Dad finished yelling at Pax and wobbled upstairs before passing out." Polly said. She was at the kitchen table with Penny and Sidney and was explaining what happened yesterday night with Dad.

"All because your friend came over?" Penny turned to ask me.

"Yes, so learn from my mistake and don't bring any friends over." I said.

"Who was it anyway? You never hang out with people." Sidney remarked.

"His name is Danny and we were just working on a school assignment. Now can we stop talking about it?" I shoved my soggy cereal into my mouth.

"Okay, fine." He replied.

"Sadie, come eat breakfast before school!" I yelled throughout the house.

"Is she even up?" I asked my three siblings when I didn't get a reply.

"I woke her up before I came down. Maybe she fell back asleep." Polly said.

We didn't have to wonder any longer, because Sadie walked into the kitchen still in her pajamas.

"Why aren't you dressed for school?" I asked.

"I feel funny." She replied. I instantly got up and crouched down beside her. Upon closer look, I realized she was visibly shaking.

"Are you hot?" I asked. She nodded, so I placed the back of my hand on her head. Her forehead was really warm.

"She's got a fever." I announced.

"I'll call her school." Penny offered, before grabbing her phone and leaving the kitchen.

"Guess you're staying home today." I told Sadie.

"No, I like school!" She complained.

"Give it a few years, then you'll hate it." Sidney piped up from the table.

I chuckled slightly and turned back to Sadie, "You can go back to school as soon as you feel better."

"Okay." She sighed.

"How about you go watch some tv in the living room?" I suggested. Sadie listened to me and made her way into the living room.

"You gonna leave her here by herself?" Sidney asked once the tv clicked on.

"No, I'll stay with her. I need to keep an eye on that fever in case it gets worse." I said.

"I would gladly stay home and watch her instead." He offered.

"Yeah right. You're going to school." I shut down his idea of skipping real quick.

"Speaking of school, bus will be here in five." Penny said as she came back into the kitchen.

Sidney and Polly got up from their seats with their dishes. I watched as they cleaned their bowls in the sink and left to grab their book bags. I bid the three of them goodbye and listened for the front door to slam shut. The only sound left in the house was the voices coming from Sadie's cartoon. I decided to clean off my bowl too, before heading upstairs to change into a white tee and some gray sweatpants. If I was going to be home all day, I was going to dress comfortably.

I made my way back downstairs and joined Sadie in the living room, "Are you hungry?"

Sadie shook her head, "I'm super hot."

"Okay, let me check that temperature." I said and turned on my heel to go into the bathroom. I found the old thermometer we've had forever and clicked it on. I then sat down beside Sadie and instructed her to open her mouth. I waited for the beep and pulled it out before looking at the tiny screen.