Orange Roses - REVAMPED

Chapter Seventeen: Waking Up to Faerie Tales

I opened my eyes. 

Lowell stared down at me hard and I saw that his cheeks were wet. 

Dra-

"Matty, can you look straight at me?" Lowell asked as he leaned over and pointed a small flash light into my eyes. "Okay, that's good." He grabbed my wrist and held it until he found the pulse. "It's strong. How are you feeling?" 

I blinked. I looked around the room. I was back in my bedroom. No pictures of Drake and I. 

"Drake?" My voice croaked out. It sounded dry and half broken. 

"He's right outside the bedroom, guarding you," Lowell said, frowning. He grabbed my hand. I thought he was going to try to take my pulse. Instead he wrapped both of his hands around mine. He pressed his forehead to my knuckles. "Why him? Why is he worth almost dying for?" 

His words didn't really sink in. 

"How long was I out?" I asked. 

"A solid twenty-four hours," Lowell said. "It's Monday morning." 

Shit. Work! 

I tried throwing off the blanket, but Lowell stopped me. 

"I called Jorge for you," Lowell said, "said you had a flu. You were going to be out all week." 

"He believed you?" 

"Well, I put you on the phone and you were babbling about working and Rose this morning," That did sound like something I'd do. "Why him?" He tried. 

"Huh?" I asked. 

"Why that sick bastard?" He asked. "You have a bunch of people in your life that are more worthy of your time and life than him. Why the Dragon?" 

"I.... What are you going on about?" My head pounded. I laid back down.  "What are you even doing here?"

Lowell gave me a rude snort. "Well, your heartbeat got dangerously low so Antonio dragged me out of bed to see if I could keep you alive." 

"Oh," I said. 

"Yeah." Lowell said. "Don't fucking do that again. I'm pissed. I should call my mom. She'd give you a good talking to." 

Talking to was an understatement. Lowell's mom would've ripped me a new asshole. 

"Uhh, thanks for not doing that." 

"How could I tell her?" Lowell asked me, leaning over me. "I'd have to explain every fucking thing."

I shrugged. I wasn't sure how he'd do it either.

"Sorry. Glad to see you though." 

Lowell's face twisted and he bowed his head into my lap. A dam broke in him. He cried. Hard. His hands twisted into the blankets. And guilt hit me, hard. Lowell had to be dragged back into this weird fucking world to try to save me. He hadn't really been around me for nearly six months now, but he suddenly sees me dying and he probably and to scramble something together. He probably screamed about me going to a hospital and I could see Antonio and Keeva explaining why- 

"You're all so fucking selfish! You're scared that the world will see that faeries and vampires are real! But it's okay that she's dying!" 

I had heard him. Barely, but I had heard him screaming. 

"I'm sorry," I said. "I can make sure that Antonio doesn't do that again. I-"

"That's not the point, Matty! Make this stop! Make everything stop now! Tell them to go away!" Lowell's face was shiny with tears as he looked at me. We were kids again. Out in the playground and Lowell is asking me to help him with the bullies. "You don't need this. Just get rid of them. You know how to do that, don't you?" I wasn't sure if he was asking for him or for me.