Baby Fever

Blood and Tears

I started the day off with really bad cramps. 

I went downstairs to get some medicine. I was just downing the water when my mom came in with a forced smile. 

"I'm back! With souvenirs." She said as she waved gift bags in the air. She put all her bags on the ground and cupped my face with her hands. "Hey, why are your eyes are so red?"

I pushed her hands away. "Jeremiah left."

"What do you mean he left?"

Groaning, I walked away. "He's gone, mom. We broke up."

"Awe, baby..." She sounded really guilty. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"We haven't talked in weeks, so I don't see any reason to start now." 

She actually sighed in relief.

I clung unto the stairs and seethed in pain. Damn these cramps. 

"Well, you're still not dressed, and school starts in 20 minutes."

"Yeah, I'm not going." I took a seat on the stairs.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "What was that?"

...

Long story short, I'm at school now. 

But it honestly doesn't feel like it. I keep replaying the events of yesterday in my mind. 

"You were unstable then, and you're unstable now."

And the look he gave me when he said that...

He looked at me like I was crazy. I can't unsee it. 

"Uh, Victoria, if you keep stabbing your salad like that, I'm going to have to take it away," Alanna said. 

"Oh," I dropped my fork. 

We were sitting at an empty lunch table. I looked over to the other side of the cafeteria where Jeremiah was sitting with Chuck. Was that a blackeye on his face?

"Keon told me that Chuck and Alex got into it. Apparently, Jeremiah tried to intervene and it didn't go well," Alanna said. 

"They fought?" I gasped. "When?"

"Yesterday night. Look, are you going to tell me what happened between you and Jeremiah?"

I took a bite of my salad and chewed slowly. When I tried swallowing, I gagged. Alanna rubbed my back as I spit it back into the bowl. 

"Sorry." I coughed into a napkin. 

Somewhere in between the coughs, I started crying. 

"Was is that bad?" Alanna asked. 

I nodded. "We-" hiccup, "Broke up."

"I was talking about the salad, but continue!"

The tears wouldn't stop. 

"I'm sorry," I stood up. "I need a minute."

I grabbed my bags and walked to the bathroom. After finding an empty stall, I locked it, and sobbed into my hands. 

I wiped my tears away. There was no denying that I did this to myself. There's also no denying that he gave up on me, on us. 

"You don't need anybody but yourself." 

He told me that. But it's so much easier said than done. How does he do it? How does he manage to just not care? I have half a mind to go ask him. Hmpf, like I could face him.