Distant voices murmured around me as my hot forehead pressed against the cool desk. I took a deep breath of Lysol and perfume. I kept my eyes closed as people talked around me. The bell rang sharply, causing me to jump and wince. ‘Why is it so damn loud?’ I sat up slowly, my head pulsing at the brightness of the room. 

“Cat, are you okay?” A hand landed on my shoulder and Margo’s face came into my view. Her long dark braid slapped against the desk. “Jeez, you’re burning up. You know what you did, right?” Her eyes searched mine. “What did we do in class? Just now?” I thought hard but I couldn’t remember so I shrugged. “You fell asleep.” I shook my head. 

“You’re crazy, I would never do that.” I started grabbing my bag and standing up. I stayed for a second and clasped onto the desk to steady myself. She grabbed my backpack from me and snatched my arm. Margo pulled me from the classroom. “What’re you doing?” 

“I’m taking you to the doctor. This is ridiculous; you are sick and you’re either going home or staying in the office.” Margo’s ‘this is final’ voice left no room for argument as she dragged me to the office. ”And this is the only time I’m carrying your bag for you; I’m not your mother.” ‘Could have fooled me.’ She marched straight into the office, passing a shocked Jennifer. “She’s sick.” Margo stated without stopping. 

“Margo, you can’t just-” I started as she knocked on the door to the doctor’s office. She turned to look at me. 

“I can. See, I have manners.” She waited a moment and knocked harder. “Hello? She’s basically dying out here!” I groaned at her behavior. ‘She’s so crazy.’ The door opened fast. 

“I’m so sorry, I was on the phone with my boss.” A handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes answered the door. ‘Now, it makes sense.’ “How can I help you ladies?” Margo’s eyes searched him up and down. She pointed at me as the bell rang. I crinkled my nose in pain. 

Margo jumped in, “She is sick and needs to rest. Can you please help her?” her lips formed a pout. ‘I know why she was so insistent.’ I rolled my eyes. The doctor smiled to show dimples in his cheeks. ‘Of course.’ 

“I am a doctor. Come sit down.” He ushered us in and I laid down on the bed eagerly. “I’m Dr. Jackson Wallace.” He sat down on a chair as Margo sat next to me. 

I shrugged, sitting up. “I’m Catrina Malone, but call me Cat. I just have a cold or something. Not a big deal.” I coughed loudly and sighed as soon as it was over. I collapsed back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. 

“She was fine yesterday,” ‘I was also attacked last night but she doesn’t need to know that.’ “She was coughing at lunch also. She said she had a headache and took some meds but they didn’t help.. She also didn’t eat all of her lunch, which is a big deal for Cat. The biggest thing is that she fell asleep in class! Catrina Malone has never, NEVER, fallen asleep in class.”

“You don’t have to make me sound like a nerd.” I grumbled, sniffling. 

“But, honey, you are.” I huffed, sitting up again. ‘If I lay there any longer, I’ll fall asleep.’

Mr. Wallace scratched at his scruffy chin with his arms crossed. “So, Cat, what do you want from me? I can try to give you more meds but those might not work from what I hear. You could just sleep in here until you feel better or you could go home; sleep in your own bed. It’s up to you. I don’t have a lot of visitors; seems like everyone pretty much takes care of themselves here.” 

“Mr. Wallace, I really don’t think this is a big deal, I just wanna go to class.” I complained. My eyes closed and I felt my body sway again. I opened my eyes wide. 

“Please, just call Jackson. And Cat I do think you shouldn’t go to class, just based on what I’ve seen. I know you think last until after school but that’s not gonna help anyone. You could also, potentially, make others sick.” I sighed, laying back again. ‘Might as well take a nap.’ I covered my eyes with my wrist. “How many pills did you take earlier?” I held up three fingers. “Alright, before you go home, I want you to take some more. Other than that, drink lots of water, stay warm, and sleep. Don’t bother coming to school the rest of the week. You’ll be fine.” I could hear him moving around but didn’t look. 

“Can I get a late slip from you, Jackson?” Margo’s voice was soft and flirtatious. I rolled my eyes internally and shivered. Jackson wrote her a slip. “So, if I have a headache I should come to you?” 

Jackson chuckled, “Yeah, come right here. I’m always here for you.” ‘Why am I not surprised that he’s fallen.’ Margo’s alluring charm and mature figure made her almost an enchantress; most guys fell for her spell. Jackson cleared his throat. “I mean, because I’m the doctor and this is the doctor's office. Okay, I have some work to attend to. Cat, get some z’s.” I waved a hand, removing my wrist from my eyes to see him duck out of the room. 

Margo turned to me and grinned while biting her lip. “No.” Margo nodded as I shook my head. “Margo.” I whined. 

“He’s gorgeous!” She gushed. 

“Well, yeah but-”

“And he’s not married. I didn’t see a ring.” Margo stated like she already won.

I stared at her blankly. “You’re seventeen. A minor, case you forgot. There’s no way you guys can be together, or that he’s interested.” ‘He probably is but that’s not the point.’ 

“Did you see those dimples? Oh God, that scruff.” She moaned softly. 

“You are gonna get some man arrested.” I laughed. “You’re terrible. Go to class.” Margo rolled her eyes as she waved me off. 

“See ya, babe.” She walked out of the room, shutting of the lights. ‘Oh thank God.’ I closed my eyes and focused on my heavy breathing until all focus disappeared. 

~~~~~~~

I hummed as my headache thumped into my eyes. ‘For frick’s sake.’ I sat up and rubbed my face. It was clammy and in a cold sweat. I shivered and stood up in the darkness. I stumbled to the sink and turned on the cold water. I washed my face and exhaled slowly as my head felt better for a moment. I grabbed my backpack and tossed it on my back, groaning. ‘Why does everything hurt?’ I pulled out my phone to check the time: 3:33PM. ‘I could still go to my last two classes ... but I don’t wanna.’ 

I opened the door and peeked out into the empty main office. Jenny must be in a back room or something. I walked to the front desk and signed out before going outside to the parking lot. I searched through the cars until I saw the old blue with a white stripe. I glared at the truck as it sat on the farthest end of the parking lot. ‘Stupid Cat.’ I sighed and pushed myself to walk across the dense lot. My heavy limbs refused to move. I started to pant halfway across. 

‘It’s so hot.’ I whined. ‘Can’t the truck move to me?’ I rolled my head. I tsked when I realized I forgot to take those pills the doctor set out. ‘I’m not going back now.’ I pulled my hair from my neck as I pressed my face against the metal of the truck. ‘Since when was it so hot in October?’ I opened the squeaky door and climbed inside, using my weight to pull it closed. I turned on the truck and took off my backpack to throw it beside me. I pulled out of the parking lot and started the drive home.

 I rubbed my eye as I felt a yawn coming. I grabbed the window handle and rotated it until the window was all the way down. The cool breeze felt fantastic. ‘I’m so freaking tired. Can’t sleep.’ I turned on the radio and widened my heavy eyes. I dropped my hands to the bottom of the steering wheel. ‘If I use my energy to not sleep, I won’t sleep.’ I blinked slowly. 

A horn honked loudly and I jerked awake, turning the wheel to the right. The truck bounced as it jumped the curb and into the grass. A small red car zoomed passed, clearly speeding. I pressed on the brake and it slammed to a stop, slamming my head against the wheel. “Fuck!” I held my already aching head. ‘At least now it hurts internally and externally.’ I peeled my tense fingers from the wheel and unbuckled, shkily opening the door. I dropped out of the truck to look for damage. I walked around the truck to widen my eyes and collapse into the grass. ‘Holy shit.’

 A telephone pole stood a foot from the passenger side door frame. ‘So close.’ A light misty rain started as I sat there staring at the pole. ‘I don’t have the energy to move.’ A shiver racked my spine and I hugged myself. ‘Okay, maybe I do.’ I crawled on my knees to the driver door and pulled myself inside. I panted as I buckled up. ‘I need to work on arm day.’ I drove home, my eyes alert to avoid another accident with a different outcome.

 I parked into the uneven driveway and stared at the red door. ‘Why’s it so far?’ Tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked them away. Six feet felt like a mile. I sighed and walked inside. I groaned as I realized the alertness the fear gave me was wearing thin and I still had to go upstairs. My sore limbs ached with every step, or even the thought of moving. ‘Is this what being old feels like?’ My shoes scraped against the dark wood floor as I shuffled towards the stairs, as I got close my knees buckled and I lunged for the steps. I clasped the wood railing and held myself up. “Come on. Not too far, it’s only like thirteen steps.” I legs quivered. ‘I’m not sleeping on the couch, damnit.’ 

I crawled slowly up the steps and laid on the landing for a moment. I panted heavily as my temples raved. I pushed myself to stand and open the door, I stumbled to the bed and collapsed. It didn’t take long for my tense body to relax into sleep.