CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
BLAKE’S POV

“Oh, baby, you look so pale. Are you sick?”

I stared into the worried blue eyes of my girlfriend as she cupped my face in her little palms and pulled me closer to her.

“I’m fine,” I said as believably as I could. She didn’t look convinced, so I grabbed her hands and smiled even more. “I am, really.”

“I just hope so,” she said and sighed. “It’s like everyone’s coming down with something. Tony’s sick too. He didn’t come to school today.”

At the mention of Anthony, my heat skipped a beat. I almost asked how he was before remembering that we weren’t on speaking terms and I wasn’t supposed to care about him. He could be sick for all I cared!

I tried to ignore the fact that Anthony was unwell for the rest of lunch period, but my mind just kept conjuring images of him lying on his bed, weak with the flu, unable to move a muscle. I bet he was unable to breathe properly while his whole body emitted heat that could cook beef.

Crystal kept checking up on me every two minutes, and while I appreciated her care and worry, it was becoming extremely hard for me to decide whether I wanted to keep thinking of the boy I now hated so much or I should make out with her just to shut her up.

“Check it out,” Dante said, looking up from his lasagna and staring straight ahead of me. “Susan’s back.”

I whipped my head around to take a look at her. She looked okay and not pale and dreary like most people said she would look when she returned. While I wasn’t a huge fan of what she did to my girlfriend during cheer practice and her almost ruining my relationship, I did feel a bit bad for what she went through. The fact that she had to take a couple weeks off school showed just how serious it was for her. I was glad that she was back.

Crystal on the other hand didn’t share the same sentiments.

“Ugh! That crazy bitch is back. Cheer practice is going to be awful now.”

While Susan passed by our table to get to hers on the other end of the cafeteria, I noticed the icy glare exchange between she and Crystal. My girlfriend was a fairly chill person and it bordered on angelic, so watching her give that kind of attitude to Susan only meant that their beef was deeper than what I originally thought.

“Hey Pretty Boy,” Claire greeted the moment she saw me in Chem class. “You look like shit.”

“So I’ve heard,” I responded dryly and took a seat beside her.

“Did you throw up? Have you been drinking lots of water? I once went a whole day without drinking any and I was so dehydrated, I looked like Edward from Twilight.”

“No and yes. Did you check your glucose level this morning?” I asked that because she was holding a can of soda in her beautiful, manicured hand.

“Oh, this?” she raised the can. “This is just a precaution. I think I accidently gave myself excess insulin again. But, enough about me.” Claire leaned in closer like she was about to say something conspiratorial to me. “Did you manage to fix your boy problems?”

“I...” She was looking at me so expectantly that I couldn’t bring myself to say no. She probably thought that she had given me important information and a solid reason why I shouldn’t still be mad at him for whatever he did to me and she figured we were cool now. Then again, I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her – because Claire Reagan wasn’t the kind of person you lied to – so I just didn’t answer.

“You have got to stop taking your injection without checking the measurements,” I said instead. She groaned and rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

“Seeing as you’re changing the subject, I’m guessing there’s still a little bit of tension between you both. Well, since whatever you two are going through is clearly serious and is thus, affecting your health...” She pointed at my face and made circles in the air. “I’m going to do my utmost best to make sure that you don't at least die with the last thing you hear be Mr. Bradley’s boring representation of the structure of an atom.”

Just then, out teacher walked in and Claire winked at me and smiled in this way that was seductive but at the same time had no sexual meaning behind it.

“Blake, Blake.” Her voice was shaky and panicky and her hand shot up and grabbed my shoulder, pressing down on it hard. I winced, but managed to keep my face steady and not give away the fact that she was faking it.

“I don't feel so good. Why are there two of you?” By now, Mr. Bradley had come over to our table and was staring down at Claire with panic in his eyes.

“What’s going on here? Claire? Is it your diabetes?”

Of course, she didn’t respond because she had ‘passed out,’ so I did.

“I think she just went into hypoglycaemic shock. I’ll take her to the clinic.”

With as much ease as one would when lifting up a feather, I carried my crazy new friend bridal style, scooped up her purse and my backpack before scurrying out of the classroom. I ran all the way outside with her in my arms and I didn’t stop until we got to my car.

“You are amazing,” Claire said the moment I stopped running. She propped herself up in my arms and looked at me, her face shining from smiling so much. “People think jocks are dumb, but I’ll have you know I was impressed when you said I went into hypoglycaemic shock.”

I laughed and shook my head.

“Damn, Lindell! I’m not one to go crazy over abs and muscles, but you sure do pack a lot.” She was poking my bicep and grinning goofily while swinging her legs all the while in my arms. I wanted to set her down, but she held my arm tightly.

“No! Not yet. I’ve never dated a girl strong enough to carry me like this before. I may act like I don't care, but deep down I want to be treated like a Disney Princess and while my girlfriends get the treatment part right, they just can’t carry me like this.” She batted her lashes at me all cute and sappy and I just couldn’t say no to her.

“You know you’re adorable, right?” I asked smiling just as much as she was earlier. It was times like this that I really, really regretted not knowing her sooner because of how she made me feel happy by just being herself.

“Do you feel a little bit sad knowing that you can never date me? Have I managed to make you fall in love with me like all the other straight guys?” She yelped when I ungraciously set her on the ground. Her short descent made me laugh, forgetting that we were supposed to be in class by now.

“C’mon Cinderella. Let’s go to my house and I’ll show you how to be treated like a princess for real.”



I had thought that I wouldn’t have to go back to school again after I had gone back to my place with Claire in the middle of class, but I was wrong. Turns out, I was my girlfriend’s ride back home, and after looking for my car in the parking lot for five minutes after a tiring and exhausting cheer practice, it’s safe to say she that she was beyond pissed and highly irritated.

“Yo! Blake!” Dante rushed at me standing right by the entrance of the hall, breathing hard. His pupils were dilated and he looked excited, but not the good kind. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Something came up, I had to step out for a sec. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Dude, your girl and Susan are going at it by the pool.”

I could never explain the way dread took over my being in that moment. Without wasting time, I ran all the way to the other end of the school, Dante by my side, praying hard that absolutely nothing bad happened to Susan. People may wonder why I was praying for Susan to be okay, but all I can say is I know the person I’m dating and there was no way she was getting out with a single scratch on her.

“Over there by the pool,” Dante yelled as I kicked the door open. It took me a second to realize that I had been played.

“What the actual hell, man?” I yelled at Dante.

“Sorry Blake, but I couldn’t say no to him. Look at that sick face. He looked like he was going to pass out if I turned him down.”

I looked at Anthony clad in baggy clothes. He did look way too pale and weak to be walking around. My heart sank to my stomach on seeing his feeble self. I just saw him last night, but I had to admit it felt like eons. I missed him, damn it, I did, but pride and anger had me in a chokehold.

“You two sort out your shit. I’ll take Crys home. She’s been searching all over for you for a while now.”

It was just us two in that cold, empty pool area after Dante left. I didn’t want to look at him even though my eyes kept wandering towards his direction.

“You look like shit,” I said finally.

“So do you,” he retorted.

“I was the one who stood outside in the cold fresh out of the shower last night, so how come you came down with a cold?”

“Have you ever heard of lovesickness? I guess I came down with that.”

My heart skipped two beats at his statement. My stomach felt like a whole botanical garden of butterflies had invaded it and were hell bent on making their mark there.

“I thought you were at home? What are you doing here, Pearce?”

“Actually, I was on my way to the hospital, but I thought that maybe seeing you instead will cure me.”

Cue the double heartbeat.

“Did you ever think that maybe seeing you would make me sick?” That wasn’t true. Seeing him made me feel happy and sad at the same time. “Get lost.”

I turned around to leave, but he screamed, “No!” and it echoed throughout the building.

“I will not get lost and I will not stop trying to get you to forgive me or talk to me the way you used to. I will keep trying until you finally, finally, start calling me ‘Anthony’ or ‘Pearce’ in the teasing way you used to.”

“You’re going to keep trying for a life time then.” I took a step in the direction of the exit.

“Do you want me dead, Blake?”

“What?”

“You said you didn’t want a truce that had an expiration date. You said you wanted it to last for as long as we both didn’t feel like killing each other. Do you want me dead, Blake?”

“Don't be ridiculous, Pearce. Go home and take care of your cold before it gets worse.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said stubbornly. Frankly, he was beginning to get on my nerves.

“I don't want to talk to you, okay? We are done, Pearce. Now, go home and leave me alone.”

“You still didn’t answer my question.” With determined strides, he moved towards the edge of the pool.

“This pool has chlorine in it. You know my chlorine sensitivity is a little on the high side. Once my body hits the water, I wouldn’t be able to move due to respiratory failure, I’ll be too busy trying to catch my breath. A little more time under and I’d be gone.”

“You’re ridiculous and crazy and I want no part of this.”

I was scared. My body was shaking and beads of perspiration were forming on my forehead. Surely, Anthony was just bluffing, right? There was no way he was going to jump.

“I’ll believe you don't want to see me when you leave me in there to die. After all, that’s when our truce ends, right?”

“Don't be foolish, Pearce. Stop kidding around and get out of there.”

“I really am sorry for being such an ass towards you and saying what I said. But I admit I’m selfish and self-centred and I cannot live without you being my friend again. So, if you don't want us to be anymore, now is your chance to make that happen.”

The next thing I heard was the sound of a body falling into a pool and making a moderate splash. After ten seconds of holding my breath and waiting, Anthony still didn’t come up for air.

Shit!