Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
On Wednesday, I woke up stuffy with a sore throat and knew I was getting sick. I did not have time for a cold right now. After getting dressed, I headed to my first class, skipping breakfast all together. As a diabetic, that wasn’t the smartest thing, but food sounded gross right now.
“You look awful,” Emily said as she plopped onto her seat beside mine.
“Thanks,” I replied, my voice sounding raspy. “You might not want to sit so close to me, since I’m coming down with something.”
“I never get sick.” She pulled out her laptop.
“Sorry again for not being able to hang out the other night.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is. I ended up studying in the student lounge, so it all worked out.”
Curiosity ate at me. I wanted to know if she and Rowan broke up, and if so, why, but I didn’t want to be rude and ask her. I tapped my pen against my desk. “My double date was a bust,” I said, trying to get her to open up to me.
“I didn’t realize you were looking for a guy to hook up with.”
“I’m not. Sarah sort of thought it would be a good idea.”
She snorted. “Sarah isn’t the best one when it comes to relationships.”
“Why do you say that?” While I thought George was a strange choice for her, the two of them seemed to get along, and she had fun with him.
“She’s afraid of commitment, so she always hooks up with guys who she knows won’t last.”
Sarah had mentioned something about her father leaving her mother not that long ago. I wondered if that had anything to do with her fear of commitment.
“Did you hear that Rowan and I broke up?”
When Rowan had told me, I wasn’t sure if it was true. I thought that perhaps Emily and Rowan were one of those couples that broke up and got back together constantly.
“Oh,” I said, trying to be nonchalant. “How come?”
“We are better as friends. I’m dating Danny now,” she said. “He’s more my type.”
I blinked, unable to believe she’d already moved on to someone else. Maybe her and Rowan’s relationship wasn’t as strong as I’d first thought.
“And what is your type?” I asked. “Besides the obvious.”
“Obvious?”
“Huge rugby players,” I replied. Danny was almost as big as Rowan, but his features were different. Where Rowan had blond hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes, Danny had black hair, brown eyes, and snow white skin.
“What can I say, I like my men big. In all ways.” She smiled wickedly at me. “But seriously, Rowan and I were always good friends. I don’t think we were ever more than that. With Danny, I want to jump him. Like every single time I see him.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Well, I’m glad you found someone who does that to you.”
“What about you?” Emily asked. “Is there anyone you’re considering?”
“Nope.” I didn’t feel like talking about my love life with Emily. Sarah was the only one I was comfortable enough to open up to.
“Not even Adan? I thought there might be something between the two of you.”
“We’re just friends. Honestly, I’m too busy with school to be bothered dating anyone.”
“Are you sure? I can set you up with someone if you want,” she offered.
“Thanks, but I don’t want. I’m good.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
The professor entered and went straight into a lecture.
Halfway through class, I came down with a fever and started shaking. My head pounded, and my body ached. I was going downhill quickly.
When class ended, I just sat there, unable to summon up the energy to move. I had my genetics exam today. In my current state, there was no way I could take a test like this. Afraid the professor wouldn’t believe me, I decided to head over to her office, hoping to catch her between classes.
When I arrived, she was just coming out of her office.
“Miss Lake, office hours have commenced.”
“I’m not here for office hours,” I croaked. “I’m sick and don’t think I can take the exam today.”
She raised her brows, looking me over from head to toe. “May I?” She reached a hand toward my forehead.
I nodded, then wished I hadn’t. My head throbbed.
“You definitely have a fever. I suggest you go home and rest before you infect everyone else.” She stepped around me.
“What about the exam?”
“When you’re better, I’ll let you know when you can take it. But rest assured, you’ll get a more difficult exam.”
Lovely. “Thank you,” I muttered as she strode away.
I dragged my sorry ass back to my dorm and crawled into bed, covering myself with every single one of my blankets.
I peeled my eyes open and found Sarah at her desk, typing on her laptop. I gingerly pushed myself up to a sitting position, glancing outside. It was dark. My mouth felt sticky and gross. A wastebasket of used tissues was next to my bed.
“You’re alive!” Sarah said, twisting to face me.
“Am I? I don’t feel it,” I croaked. I stunk and desperately needed a shower.
“How are you doing?”
My head no longer hurt, and my body wasn’t achy. “Better. What day is it?”
“It’s Friday night.”
“Shit.” I’d been in bed for three days. I shoved the covers off and got up, stretching. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to a bouquet of flowers on my dresser. “And that?” I nodded to an empty container on my desk.
Sarah smiled. “Those colorful things on your dresser are called flowers. And the container on your desk was filled with chicken soup. I spoon-fed it to you. Don’t you remember?”
I examined the flowers. They were an assortment of several different kinds that looked as if they’d been plucked from a field somewhere. They were colorful, wild, and gorgeous. I didn’t see a card. “Who brought them?”
“I don’t know. When I came home Thursday, they were sitting next to the door out in the hallway. I assumed they were for you.”
“Why?” She was the one with a boyfriend.
“I asked George and they’re not from him. Since you’re sick, you’re the most likely candidate.”
I couldn’t imagine who they’d be from. “What about the soup? Is that your doing?” I hadn’t gone to the dining hall once since crawling into bed three days ago.
“No, that’s from Adan. He stopped by to check on you when you didn’t show up for the genetics exam.”
That was thoughtful of him. I appreciated that someone realized I was missing. And then once he knew I was sick, he brought me soup.
“Is there something going on between the two of you?”
“We’re just friends.” Friends did nice things for one another.
“You don’t think the flowers are from him?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t think so.” They didn’t feel like Adan.
“Well, I’m glad you’re doing better. The past three days have been boring without you.”
I still couldn’t believe I’d been out of commission for three days. I had so much work to make up. The labs alone would take me hours.
A horrifying thought occurred to me. I couldn’t remember taking my insulin. I rushed to the mini fridge, opening it and looking inside. My vials were organized by day, two per day. Relief filled me when I saw that I’d managed to stay on track with my medication.
“Your mom called,” Sarah said. “I answered your phone and told her you were sick. I even sent a picture so she’d believe me.”
I chuckled. “Thanks.” I’d have to call her tonight to let her know I was doing better. “I’m going to shower.” Then I was going to change my sheets and start studying. I’d need to be seriously productive to catch up in all my classes.
The following morning, the sun shone brightly, making me smile. I wanted to be outside, letting the warmth of the sun seep into me. Lately, I’d spent far too much time inside. And after being cooped up in my room, I needed some fresh air.
After taking a shower and getting dressed, I checked my phone.
There were several unanswered texts from Adan.
Most of them asked if I was feeling better yet.
He’d sent one this morning when I was in the shower.
He had a rugby game at ten and said if I was feeling better, I should go.
While I wasn’t particularly into sports and had no desire to see Rowan, I did want to be a good friend to Adan, especially since he’d brought me soup.
And since watching a rugby game would constitute as a college experience, I had no choice but to say yes.
I woke Sarah up and asked if she wanted to go with me. As I suspected, she did. She usually was up for anything.
After grabbing breakfast in the dining hall, we headed to the stadium.
“There are a lot more people here than I expected,” I said as we entered and headed to the top of the stands, as close to the fifty-yard line as we could get.
“I’ve been to a couple of these games, and they’re nuts.” Sarah grabbed my hand, leading me down a row where we found two seats together.
The announcer began to introduce the away team. A lot of people in the stands booed.
“Are we any good?” I asked.
“Yes. Our rugby team won their conference last year.”
The home team was announced. People stood, cheering and yelling for the guys. Rowan and Danny were the first two out, leading the rest of the team. Adan was the last guy out.
“I wanted to thank you for letting my mom know I was sick.” If Sarah hadn’t done that, I’m sure my mom would have been going crazy. Most likely, she would have driven up here to check on me and worried needlessly.
“No problem. She does seem a little intense.” Though she hadn’t asked a question, the way she’d spoken made it seem like one.
“Her heart is in the right place.” Granted, she did tend to smother me, claiming it was because she was worried about my diabetes. However, lots of people had diabetes and managed just fine. It was something I’d learned to live with. My mom needed to as well.
The whistle blew, and the game started.
It took me a second to spot Adan with so many bodies on the field. And holy hell, I had no idea rugby was so physically brutal. Football stopped after every single play, drawing out the game, but rugby didn’t seem to stop at all. It was constant motion with the players running into each other.
“Aren’t there any timeouts?” I asked Sarah, thinking the guys needed a second to catch their breaths.
“I don’t think so.”