Chapter 7
(Nick's point-of-view)
My stomach still hurt. Maybe I would've felt better if had thrown up compared to the dry heaves. I could hear Kevin fathering Brian below me.
"Why were you in the restroom?"
"Nick was sick!" Brian snapped.
"Nick's fine."
"The hell he is. Heaving over a toilet is not fine."
"Brian, you can't worry about Nick. You have to worry about you."
Well, I love you you, too, Kevin. Thank you for informing Brian not to care about me. Although, I was glad to hear him say that. I didn't want anyone to worry about me. If someone worried about me, they may not focus entirely on Brian. And Brian just couldn't get sick again. He just couldn't.
"But Nick-" Brian fought.
"I don't care what Nick did! I only care about you!"
"Kevin, that is so rude and-"
Kevin stopped him. "You don't look well."
"Of course not! How can I look well when I'm pissed at you!"
I had enough. I hopped the bunk.
"Nick!" Brian exclaimed sitting up. "Just feel his forehead, Kevin! Look at him! Something is wrong!"
I flinched. "You're hysterical."
Kevin patted my shoulder. "He just has a bit of a fever and isn't feeling too well. Why don't you go get me some his medicine?"
Brian sent me a look of disgust. Why was he so mad at me? Could I help it I had felt a little weird ever since he came back? He looked at me as if I wanted to feel this way. Was he acting that way because the surgery wasn't a complete success? What if-
I stuttered. "S-sure, Kevin."
I fumbled around finding the pills in the front area. "God, please don't hurt Brian..." I prayed.
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"You're sure you're okay?" I asked Brian for the millionth time the next morning.
"YES!" he snapped. "Would you quit sounding like Kevin? The low-grade fevers are perfectly normal! How could anyone expect me to feel fine?" He stared at me coldly. "What about you? Nick, you're afraid to speak to me! You haven't eaten for two days and you're heaving....And you say you're fine!"
Tears rimmed my eyes. "I was only asking. I don't want you to be sick."
He paused. "Well, neither do I. Nor do I want you to be sick. But if you're so scared of me you can't even be near me, I won't push you and make it worse!"
He brushed passed me roughly knocking me off balance. I clutched my head wishing he wouldn't have done that.
I had been dizzy all morning and his movements and screaming were only making it worse. Brian and Kevin were completely switching roles.
Logically, I knew the dizziness was happening because I hadn't been eating. A lecture in waiting from Kevin's mouth.
Howie patted me lightly on the back. "Come on, Nick, we have to get off the bus."
"Huh?"
He laughed. "You okay? You look like you don't a friend in the world."
Wise words spoken from Mr.Howie Dorough.
"I'm okay."
"Let's go. You go on infront of me I wanna' make sure you don't lost finding your way out."
"I'm not that blonde," I replied in an attempt to find humor.
My steps were wobbling and my head heavy.
"A little faster, Nicky...." Howie sing-songed.
My vision became hazy, soon doubling. "Howie..." I moaned before I left my body give way my knee scraping against the concrete. I felt Howie catch my shoulders my head lying limply against his arms. Then, I blacked out.