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I shake my head, trying to brighten my voice. “I mean, nothing very interesting.”
And now the world’s biggest lie.
But it’s not like I can tell her the truth. Ha! She’d be mortified and disappointed, and then she’d tell Dad, and he’d be shocked and… ugh, I can’t picture his face right now. That’ll send me over the edge. There’s already enough negative emotion circling me. I don’t need theirs too.
“Your voice sounds scratchy. Are you sick?”
“Just exhausted,” I murmur. “School’s kind of intense and… you know.”
“Yeah, I remember. It was a long time ago now.” She laughs. “But I’ll never forget my college years. Going to the game tonight will be a nice break for you.”
“Oh, yeah.” I scratch my head, the thought of going making me want to puke all over again. “Not sure I’ll make it.”
“But, baby, it’s such an important game. You’ve gotta go. I mean, if your dad didn’t have that wedding on this evening, he’d totally be there with you.”
“I… I know, um… okay, truth is, I threw up this afternoon, so maybe I am sick.”
“Why didn’t you say?” Mom’s voice fills with empathy.
“I didn’t want you to worry?”
I probably shouldn’t be framing my responses as questions, but my brain is barely functioning right now. I’m surprised I’m even managing to hold this conversation.
“Oh, sweetie. Was it something you ate?”
“Most likely, although I can’t figure out what.”
“You must feel awful.”
“I’ll survive.”
Will you?
Right now, I’m honestly not sure. Tears line my lashes, thickening my voice and making it impossible not to sniff. “Hey, Mom. I gotta go.”
“Aw, Cinny. You just take care of yourself, okay? Is Lani there to support you?”
“She’s got a huge assignment due. I’ll be fine. I just need to rest.”
“Okay. Well, keep your fluids up, and if you start running a fever, remember to keep as cool as you can. Even though you’ll be shivering, make sure you don’t bury yourself under the blankets.”
“Yeah, got it.”
She spurts off a few more pieces of advice before finally letting me hang up.
I snuggle back down into my bed, tucking the covers under my chin and staring into my empty bedroom.
The game. Casey’s big, important game that I was going to be there for.
It’s not like I can go now. If I show up, it might throw him completely. I can’t be in the stands cheering him on when I’ve gone and hurt him so badly. Shit! This is why I didn’t want him finding out before the game. And now everything is so screwed up!
Closing my eyes, I feel the whimper climbing up my throat. It pops out as a soft cry, then turns into a gasp when Leilani walks in.
“Hey.” She blinks in surprise. “What are you doing? Are you okay?”
I roll over, turning my back to her so I don’t have to do this all over again.
“Caroline?” Her thick boot heels pock-pock-pock across our linoleum floor until I can feel her standing by my bed, looking down at me. “What happened?”
