Chapter 11

                                    

                                          
    I wake up Friday morning with a painful throbbing in my head. My heart pounds in my ears as I stare at my ceiling, trying to calm down my headache. Maybe, if I lay still for a few minutes, the pain will ease and I'll be able to get ready for school. Yesterday, my parents decided I could go to Los Angeles with Gabe and the other boys. We leave tonight at six. 
                          
    When I feel like my headache pain has subsided, I slowly stand and make my way to my closet. Once standing in front of the door, I feel a wave of tiredness wash over my body. I stumble and fall into the frame of the closet door. With a few deep breaths, I will myself to stand back on my feet and head back to my bed. 
                          
    My phone is sitting on my bed, next to my pillow, charging. I yank the charger out  and quickly unlock my phone. My iMessage is still pulled up, so I click on Mandy's name. As my fingers tap the screen quickly, my headache comes back. I read over the text message to make sure I didn't make a mistake. 
                          
     Something's wrong, get over here ASAP 
                          
    I hit send and lock my phone just as Jacob comes into the room. He's already dressed and ready for school. "Do you need a ride to school?" he asks. I shake my head. 
                          
    "I'm not going… I'm gonna stay home and pack." He nods. 
                          
    "Well, okay, see you at three, then!" He waves, then turns and leaves my room. I sigh in relief and look at my phone as I feel a vibration against my foot. It's Mandy.
                          
     Okay, stay calm, I'm on my way. Gimme five.
                          
    By the time Mandy shows up, I'm sitting in my living room with a blanket wrapped around me. Mandy lets herself in, and sighs when she sees me. "Bella, what's going on? What's wrong?"
                          
    "I don't know! When I woke up this morning, I had a very painful headache. After I laid in bed for a few seconds to make it go away, I got up and suddenly felt tired. Now, I have a fever! I don't know what's happening to me!"
                          
    "A fever, a headache, and lethargy." She sits in the recliner across from me. "You know what this means, right?" I shake my head. Mandy explains, "Those are three symptoms of…" She trails off, swallowing hard. 
                          
    "No, no, no. That can't be what it is! The doctors told me it wouldn't come back." 
                          
    "They said it probably won't come back," she corrects me. Then, Mandy looks at me sadly. "Bella, I'm so, so sorry." Tears fill my eyes, and I don't even bother to stop them. I hug myself as Mandy stands and joins me on the couch. She pulls me into a tight hug, and doesn't do anything else. I feel a drop of water splatter across my arm, and I know she's crying, too. 
                          
    I don't know how long we spend sitting on the couch, hugging and crying, but eventually I cry out all my tears and so does Mandy. We both leave the living room and head up to my room where I begin to pack for Los Angeles. Mandy stops me as I unzip my suitcase. 
                          
    "Don't tell me you're still going," she says, looking at me with narrowed eyes. I nod. 
                          
    "Of course I'm still going! I'm not contagious. And, besides, I can probably hold out for a week."
                          
    "Do you even hear yourself? You have bacterial meningitis for God's sake!"
                          
   "No, I don't hear myself. I haven't since I was nine." I walk to my dresser and pull out short sleeves and tank tops from the drawers. After they're neatly folded into my suitcase, I add, "Besides, we're not even one hundred percent sure it's meningitis. I could just have the flu or something." Or something.