Act 3 | Chapter 11

My eyes were blinded by the burning light of my phone screen. I hadn't turned the brightness down before going to bed, and once my screen turned on, it cast a powerful light that blinded me even with my eyes closed. Quickly, I reached for my phone and unlock the screen with my hand. Using this brief window of opportunity, I tried turning the brightness down to the point where it didn't start burning my retinas. I shivered a bit as I sat up and the bedsheets slipped off me. I wasn't wearing anything at all, and the cool wind from the open window sent goosebumps down my skin. Before checking to see why exactly my phone just decided to turn itself on, I looked at the clock. It was midnight, only a few minutes past it to be exactly. I couldn't help but let out a sigh before checking my notifications. A minute ago I had apparently received a text message, and after opening it, I saw that it was from none other than my mother.

"Why?" I thought to myself as I squinted my eyes and tried to make out what the text said. It was difficult, but eventually, I decided to lay down and roll over onto my side while I waited for my vision to clear up a bit. Once it finally did, I stared at the small text bubble.

"Zoey. I know it's been some time since we last spoke, but I mean it when I say I want you to come back. Please, just stop by the house and let's talk. There's something I want to discuss with you." I read out loud, mumbling quietly. What would my mother want to talk about? Probably just something to get me into the house so she can try and convince me to come to stay with her. Though I'm sure after she sees what I've done to myself, there will be some unhappiness. My hair had changed too much already. I was tempted to reply but it was too late for that. It was an offer that I would think about, but not fully agree with. I don't know if I'm ready to see her again or not.

Just then, I could feel Riley's hand reach over and wrap over my chest. She felt around and I let out a gentle moan, looking back at her. She pressed her bare breasts against my back and leaned over my shoulder, her eyes were half-open as she was squinting to look at the phone.

"Who is it?" She asked in a tired voice.

"No one," I replied, shutting my phone off and putting it back down on the dresser. Riley leaned forward a bit and planted a kiss on my cheek before saying:

"Can't be that bad can it?~"

"... It's my mom."

"Why would your mom be texting you?" She asked, closing her eyes and leaning on my shoulder.

"I don't know. She just said she wanted to talk." I replied in a similar tired manner. I was still feeling out of breath from a bit earlier when Riley and I decided to spend some time alone in bed. She didn't bother saying anything else to me and dozed off again. I did the same not too long after, but I just couldn't shake the question from my head. Why did my mother want to talk to me? What did she want to talk about?

The thought danced around in my head all night. It prevented me from sleeping, and at some point during the night, I got this sickening feeling in my stomach. I wasn't sure what it was, but it really hit me hard the next morning. My body was covered in goosebumps, and the second I moved, my head began to ache. It pounded, almost like when I was hungover, only I hadn't been drinking the night before. My stomach was a problem too. It felt empty, tight, and unusual. Slowly, I climbed out of bed, trying to ignore the pain it caused. The clock on my phone told me it was almost one in the afternoon. "Had I really been sleeping for that long?" When I looked back at the bed and saw Riley was gone, that more or less added more proof. Sweat was running down my body. I could feel the individual trickles as they rolled down my skin. It was hot out. Very. "What's wrong with me?"

I looked around and soon found my bra. It wasn't too far from the bed, and it was right beside my panties, so I was able to put those on at least. Though the soft fabric they were made of only irritated my skin. It was something I had to deal with. I grabbed my bathrobe which was folded up in my drawer but putting that on only made it hotter. Soon it felt as though it was hard to breathe, and I stood there for a moment, slowly taking in deep breaths to try and inhale oxygen properly. "I need to find Riley." Making my way out into the hall, I soon found out how difficult it felt to walk. My throat was itching and my legs were like jelly. The sound of the TV came from the end of the hall, and I chose that to be my destination. Riley soon came into view, and I shot her a smile.

"Morning." I groaned in a scratchy voice.

"Morning?" Riley sat up from her comfy spot on the couch, "it's the afternoon dummy. You slept in."

"I did?" That's right, I had forgotten already. It's only been a few minutes into my day and I already feel like shit. My leg went limp and I collapsed onto the couch beside Riley. She gave me an odd look and leaned in over me. I only stared back at her with weak eyes as she sat on my lap and reached up, pressing her hand against my forehead.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, taking her hand away.

"N- No, not really."

"Hold on a second." Riley stood up and returned a moment later with a thermometer in her hand. She forced me to open my mouth and stuck the long dull needle-like part into my mouth and gently pushed my jaw closed. We sat there and waited for a moment before the device beeped and Riley pulled it out of my mouth. The little display read 109.5.

"Yup, your sick." She said and placed the thermometer on the table next to her. Riley decided from that point on to take care of me for the rest of the day. Neither of us was unsure what made me sick or what gave me the ever. All we knew was that it happened. I was confined to the couch as if it was a jail cell. Riley constantly spoon-fed me medicine and to be honest, it felt nice, but at the same time, made me feel like a child. Though the bright side to all of this is that I had time to think about my mother's offer. The more I did, the more I wanted to know what she had to say.