It was last period and my whole being was still shaking. My heart beat was rattled by the thought of a particular new student, Joseph Wilson. And we have met albeit by accident three times, two out of three times he was a complete jerk. I have never felt like this before, maybe I caught something from him? A disease or an infection. I groaned out loud. I didn't want to catch anything, that would mean isolating myself from humans therefore missing school, and I would hate to miss school, I also had phobia for needles.
I could even infect my friends, I mean they did everything with me, it would be a shocker if they don't catch it. What's even worse is the fact that I don't know how I got it, was it through physical contact? I mean it did start after bumping into him. I shivered, goosebumps appeared over my visible skin.
What is wrong with me? I asked myself.
I made a mental note to have a talk with the principal, our old tradition of performing a full body test on aspiring students needed to come back. I stopped it because I thought it was rude to run a full body test on someone even after they said they were fine.
I pitied Debbie at the moment, I mean she was half way across his torso. Hanging on to his limbs for her dear life. I also felt... Angry? As I remembered both of them. But why would I feel anger? Oh man, I was definitely going crazy.
As soon as the bell rang, I bolted from my seat, racing to the front door first, not wanting any one to touch me, and risk spreading the disease.
"Hey! Carrie wait up!!" I heard Andrina's voice call after me.
I felt relief flood my veins. Then I remembered my disease, I took another turn, going out of the parking lot.
And in that moment, I wished I took up running as an extra curriculum activity. Because I needed to out run these guys, and Andrina is a gymnast.
"Where on Earth do you even think you are going, running like that?" Andrina asked. She caught to me in two seconds, I didn't even run out of the parking lot. I was completely breathless, and she wasn't. Sigh. Agility.
A frown was sitting on her soft features. I huffed, and maintained a noticeable distance between us.
"I have somewhere I have to be." I tell her quickly. She scanned my full body. I felt uneasy, but stood still, trying to make sure I didn't blink or else I would give away the fact that I was lying.
"You only have to be at the Elderlies today, or did you add something else?" She asked looking at me from under her thick lashes. I squirmed a bit, totally uncomfortable, lying to her like that.
"Yeah I did! Must get into Yale!" I added a swing of my arm to show my enthusiasm.
"You know, I have known you my whole life... Lying to my face is just completely humiliating yourself." She tells me in a bored tone, reminding me of Sophie.
"I'm not lying!" I say defensively.
She sighed, "even more lies... Okay, if you aren't lying, why are you so stiff? Not a muscle out of place." She asks.
Out of reflex, I readjusted myself. And noticed that I was indeed stiff, trying to get her fooled, I stiffened myself. And my neck hurt.
"Just because I'm trying out a new posture!" I say weakly.
She visibly face palmed.
"That also explain why you can't meet my eyes?" She asked me. I blinked twice, then tried to meet her eyes. I looked away immediately.
She sighed again,
"You do know I'm not your mom right? Neither am I your dad, you don't have to tell me where it is you are headed, I just wanted to know if you were safe, I won't ground you or anything." She tells me in a really soft tone. And all at once, I feel intense guilt, twisting and turning in my gut.
I sigh,
"I'm sorry I lied, I should be lying to you like that, you are my best friends..." I say truthfully.
She smiled brightly at me, I smiled back. I knew she had forgiven me.
"But I still have my questions... And I haven't forgiven you yet." Sophie said from behind Andrina. My eyes widened, I didn't know she was here. She walked around Andrina and stood in front me. I gulped.
"So honey, why were you running?"
"Okay listen, I think I'm infected with a really contagious disease.." I say taking a step back away from them.
"What do you mean?" Andrina asked me, seriousness etched into her features.
"I touched someone sick today, I don't think he knows he is even sick. But I feel the symptoms, I didn't want it spreading, that's why I ran." I explained.
Sophie scoffed.
"Why didn't you say it? Why did you choose to run?" She asked.
"Do you think I'm lying to you right now?"
She looked conflicted. I took one step forward, and both of them shifted back immediately. I let out a small laugh.
They looked guilty.
"It's fine, you can shift, that's what I want.. I don't want you catching anything." I tell them. I take two small steps backwards.
"Hopefully, it gets treated before tomorrow. And I'll walk." I tell them.
"What sickness is it?" Andrina asked.
"I don't know, I just felt the symptoms, so I want to get checked out.," I tell her.
She nods.
"Take care of yourself!" She says looking at me like she wanted to come with me.
"I will." I say waving at them and walking away from school.
I was debating which hospital to go to, before my alarm rang. It was time for the elderlies. I didn't like to be late, so I just called a cab.
"Sir, please can you sanitize your seats after I leave? I have some kind of disease, I don't want it spreading." I tell the cab driver. And he brakes in shock.
"Can you leave the car?" He asked gravely.
I wanted to argue, but I saw I was just a block away from the elderlies, I could run the distance. I got out money from my purse to pay for the ride. But he glared. I yelled at the intensity of the glare and got out. He sped off immediately my feet touched the ground.
"I'm not dead from the disease, I don't know why he is over reacting." I grumbled as I ran.
I got in the building, greeted all of them from afar, and ran straight to their doctor's office, they had their own doctor.
"Good day Miss Carrie!" The doctor greeted cheerily.
I got in and sat opposite him.
"Good day Doc."
Just then, Felicia got in, one of the elderlies here, she was sweet but she had the mouth of a sailor. She sat close to me
"I need something to help with this bac' pains, you got somn' for tha'?" She asked in her weird accent. It wasn't really an accent, sickness turned her tongue, and made her pronounce things weird.
"Coming right up!" Doc said.
"Wha' you here fo'?" She asked me.
"I have some weird disease, I need a proper diagnosis, and medicine. You see Doc, I saw this guy, and we ran inti each other, since then my heart beat has been rattled, and I don't breathe properly. Worse part, my brain turns to mush each time he comes around. I don't need that because I want, no need to go to Yale. So please help me get rid of this disease." I pleaded desperately.
But there was silence. Both of them just stared at me.
"Uhm... Is it deadly?" I asked hoping to God it wasn't, I didn't want to die.
"Dafuq! I thought you swung tha' other way!" Felicia exclaimed. I winced at her language. And the doctor burst out laughing. I just stared Wondering what was going on.