Page 56 of Class Clown

“I hope so.”

I put a hand on the door jamb for balance, I could admit to myself that I felt a little wobbly, but that happens after a few days in bed and it wasn’t going to stop me.

“I think I’m onto something with Nico and Kristy,” I said over my shoulder.

Cole smirked. “Sorry to tell you that I think you’ve already lost the male half of the equation.”

“I’ll get him back. Kristy is irresistible.”

“I think if he found her irresistible, he’d already be making a move,” Cole reasoned.

“I don’t think Nico knowns how to make a move. You might need to coach him a little.”

“Oh, he’s subtle, but I think he’s doing alright so far,” he responded in an undertone.

“Kristy hasn’t mentioned anything.” I turned to him. “But I suppose she doesn’t tell me everything. Speaking of her, I hope my sickness hasn’t caused any issues for her.”

He shook his head. “Kristy is doing a great job of handling people who need it. It’s been mostly slivers and scratches. Just rest so you can get better.”

I didn’t mean to look at myself in the mirror when I walked into the bathroom, but what greeted me was a ghost-like personage who’d seen better days. I patted at my hair and made a face.

“You couldn’t have at least brushed my hair while I was comatose?” I called out to Cole. “Nico did not need to see this.”

“Are you kidding me? Nico is the only one who has seen it. He’s single-handedly taken over your care, insisting I was too busy running camp. This is the first time I’ve spoken to you since Saturday night on the path outside.”

I poked my head out the door. “I was in here dying and you didn’t bother to look in on me? You left me with a stranger?”

He huffed. “Nico is hardly a stranger, Rubes. It’s time to stop pretending about that. He’s our friend. And I poked my head in every night to see that you were still breathing.”

“I told him he looks like a young Elvis and that I wanted to lick his eyeballs like a chocolate bar.”

Cole laughed. “I’ll bet he loved it.”

I slammed the door and got the shower water running. It was hard to decide between warm and cool because I definitely had a low-grade fever going on. My limbs were shaky and my head a mess, but I was determined to clean up. I found it hard to rest when I felt unclean.

I made it through the shower, but it wasn’t a spa experience. It involved me holding myself up with one hand pressed to the stall wall while the other lathered and rinsed. My hair was usually something I enjoyed, but washing that heap almost did me in. My limbs were rubber bands by the time I finished, and my hands shook as I dried off and dressed and brushed my teeth twice. But, my head felt more clear and I was less inclined to literally eat Nico up.

Cole was waiting when the shower door opened, and one look at my pale face had him putting an arm around my shoulder and propping me up. I briefly wondered when the last time I’d eaten had been. This illness had really taken me out.

“I don’t want to be back in bed yet,” I said as he turned me toward my bunk. “Let me sit in a chair for a minute. My body is tired of laying down.”

“You look like you’re going to pass out, Rubes,” he argued, but he redirected me to a chair at the little kitchen table.

“When is the last time I ate real food?” I asked out loud. “Nico has been bringing soup. Could you get me something? I need fuel so I can get back to work tomorrow.”

“I’m not sure you’ll be ready tomorrow, sis.”

I waved a hand. “Either way, I’m famished. A sandwich or something heartier? This body doesn’t run on unleaded, you know?”

“You’ll be okay while I run up to the lodge?”

I smiled. “Of course. I’ll sit right here and look out the window.” Which I did and huffed. “Look, Quinn is keeping vigil over me.”

Cole laughed, patted my back, and left. I watched him walk up the path toward the lodge until the curve in the walkway took him from my sight.It was peaceful, sitting in the little building, looking outside. I was missing out on a glorious day. Dumb sickness.

I finger-combed my wet hair, and hummed a little nonsense tune. My stomach growled and I patted it. “Be patient friend, Cole will help you.”

After ten minutes the back of my sleep tank was feeling damp and I wished I’d thought to grab a comb and a hair tie so that I could braid my hair up and off my body. Feeling stronger after a few minutes of rest, I went to the bathroom to get the supplies, and as I was leaving to go back to the kitchen the cabin door opened.

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