in shades of yellow

chapter 13

I stayed there for an indecipherable amount of time. It could've been hours, days, weeks. My legs and arms tingled with pins and needles until their blood flow replenished over and over in an endless cycle.

I listened, though, listened to Penelope's concern evident her sullen sighs. Listened to her conversations with Ollie and sometimes Pierson. I thought I heard one with Cedric, but I could've easily dreamt it.

Penelope brought me food each meal time but I never touched it. I counted 6 meals. Two days. Only two days.

The bed felt like a mouse trap I was glued to, awaiting my impending doom.

Penelope walked in with her 7th meal in hand. Did that mean it was Monday?

"You have to get up," she said, sitting next to me, "I know you're upset but you need to talk to Pierson."

I didn't move or respond I just stared blankly at the wall.

"I'm not kidding Lilah, get up," Penelope was frustrated now, and I could tell she wouldn't take no for an answer. Still, I couldn't get up; getting up meant facing reality and that was something I was not ready to do.

"Okay fine, be that way," Penelope took a few steps and then I heard the door open, "Come help," I heard her say as the door widened and suddenly there were two sets of footsteps instead of one.

"Alright, Lilah, you have two options," I heard Brooks say, "You get out of bed or I carry you to Madam Pomfrey's office. Your choice." I then heard a third set of footsteps enter the room, stopping next to the bed behind me.

"Lilah," Harper said in a kind tone, "please get up you're scaring your brother. You can come stay in my dorm for a while if it makes you feel better, but please get up."

I contemplated my declared options over and over. If I got up and went to class, I would make them all leave me alone without having to sleep in a room with one of them nagging me to eat and talk and whatever else. I could crawl into my own bed and cry without the worry that someone might hear. Pomfrey's office sounded like misery; there was no medical cure for fucking up your love life.

Without a word I turned over and sat up for the first time in days. My head spun as my vision blacked out for a second; reality still hadn't hit me. Penelope smiled at me while Harper and Brooks exchanged a look of concern.

I was still in my clothes from the surprise party and desperately needed a shower. I smiled grimly at the three of them and started towards the door and to my dorm just a few rooms down the hall.

It felt nice to be back in my own room but weird. I drank a water from the mini fridge under my desk and ate a piece of bread to hold me over. I slipped out of my party clothes and turned on the hot water. As I waited for it to heat up I attempted to take off the ring again. I ran it under soap and water but nothing would slip it off. The C glowed every few hours or so while I laid in Penelope's bed and it made me sick.

After a refreshing hot shower I returned to my wardrobe and it offered me nothing special; Hufflepuff robes, a black skirt, white button down, some boots a lot of the girls wore, and no accessories at all. My outfit would be numb, too.

I didn't bother with makeup and let my hair dry straight down my back. Looking in the mirror I appeared slightly dead but better a zombie than a corpse.

I gathered my books and walked to class alone, arriving five minutes late to Potions and missing breakfast.

Pierson looked shocked to see me and I was just as shocked when I remembered I sat next to him in this class. How could I forget? With a growing heartbeat and sweat dripping from my forehead, I scurried over to sit next to him.