Down with the Sickness

IV

(At-Will Rogers High School, 12:30 pm)

Needless to say, Ponyboy didn't feel any better than this morning. He couldn't feel worse. He felt nauseous, his head was pounding, and his legs felt heavy. Even his throat was still aching, feeling like he swallowed needles.

After lunch, Bexley had found him leaning against his locker. She was more worried than usual this morning. She saw Ponyboy shivering like mad even though he had a coat on. Two-Bit happened to walk with Bexley when she noticed Pony shaking.

"Pony, are you okay?" Bexley said, sounding a bit panicked. Two-Bit's wisecracking grin wasn't present when he saw just how sickly Ponyboy looked. He pressed his shoulder against the tan-colored lockers and groaned; he couldn't hide that he wasn't sick. However, the locker was giving him some comfort.

"Guys... I don't feel good." he groaned, on the verge of coughing. Two-Bit reached up and touched Ponyboy on his forehead and he frowned at him. "Kid, you're burning up," Two-Bit said, pulling his hand back. "Thanks," Pony said, starting to cough loudly.

Bexley was concerned, she knew he wasn't well enough to come to school. "Pony, we need to call Darry." Bexley said, "You're too sick to be here." "No, Bexley. Don't call him." Ponyboy replied decidedly, pushing himself up from the tan lockers, book in hand.

"Why? You're too sick to be here. And Darry told me or you to call him if you were feeling worse." Bexley replied, her stomach twisting in her stomach. "Bex, you know as well as I that we can't afford it if one of them takes off work," Ponyboy said.

"Pony, I can give you a lift home right now. You'd do better if you go to bed." Two-Bit suggested. Ponyboy shook his head stubbornly because the rest of the gang had been keeping a better eye on him and Bexley. Even though they were grateful for it, it could get annoying from time to time.

"I can't miss track practice. I can't afford to. If I do, Coach'll kick me off if I keep missing out on it." Ponyboy explained. Bexley understood how much her twin brother adored track and knew that he was the more athletic of the two. However, she also knew that he shouldn't be running if his health was at stake.

"Pony, he'll understand if you tell him you're sick. Surely, he'll cut you some slack if he knows. We have to call Darry and tell him. He needs to know." Bexley said, trying to convince him to give Darry a call. If not him, then he could call Soda.

"Bexley, he won't. Trust me, I'll be fine." Ponyboy assured. Two-Bit and Bexley knew that Ponyboy did this same thing after they visited Johnny and Dally. So it was obvious that Ponyboy wouldn't make it the rest of the day. Then, the school bell rang before anyone could answer.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Ponyboy said, "I'll see you guys later." He then left Bexley and Two-Bit there and headed to history class. He was looking forward to going home once the day was over. Bexley went to her locker to grab her biology book.

"You're gonna call Darry, ain't you?" Two-Bit asked, hands in his leather jacket pockets. Bexley shuts her locker and turns to look at the rusty-haired greaser. "Have too, Two-Bit. He told me if Ponyboy is worse than how he was this morning. Hell, I knew that he was getting sick the minute I woke up." Bexley replied, feeling her stomach twist.

And with that, Bexley had gone to her biology class. However, she couldn't concentrate because Ponyboy was on her mind the whole time. She had to do what Darry told her to do since Ponyboy was too stubborn to call Darry or Sodapop himself.

Bexley's teacher, Mr. Simmons, noticed Bexley's behavior and he walked towards her. "Bexley, are you alright?" he asked, catching her off guard. She glanced up at him, her eyes glassy which was hard to miss. "I'm sorry, I-I'm not feeling too good. Mr. Simmons." Bexley replies, worry eating away at her.

"Do you want to see the nurse?" Mr. Simmons asks, seeing that the girl was in clear distress and she needed help. "Sure," Bexley said, seeing her opportunity to call Darry about Ponyboy. Mr. Simmons suggested that he would go with her, but she decided to go on her own.

She exited the classroom and started walking towards the nurses, starting to feel sick. She even had the right mind to ignore the scowls and snickers from the Socs that were in the same class as her.

(In the Principal's office)

Bexley enters the office and gets the attention of the woman at the front desk. The middle-aged woman saw the 14-year-old girl walk in and she glanced up at her. "Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Curtis?" the woman asked.

"I need to call my brother. Darry Curtis." Bexley said. "Are you sick or something?" the woman asked. "No. It's my other brother, Ponyboy. He came to school sick and he's not wanting to call Darry or our other brother Soda. Darry had told one of us to call him if he was feeling worse. And I saw him in the hallway with another friend of mine. Can I call Darry? Please...?" Bexley elaborated, sounding desperate.

"Alright. But I will have to call Ponyboy to the nurse's office. Would you like to stay here or go back to class?" the woman asked. Bexley was mixed on that decision. She didn't want Ponyboy to be mad at her if he knew that she was the reason that he went home. But she also felt what she's doing is the right thing.

"I'll stay here. I want to make sure that my brother gets home safely." Bexley decided, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. "I understand, dear. Once your brother comes to pick up Ponyboy, you need to get back to class." the lady said, finding empathy towards the young girl. The woman saw just how caring she was towards her flesh and blood and she couldn't send her back until Ponyboy was safe.