Madame Williams ( teacherxstudent )

53

DIANE'S POV:

I woke up in the middle of the night not only as if someone had thrown a bucket of hot water all over my body, but also having a bit of a headache. It was awful.

I ruined my side of the big white fluffy bed we were sleeping in tonight. I got Lou woken up when I opened the bathroom door too quickly, overwhelmed because of the temperature I had going on. She tried to help me, I said I could do it myself, she insisted, I got annoyed, and she ended up running a cold bath for me and going to the ice machine.

I hated my body for doing this to me. I was embarrassed for leaving a big stain of sweat on the bed, and I hated that it was my fault I woke Lou when she didn't have to deal with this or even help.

She should have tried to go to sleep instead.

I get off of my pajamas and get into the cold bath while the water keeps running. The bath helps to calm me down, to give me a rest from the hotness that was somehow radiating from within me, as if I had eaten the fucking sun.

Lou came back a few minutes later, handed me a glass of water with ice, and with the remaining ice she grabbed the hand towel and filled it with ice, like when you do when you've sprained your ankle and you have to let the swelling down.

She put the towel with ice on my forehead and then my cheeks, "Does that help?"

I nodded silently.

She had her worried eyes and she had her lips pursed. "Are you feeling any better?"

I wanted to cry.

"Can you get me an aspirin?"

She didn't reply, just went to see what she got in her bags.

*

I managed to get through the hot flash, and Lou got a towel on top of my big sweat stain.

"You can sleep on my side." Lou offered.

I kept saying I wouldn't, Lou kept insisting, I yelled at her to stop, but again she won and I went to sleep on her side of the bed, that now was cool and comfortable. I couldn't understand how Lou could deal with a menopausal cranky woman who kept getting irritated over every stupid little detail.

I went to bed naked, took the aspirin for my headache and Lou kissed my lips as a goodnight.

I fought my insomnia for hours until I was finally asleep.

Then I was woken up from a lucid dream. The fear in Lou's eyes was enough to wake me up completely. Nicole had called.

We needed to go back to Maine as soon as possible.

*

"Did she say more?" I asked on the train back home.

We were supposed to be staying for the three remaining days of the holiday, instead we were coming back home early.

Lou shook her head firmly, "I'm scared."

I sighed, "It's gonna be alright."

"Fuck! It must have been Allie. You were right, Dee. You were fucking right! This is my fucking fault!" Lou whispered-yelled at me and hid her face in both her palms.

I was fucking shaking already. I was scared too, and as much as I'd love to blame it all on her bully friend, I had no idea who told. I had no idea who decided to open their damn mouth, and I was terrified this was the end for us.

I kept replaying every little memory I had of Lou and I, every laugh, every cry, every inside joke that cracked me up.

I caressed the top of Lou's head, I shushed her, I looked around and realized some people stared at us, but I didn't care.