Siderism

iv. in which amelia has the flu

❝ words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find. ❞

- william shakespeare, the passionate pilgrim

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        ROBIN MORRISSEY MAY have known a thing or two Amelia Delaney Windham (not just including her middle name); such as how her favorite fictitious characters' middle names were Jean and James, or how she would refuse to drink tea unless it was the proper, steaming hot in a mug kind (Amelia despised iced tea), or how she binge-watched all six seasons of Gossip Girl in an entire month and throughout that entire July the only thing Amelia was concerned about was whether or not Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass were finally going to get together (such an occasion Robin did not dare miss, as she was forced into watching every single episode with her - though it was more entertaining watching Amelia watch the show than actually watching the show, because Amelia Windham was the queen of commentary and hilarious sound effects) instead of her thesis paper on Lord of the Flies (which she, unsurprisingly, got a perfect grade on, Amelia had always been quite a genius in, well, everything - except cooking, she was rubbish at that). Robin knew that she had a passion for forensic anthropology and biology, and that Amelia secretly thought she knew how King Tutankhamen died just from watching a History Channel documentary a couple dozen times. It was her job to, as a best friend. Only, when it came to Amelia, as always, Robin was maybe a little in over her head. (Not that Robin minded. Robin never minded when it came to Amelia.)

        Which is precisely why, when Amelia caught the flu and was put under figurative house arrest for the day, Robin ditched school (she had a 6.0 average in AP Marine Bio anyhow) and showed up on her front doorstep - quite to the surprise of Amelia's father, who had been working from his home office on the specific date in question and opened the front door to reveal the sight of her - with an almost overwhelming armful of medicine she quickly bought from the local pharmacy before arriving at the Windhams' and a giant bag stuffed full of her all-time favorite Audrey Hephburn movies. "Hello Mr. Windham, I don't suppose you could lend me a hand with all this?" she asked, tottering in her heeled boots (which she deeply regretting wearing) from the amount Robin was carrying.

        "Robin, I'm sorry," he apologized, holding the door open while taking the bag from her slipping grip. "I should have been expecting you. Amelia hasn't gotten this sick in - well, I can't even remember now."

        "Freshman year. The M&M milkshake incident." 

      "That's right. Don't mention that to her though; you know Amelia, she's already melodramatic enough today as it is." He smiled at her like a father smiles at his own daughter and, after swapping her the medicine for the movie bag, he added, "Tell your mother I said hello."

        "Will do!" Robin shouted over her shoulder as she rushed up the stairs to the end of the hall and entered the familiar lavender walls and expensive perfume-scented atmosphere that was Amelia Windham's bedroom (and it might as well have been Robin's room as well since she spent more time here than at her actual house), which is exactly where she found her sickly best friend lying underneath a mountain of pillows and flowery duvet covers. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Guess what I brought?"

         "Fuck off."

       "Unfortunately, I did not bring 'fuck off', whatever the hell that is. Though I did bring the best of Hephburn. Thought it might make you feel a bit better. And hopefully it will since you're in such a bitchy mood this morning." Sitting down, Robin swung her legs onto the bed and sank down beside Amelia, who looked and felt like hell. Her caramel blonde hair was a raggedy mess of slept-on curls and was pulled back into a lopsided bun atop her head. Robin was pretty certain there were remnants of vomit on her Ayn Rand quote shirt that practically swallowed a third of her body and hid her plaid flannel shorts from view (which Robin duly tried to ignore. And failed. Miserably.)