Girl In Red (R.HALE)

18

Leigh leaned down, elbows resting on her thighs and her head between her knees, taking long, deep breaths. 

Her stomach was churning. 

She felt as if her belly was a barrel of acid, rolling and turning and swirling and never stopping. 

She'd known that radiotherapy would make her feel sick, but she hadn't expected it to take on such an instant effect. 

Daniel sat beside her, rubbing her back and chewing on his bottom lip until it bled, watching her with anxious eyes whilst Lorrie drove them home. None of them had spoken since they'd left the hospital - Leigh mostly because she couldn't, and the two others because they didn't really know what to say. 

She'd spoken to Bella at school. Apparently Edward had invited her to play baseball with the rest of the family at the weekend, which made Leigh laugh. Bella was the most uncoordinated, clumsy person she'd ever met, and the idea of her playing baseball with a bunch of criminally graceful vampires was simply hilarious to her. Bella had just blushed and mumbled, trying to explain that she wouldn't actually play, mostly because Emmett would never stop teasing her if she did. Leigh didn't find that hard to believe. 

He'd been texting her, again. 

She didn't mind it as much as she had at first. He was really trying to be her friend, and it eventually wore her down into acceptance. He was nice, if a little irritating, and he didn't really deserve her scorn. 

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. What coincidentally perfect timing. She reached a hand back and drew out the phone, not daring to lift out of her doubled-over position for fear of spewing the contents of her stomach all over the seats of her mum's car. 

'How did it go? ~E'

She held the phone between her ankles, fingers fumbling to type out a reply. 

'Fine, I think. ~L'

'How are you feeling? ~E'

'Sick. ~L'

'Let us know if you need anything. ~E'

She smiled slightly. 

'<3. ~L' 

Lorrie cut the engine after pulling into the driveway, twisting in her seat to look at Leigh as she straightened up. 

"You okay to walk, honey?"

Leigh nodded, not wanting to speak for risk of vomiting. 

Daniel hopped out of the car, jogging round to Leigh's side to open her door. She nodded at him in thanks, slowly pushing herself up and out of the seat, planting her feet firmly on the tarmac. Her head spun for a few seconds, but then it settled. 

"Here," Daniel murmured, offering his arm for her to brace herself on. 

She took it, taking slow but determined steps toward the front door. She just wanted to crawl into her bed and not resurface for a few weeks. The nausea was beginning to fade, but she was exhausted. 

To her surprise, their father was home when they entered the house. 

He was stood in the centre of the living room, business suit still on, phone pressed against his ear. He seemed to be arguing with someone, but lowered his voice considerably when he saw them. He held up two fingers, indicating he would be there imminently, before striding off into the kitchen to continue his phone call. 

Leigh didn't pay him much attention. The only time she'd see him was at family dinner, and since she hadn't been to one of those in a little while, she didn't see him at all.