The Player's Game {Book #1 of the Popular Boys series}

13: Crashes

The voting dedication goes to Ireniita1D. Thank you for voting on the last chapter. You were the first. :)

I woke up in cold sweats, my head was pounding and my stomach felt like someone was shaking me up and down causing an unnerving feeling lying down. I sat up cautiously just in case I would suddenly have to run to the bathroom. I looked over to my phone and pressed the button. 2:37am. Fantastic.

Wide awake, I put my light on dim and got out a book. Soon enough, however, I had to run to the bathroom. After a few minutes of retching something was finally produced and I could sit against the side bath steadying my breathing and wishing I could brush my teeth but my dentist told me not to because of the acids.

"Hey baby. How're you doing?" My mum looked shattered and probably had been woken by me. I was riddled with guilt as she was up early the next morning. She wouldn't let me send her back to bed and kept me cross legged on the bathroom floor whilst she tied my hair up.

"Mum." I moaned. "I feel so... so... Gross."

"One second let me go get the thermometer." She hurried off so I wouldn't have to be sick alone. I felt bad as I knew she would be tired during the day and she couldn't afford that. Soon enough she came back. "Lift your armpit. You aren't going to school tomorrow, maybe I can get someone to look after you. 38 degrees, probably the flu. Hopefully the flu."

"Okay, do you know where my pyjama shorts are?" I mumbled.

"One second honey, I'll go find them." She wandered off before coming back a couple of seconds later. "Here you go baby, now go back to sleep. I'll be gone in the morning but I'll sort something out for you. Okay? I need to go to bed now. Here's a glass of water, if you throw up any more just drink this or if it's really bad wake me." No, I won't.

I woke back up three times in the night before finally properly waking at 8:56am. I stretched and ran to the bathroom, retching a little bit. I almost crawled down the stairs into the kitchen. "Jonathan?" I pathetically half gasped, half kind of squealed.

"Hey sicky Vicky." I giggled before almost coughing my guts up. "I'm only here until lunchtime and then I think Sophie got someone else to look over you. Come on we can go watch some movies." I nodded weakly dragging the folded blanket on the kitchen side ripping the off the post it note from on top of it. It was mums handwriting looking like it was quickly scrawled.

Avery,
This morning Jonathan is looking after you and for lunch there is some chicken soup in the cupboard. This afternoon Sally insisted Hunter looking after you - he has no classes, I think? Anyway hope you get better during the day, although Jonathan kind of needs the company... Love you!
Mum xxx

I smiled and sat on the sofa next to Jonathan. "So, chick-flick?" I giggled at him resting my head on his shoulder nodding slightly.

"I've missed you, why don't you come round anymore?" I whispered in a sleepy voice.

"I don't know. I guess I've been trying to find the perfect woman." I giggled. "I don't really seeing you like this. All sickly and not full of life. Just think the last time I saw you, you were chasing your next door neighbour with a chicken wing. You are a weird kid sometimes."

"That's a lot coming from you." I giggled.

"Hey, I'm not weird, I'm idiosyncratic." I frowned.

"Have you been reading the thesaurus again?" I gave a little laugh rubbing my head slightly on Jonathan's arm. I missed the comfort he gave me.

"Ha-ha... No?" He was the worst liar I have ever come across. "God this movie is so rubbish. I mean come on why would you go for a vampire when you can obviously have a werewolf."