November 4th, 2019

"I have a terrible feeling about that guy," Tomlin grumbled.

"Oh shut it. He's really nice!" I said. "And cute! Plus, he didn't even poke fun at the fact that I messed up twice in one conversation. Che would have had my head." My new friend absolutely hated whenever I embarrassed myself. She said it was a poor reflection on her.

Second block dragged on. By the time I was in third block, I was whipping out my phone to text Harvey.

I texted: we should have lunch together

He responded almost immediately: Why? I already have people I sit with.

I sighed and clicked off my phone. I wished I could ask Che for advice, but I knew she would disapprove of my crush. Whatever. I could just sit with Che and her friends. I wish I could have lunch with Tomlin. At least then I wouldn't be the butt of all the jokes.

My phone buzzed and I picked it up. It was a text from Harvey!

Fine. But only because I apparently owe you.

Squealing with delight, I clicked off my phone and put it away again. My teacher glared at me, but I couldn't care less. Well, as long as Che didn't find out, I didn't care.

I was going to eat lunch with Harvey, even if he was only doing this because he owed me, it was progress.

I texted: take your lunch 2 the greenhouse

Che would never find out.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

When Harvey got to the greenhouse, I was already there.

"I brought some of my snacks... to share," I said, smiling. Harvey reached for a bag of chips but his hand got smacked away. "Not those," I said. "Those are my FAVORITE."

He snatched a different bag and opened it. Sour Cream and Onion.

"So... how's hockey?" I knew I sounded a little nervous. I needed to chill out. Harvey wasn't going to make fun of me, I knew he wouldn't, but part of me still needed to impress him. A big part of me, apparently.

"Practices have been canceled lately so I'm super bored."

"Oh yeah."

There was a pause where only the sound of munching and crunching was audible. I wished we had more things to talk about!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

"It's foolproof, Che!"

"What, did you test it yourself?"

"Huh?"

"I'm calling you a fo- nevermind. You don't need me to come with you. Go by yourself, but make sure to tell me what you find!" Che hung up.

Darn. I had to sneak to the nurse's office alone now.

There was something weird about the way kids were getting sick. Everyone was gossiping about how strange people had been acting and how unusual it was to quarantine for a simple cold.

It was time to get some answers.

The nurse's office was on the second floor of the school. It was fourth block, I was supposed to be in class, so I had to be careful. I didn't have a plan for if a teacher came by, so I just had to hope I didn't run into any.

The polished wood doors of the nurse's office had just come into view when a deep voice erupted behind me.

"Young lady! Shouldn't you be in class?"

I turned around to find a bald man with a twisted-up face. I guessed he was a teacher, though I'd never seen him in my four years at Foxcroft.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" I asked, quick with a smart reply.

"It's my planning period."

Not so smart. "Well, my teacher told me to be here."

"Really?" He was definitely not in any way convinced.

"Yes, sir. I have to drop off a note to one of the sick students." I tried to remember someone in the nurse's office. "Eliza!"

"Where is this note?"

"Uh. In my backpack, of course. Geez, why are you so nosy?"

"I'm making sure you're not out of area." He stepped closer to me. "Let me escort you to Eliza and then take you back to class, how's that?"

"I don't need an escort!"

"I'll just wait out here and drop you off. It'll be real simple."

"Don't you have to plan?" I was grasping at straws. Maybe he could escort me... as long as he didn't talk to my fourth block teacher. But I didn't want to take that chance. "I swear, I'll be quick. Here and back to class."

"Fine. You better keep your word." The bald man turned and walked away, down to wherever his classroom was.

I let out the breath I had been holding before turning around and heading to the nurse's office. The door was closed, but unlocked.

Pushing it open, I found about a dozen students, all in very different states. The crazy girl from the party wasn't there and neither was Jhon. I found Eliza laying on one of the hospital cots, a cotton blanket covering everything up to her neck.

Moving past the others, I sat down in a chair near Eliza's upper body. "Hey," I said softly. "Do you feel okay?"

"No."

I frowned. "That sucks. I thought it was just a cold."

Eliza sighed and rolled over, pulling the blanket to cover her entirely.

"She's in her depressive stage," someone said. I looked to find a girl sitting by the nurse's desk in one of the cushion chairs. She was visibly shaking and her smile was creepily wide. "It's all good though. She'll soon get better, like me."

"You don't seem better," I said, still in my chair.

"Of course I am! I've never felt better in my entire life! You wouldn't understand it-" she laughed "-because you're powerless but that's fine!"

"What the hell? Where's the nurse? She should sedate you or something."

"I sent her away! I sent her away!" the girl spoke quickly.

"No you didn't," someone croaked from their bed. It was a guy. "I can't believe this. I came in here for a cold and suddenly I'm living with freaks."

"You can't leave?"

The guy pulled down his blanket to reveal his face. His eyes were a pricing blue. "Nope! After Ashlin and Jhon had to go to the hospital, the nurse isn't letting anyone go to their dorm for the night."

The hospital? "I thought it was a simple cold."

"You thought wrong."