I took another bite of my pizza bagel and washed it down with chocolate milk. Karly was going on about something virus-related again. I wanted to talk about Animal Crossing, but she found a way to change the subject...again.

"Look, do we really have to go down this route, again?" I asked.

Karly's eyes narrowed. "You can't just ignore it. It's something that's real and happening. Cases are spreading, and fast."

"Down in the city. Not up here," I said, taking another bite.

"It's only a matter of time though," she said.

"I'm not worried. I've got so much other stuff going on," I said.

"Maybe because it doesn't actually affect you. You can just go out to a store and shop. No one acts like a racist prick," Karly said.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's not even being a drama queen about it," Jen said. "It happened again this weekend. We were getting groceries with our mom and these people literally saw us in line and moved to a different line. A whole bunch of people don't want to come near us."

"Stop. You're kidding," I said.

"I wish," Jen said.

"Didn't you hear? Apparently if you even look Asian people automatically think you're carrying the 'Rona," Karly said. "Jen told a guy off on Sunday."

"You?" I said, looking at Jen. Telling someone off was something much more up Karly's alley. 

"We went out for lunch at Applebee's on Sunday and you know, we got seated and everything, and there was this boomer guy with his wife at the booth next to us that was there first. So like, I can hear him whispering back and forth with his wife and then they legit called the waitress over and asked to be moved because they were 'uncomfortable'."

"You can't be serious," I said.

"I turned around because I was really pissed off, and I said, 'we're Korean and we've never even been to China.' Because they're stupid and they think every person who is Asian is Chinese and they're a super spreader who just got back from a trip there."

"So what happened?" I asked, leaning forward.

"He pretended he didn't hear me and they just moved him anyway," Jen said.

"I can't believe people would really act like that," I said.

"There's a lot of idiots in this world," Karly said.

I wanted to go back to my pizza bagel, but my phone was ringing. I took it out of my pocket and saw the number of my OBGYN on the screen. I put one finger in my ear and held the phone up to my other.

"Hello?"

"Hi Aster, this is Doctor Andrews' office. Just calling to confirm your appointment at eight a.m. tomorrow."

"Yeah. I'll be there," I said.

"Okay. And just a few questions...has you or anyone you live with traveled to China recently?"

"Uh...no, definitely not," I said.

"Have you or anyone in your household traveled anywhere outside the country recently?"

"No."

"Okay. Just one more question and you'll be all set. Have you had any upper respiratory issues or a fever in the last twenty-four hours?"

"No."

"Terrific. We'll see you at eight tomorrow morning. Aster."

"Okay. Thanks. Bye," I said, hanging up.

I took one more bite as the bell rang. It was time to go. I emptied my tray, placed it on the trash can, and it was school as usual. I spent my night at home helping to make dinner and Vanessa's room. Mom and Dad had what would be our biggest event of the year so far: the O'Riley's four-hundred person Saint Patrick's Day themed wedding in just ten days. Fifty different flower arrangements. Fifty.

After Faye helped me clean up the gourmet dinner of boxed mac and cheese with bagged mixed veggies, we went to bed. I stirred at some point in the night when Mom and Dad came in, then fell back asleep.

The next morning, I was dropped off at the OBGYN. A nurse was waiting at the door. She had on a surgical mask and a face shield. I stepped back. What the hell is going on here?

"Hello there. Just need to take your temperature before you go in," she said. I didn't answer. She held a digital thermometer up to my face. It beeped a few seconds later. "All good. You can go ahead in."

I went over and checked myself in, then took a seat in the waiting room. There was an old lady on the other side of the room wearing a medical mask. I rolled my eyes. She must be another panicked germ freak like my mom. Jen told me she read something about how the virus had a ninety-nine perfect survival rate, so there was nothing to freak out about, especially for people my age...right?

I got called in not too long after I sat down. The nurse who brought me to the room was also wearing a face shield and mask. It felt like I was in one of those contagion movies. Nothing about seeing the office staff felt realistic.

The nurse took my vitals and I got changed, then waited for Doctor Andrews. I opened up Facebook and made a quick post.

At my OBGYN for my checkup and all the staff have shields and masks like it's the middle of a plague. TF?

There was a knock on the door and Doctor Andrews walked in. Besides the face shield and mask, she also had a baggy gown covering her scrubs.

"Hey Aster. How are we doing?" she asked while washing her hands. "Any new symptoms?"

"I'm constantly hungry and I think I'm already starting with really bad cravings. Like, if I want something I have to have it," I said.

"Yup, that's totally normal!" she said. "Let's take a look at you."

She opened my gown and pressed around on my little bump while asking me about school. Then, she took out a tape measure and wrapped it around me.

"Everything looks perfectly normal," she said. "Any questions or if anything doesn't feel right, give me a call. Otherwise, I'll see you in a month."

"Great. Thanks," I said.

Hopefully all this crazy mask stuff will be done by then, I thought as I changed back into my normal clothes. It had to be, right?

I went to a masked lady at the checkout counter and scheduled my appointment for April sixth—what would've been Jaxson's seventeenth birthday. Then I went out the front door, squirted my hands with sanitizer, and got into Dad's car.

"No, no. That's not possible. I can't refund something we already ordered. The flowers are already in the shop, ready to go," he said into the phone that was mounted on the dashboard.  

I reached into my backpack and put on my headphones. I didn't want to listen to any of what was happening anymore.