My sickness came at a perfect time since we had this break for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day I’ve always looked forward to. I love my mom’s homemade cooking, especially on the holidays. It makes the holidays that much more special. My nausea came and went throughout the holiday and days after. The bug I had messed up Thanksgiving dinner for me. After I threw up a few times at home, my mom finally realized that my so-calledhangoverwas actually a sickness. I didn’t get a fever which usually comes with a stomach bug. Since my mom came to realize I was sick, she cooked a homemade turkey soup with the leftover turkey and the turkey bone. She says bone broth has a lot of nutrients in it, which should help me feel better. I think it helped a lot. After eating the soup for a few days, I feel better.
I make my way downstairs, and the smell of a sweet, buttery scent that makes my stomach rumble invades my nostrils. My appetite must be back.
“You look better,” my mom says as she places a platter of fruit on the table.
I slide into a chair right in front of Bryn. She’s picking at the bacon that sits on her plate.
“Does any of this look appealing to you?” Mom asks.
“Yeah, it actually does. Thank God. I’m sick of throwing up.” She serves me a scoop of scrambled eggs, one slice of bacon, and one pancake. Questioning why she fed me so little, I lift my head up to her with my forehead creased. I feel like I could eat so much more right now, and I probably should after eating so little over the last week.
“Eat small right now so you don’t overdo it and make yourself sick.”
All three of us sit around the table, picking at our plates. I want to ask if I can at least call Kai today. It’s been almost a month since I got grounded. I truly haven’t done anything bad since then. Well, unless you count the couple of times I ditched with Kai so I could spend more time with him.
“Do you think I could call Kai today?” I blurt out before I think better of it.
My mom stops eating, gives me a stern look, and then glances at Brynlee, who’s talking to her Barbies while she eats. My question doesn’t even faze Bryn. It’s good she’s a kid right now and is so oblivious to everything that is going on.
My mom clears her throat. “Can’t you wait to talk to him tomorrow?”
Not knowing if my mom cares or not about my feelings, I decide to tell her how I feel because it’s worth a shot. “I could, but I really miss him and we’ve hardly seen each other this past month. I know it’s my fault, but it would be nice to call and say hi, especially after he knew I went home sick and he still hasn’t heard from me.” Dread fills me as silence lingers in the air. It feels like a lifetime as she stares at me with narrowed eyes.
“I guess.”
My eyes light up. “Really?”
She nods. “But finish your food first.”
“Okay. Thank you.” A wave of happiness washes over me. I really didn’t have high hopes for ayes. It’s a good thing she served me small portions, because I can finish fast and call him. I can’t wait to hear his voice.
I go searching in my underwear drawer for my notebook. I wrote numbers down in it the day I got my phone back—just in case I got my phone taken away again. Good thing.
After finding it, I lie flat on my back on my bed and dial Kai.
With each ring, excitement bubbles up inside of me. I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I won’t be grounded forever.
“Hello?” a groggy voice says over the phone.
“Kai?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” I hear shuffling in the background.
“Kai. It’s me.”
“Mewho?”
My stomach drops. Is he joking?
“Blakely.”
I hear more shuffling in the background, followed by the sound of a girl’s voice say. “Who is it?”
My heart drops like a heavy brick down to the pit of my stomach. “Kai, what the fuck?” I yell.
“Oh sorry. That’s just my girlfriend.” There’s a chuckling noise in the background, and it only confuses me even more.
He thinks this is funny. Seriously?
