Page 44 of Catch the Sun

“I was eating an orange when my fever broke,” I tell her. Finding my strength,I inch up to a sitting position and lean back against the wooden headboard with a sigh. Air-dried tangles of hair fall across my face from my latest showering attempt, and I flick them aside to look at the beaming ball of sunshine perched next to me. Her posture is impeccable. Her hair is like mulberry silk. Her teeth are whiter than freshly fallen snow. She can’t be human. “Thanks for visiting me. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to. I tried to come by yesterday, but your mom said you weren’t ready for visitors yet.”

True enough. Mom is using her vacation time to stay home with me while I recover. She’s been adamant about me getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and making sure I take my antibiotics at exactly the precise time to avoid a relapse. I’m grateful that our state medical insurance kicked in last month while we get back on our feet, so my hospital bills were fully covered. I have no idea what we would have done otherwise.

Guilt gnaws at me because I’m responsible. If only I had pushed my way to the surface, none of this would have happened. Mom has been a nervous wreck, thinking I’ll croak in my sleep.

I force a weak smile. “How is school?” Not that I care, but it’s the one thing we share in common.

“It’s good. McKay officially asked me to the Fall Fling today.” She beams. “Do you think you’ll be well enough to go?”

“Probably.”

“Yay!”

“Doesn’t mean I’m going.”

Her nose scrunches up. “Oh, you should! You can ride with us in McKay’s truck. Technically, it’s the family’s truck, but it’s so vintage. One of those classic models from the sixties; a Chevy, I think—” She notices my eyes have closed, so she taps me on the shoulder. “We can get ready together. I still need to pick out my dress.”

“Pass,” I mumble groggily.

“Come on…you should go with Max. Last year he went with a girl named Libby, but she was boring and had a weird fascination with pickling things. Onions, cucumbers, beets. Even pigs’ feet. You’re a lot more fun.”

“That’s arguable.”

She sighs. “Max is really worried about you, by the way.”

My eyes ping back open, one at a time. “He is?”

“Yup. There’s a rumor going around that he saved your life, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.” Hesitating, she nibbles on her rosebud bottom lip and lifts her hazel eyes to me. “Is it true? Did he save you?”

I close my eyes again and flash back to the lake. The quiet lull. The stillness. The warped twinkling of orange and yellow sunlight rippling above the surface.

Max.

I think about the way he stared at me underwater, his brown hair floating around him like a halo of autumn leaves. Something told me he’d been there before, just like me. He knew what it was like to want to sink. And then he carried me all the way home without a single complaint, the warmth of his strong arms enough to extinguish the cold lake water threatening to freeze my bones.

Hey, Sunny.

Stay…

I won’t deny that he saved me. Max Manning deserves full credit for bringing me back from the dead. “Yeah, it’s true,” I confess. “He saved me.”

Tears glitter in her eyes as she clasps both hands to her chest. “Wow. That’s something.”

Turning my head, I stare up at the ugly popcorn ceiling. “I guess it is.”

“Oh! That reminds me,” she says, fishing through her romper pocket. “He said his dad was having some kind of episode, so he couldn’t come over here with me…but he wanted me to give this to you. He’ll try to visit you tomorrow if your mom is okay with it.”

Brynn! holds out a folded-up piece of paper and my heart jumps. My fingers tremble as I reach for the note. “Thank you.”

“No problem! I’ll let you rest now. I just wanted to see how you were doing.” She stands from the bed and gives her braids a tug. “Enjoy the fruit tray. The pineapple is my favorite.”

I smile up at her—a real smile this time. “Tell your dads I say thank you. Maybe I can meet them sometime.”

“Yes! They’ve already invited you over for fondue and charades. It’s a thing.” Stepping away, she gives me an enthusiastic wave. “Take care, Ella.”

“Bye.”

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