Page 32 of Pieces

“You’re the best,” I mumble, half asleep.

“Happy birthday,” she says just as I drop off.

***

It’s been three days since I first threw up, and Mom has officially gone from slightly worried to pushy worried for me. I can’t keep anything down except water and the occasional cracker.

“Daphne, honey, I think we need to take you to see the doctor,” she pleads for the hundredth time.

Shaking my head, I sit up, my mouth feeling like cotton wool. “Mom, it’s just a stomach bug. I’ll be fine.”

Liv followed suit the next night, throwing up too. So much for the vegetarian option. She grumbles from the floor on the pullout bed Mom set up for her. Technically, she was meant to stay in Finn’s bed, but we wanted to be sick together. Friends who puke together, stay together and all that.

She sits up, brushing the few strands of dark hair that have fallen from her days’ old braids. “I actually feel better this morning. My body is tired, but I haven’t puked in, like, twenty-four hours, so that’s good.”

I nod. “Me too, maybe it’s passed.”

Mom’s eyes flick between Liv and me, her worry softening slightly at our reassurance, though she still looks like she’s expecting the worst. “I hope so, but I still think you should at leastcallthe doctor. Three days of barely eating isn’t normal.”

I sigh, my shoulders slumping. She’s not wrong, but the idea of sitting in a doctor’s office right now feels like the most exhausting thing in the world. “If I feel bad again today, I’ll call. Promise.”

“You said that yesterday.” She crosses her arms. Her mom tone is fully activated, and I know I’m skating on thin ice.

Liv, sensing the tension, chimes in. “Mrs. J, I’ll keep an eye on her. If she looks even remotely like she’s going downhill, we’ll both agree to a doctor, okay?”

Mom hesitates, clearly torn between wanting to argue and trusting Liv to babysit me. Finally, she exhales and nods. “Alright. But if you get worse—”

“I’ll go,” I cut in. “I swear.”

Satisfied for now, Mom picks up the empty soup bowls from my nightstand and sighs. “I’ll bring up more broth later. For now, just rest. Both of you.”

Once she leaves the room, Liv collapses back onto her bed with a groan. “Your mom worries too much.”

I snort, lying back against my pillows. “You remember when Finn got mono in high school? She pretty much turned our house into a quarantine zone.”

“Oh shit, yeah, I remember. We all had to wash our hands in the outside tap and wore masks inside.”

“Don’t remind me,” I mutter, closing my eyes. My body aches in that post-sickness way, like a truck has run me over. Still, for the first time in days, I feel the faintest glimmer of normalcy returning. “You really feel better?” I ask, cracking an eye open at Liv.

Fiddling with the edge of her blanket, she nods. “Yeah. Tired, but not, like, actively dying anymore.”

“That’s good,” I murmur, relief washing over me. If Liv’s on the mend, maybe I really am too. “Me too.”

We sit in comfortable silence for a moment until Liv suddenly perks up. “So, once we’re both human again, what’s the first thing you’re eating?”

I don’t even hesitate, which in itself lets me know I’m feeling better. “Mac and cheese. The gooey, extra-cheesy kind.”

Liv grins. “Excellent choice. I’m going full carb overload. I’m talking, garlic bread, pasta, maybe a pizza, burgers. And pudding too. No shame.”

I laugh weakly, the sound scratchy but genuine. It feels good to talk about something normal, even if we’re not quite there yet. “Deal. We’ll carb binge as soon as we’re functional.”

Chapter fifteen

Hudson

Irunmythumbover my favorite heart tape and stare at a blank page, trying to decide what to add next. Across the table, Quinn mutters to herself about layout balance, and Indie’s flipping through a stack of old postcards. Seb, Jay, and Miles are all busy too. I take my phone out and snap a picture of the gang and send it to my sister. Rory loves that I do this club and requires updates on my scrapbook. Since there isn’t any today, I send her the pic of the group instead.

She’ll be mad she can’t see my progress, but I haven’t got any yet because I’m stuck.

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