Page 46 of Not Fooling Anyone

Oh, shit. I nearly drop the glucose meter on the floor of the bathroom stall, catching it before it hits. I should have gone back to my car to do this, even if it is out of the way. A public school bathroom is probably the least sanitary place I could have done this.

Okay, I need to hurry up. If I have to be at class at two, then I should start lunch by one-thirty, and I have to take the insulin a half hour before I eat. It’s already five after one now…

I prick the side of my finger, squeezing the blood that forms onto the edge of the strip. The monitor counts down, and that number means… Crap. I forgot.

I check the instructions the doctor sent and unzip the kit I bought that holds all my supplies, tucking the meter back in and pulling out a syringe and bottle of insulin. I measure the correct dosage and pull up the bottom of my shirt, finding a place on my stomach I haven’t injected into.

Next month, I’m springing for the pre-filled pens, even if they are more expensive. This process is already getting old.

The main bathroom door swings open, and I freeze before remembering they can’t see me in the stall. Not that I’m doing anything wrong, but it still feels that way. Like it’s something secret. Shameful.

No, I shouldn’t think like that. Everyone at the clinic said it wasn’t my fault, that there was nothing I could have done to prevent this.

But that doesn’t change that I have to live with this forever now.

I put everything away and unlock the stall door, heading over to the student center where the cafeteria is. Looking over the options, I hesitate, wanting to go for my normal burger and fries, but I guess I shouldn’t eat like that anymore. I should probably get something like a… salad.

Gross.

I compromise by getting a grilled chicken sandwich and baked potato, wolfing it down before making the trek to Psych. That’s healthy, right?

About fifty feet from the lecture hall entrance, I spot Lexie, ignoring everyone around her as usual as she strides along the path.

“Pookie Bear!” I call out, waiting for her to turn around. Things got so serious between us yesterday, she needs some levity.

She slows, a frown on her face as she glances over one shoulder, shaking her head.

“When will you let that go?” she asks as I catch up to her. “I never agreed to that.”

“You agreed the moment you called me Snookums.”

She rolls her eyes, shifting her backpack to her front and unzipping it. “I almost regret getting you this now.” She pulls out a bag of Skittles, handing it to me carefully.

I glance back and forth between her and the candy, taken aback. “What’s this for?”

She doesn’t look at me, adjusting her bag the right way again. “You said you liked it. I mean, you must if you named your dog that.”

“You went and got this for me?”

She shrugs. “Yeah…”

I grab the handle to the lecture hall door and open it for her, waiting till we’re inside to drop an arm over her shoulder. “My Pookie Bear loves me,” I whisper in her ear as we walk up the steps to our normal row.

She tries, but she can’t hide the amused quirk of her lips. “Get over yourself.”

This is a good sign. She did something special for me. Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be eating these now, but she didn’t know that. If I just have a few, it shouldn’t raise my blood sugar too much.

When we’re in our seats, I rip open the package, pouring out a few Skittles in my palm. “What flavor do you want?”

“Anything but green,” she says, choosing an orange one and popping it in her mouth.

I take a red one, savoring the sweetness. “No lie, green’s my least favorite, too. It’s like we’re a match made in candy heaven.”

She smirks, taking another piece from my outstretched hand. “Wouldn’t it be a better match if you loved all the ones I hated? That way nothing would go to waste.”

“We already have enough yin and yang going on. Let us have one thing we agree on.”

Her gaze flicks up, her playfulness dimming as she straightens in her seat. “Incoming.”

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