Love Storm (63 page)

"Even now I'm amazed that between the two of you, you guys didn't manage to knock out one of my molars," I grinned.

She smiled.

"I guess there's another explanation I owe you," I said. She knew what I was talking about, no doubt. "And before I give it, can I ask you why you never questioned me about it?" This was another thing that had been bothering me at the back of my mind. Why
hadn't
she asked? Hadn't she been curious, at all, after we had gotten back on good terms, why I had stopped sending letters? Was it because she didn't care, or because it didn't matter to her?

Winter nodded slowly. "I didn't really want push you for it. I really wanted to know. Still want to know, in fact. But I figured you would tell me when you were ready, and –"

Just then Victoria walked into the kitchen, carrying only a single paper brown grocery bag.

"Victoria!" I exclaimed, jumping off my stool purely from surprise.

She looked equally surprised to see both of us there. "Goodness, Winter, please tell me the two of you have made up," she said, sweeping by me to the refrigerator with an air of one who is very pleased with oneself, a faint smirk on her face.

"I guess we have," Winter said, biting back a smile.

"Good. I don't think I can take another day of Zack's sulking," Victoria said matter-of-factly.

"Hey! I do not sulk!" I said petulantly.

Winter stifled a laugh.

I rounded on her. "Do I?" I implored with big eyes.

"No, of
course
not," she said sweetly, reaching up to ruffle my hair, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, you're no help at all," I said, defeated, sitting back down.

She ruined the moment by sneezing.

"Bless you," Victoria and I said in unison.

"Are you sick, dear?" Victoria asked, pulling a milk carton out of the grocery bag and putting it in the fridge. Was that all she had bought? Three hours for a carton of milk?

"Yeah," Winter replied.

"Tissue?" I asked gallantly, whipping out a box of Kleenex from the other side of the counter.

"Why thank you, Prince Charming," she said, taking one.

"You'd better get home and go to sleep quick," Victoria said kindly. "You look exhausted."

"Oh, I'm okay," she said, yawning.

"Yeah, you're really okay," I said. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

"You don't have your car," she pointed out.

"We'll go get it," I decided, standing up.

"Alright. Bye, Victoria," Winter waved as we left the kitchen.

"Come over again soon, dear," the housekeeper replied.

"Give me your keys," I said as we left the house.

"Why?" she asked, doing a combination sneeze and yawn. "Wow, that was weird," she sniffed.

"That's why," I said, "You're sick and tired."

"Yeah, of your attitude," she finished the line, clutching her keys in her hand with a playful smile.

I laughed. "Attitude, look who's talking," I smirked. "Seriously now, give me the keys. I can't let you drive home like this."

She dropped them in my outstretched hand with a sigh and got in the passenger's seat.

"Good girl," I grinned.

"Watch the brake," she yawned as I put on my seat belt, "You gotta take your foot off the gas way in advance, and brake hard if you want to stop in time. It's not a very sensitive car," she said.

"I'll keep that in mind," I murmured.

She was asleep before I even got to the main road. When I pulled into the Branner High parking lot next to my car, I killed the engine and turned to wake her, but after one look at her I found I didn't have the heart to. Her elbow was propped up on the car door and she was resting her head on her hand. Her hair, by now, was only a little damp, but she was still wearing my t-shirt and boxers. I took the opportunity to admire how long and dark her eyelashes were. I probably would have stayed there all night, just watching her sleep, if a glance at my watch hadn't told me it was already past nine thirty.

I sighed. "Winter," I muttered, shaking her shoulder very gently, "Wake up. You should go home now."

"Mmm, no, let me sleep," she mumbled, her voice low and hoarse. "Zack," she seemed to add on as an afterthought.

I shivered. God, even her voice could do that. "I would, but it's almost ten. Your mom's not going to be too happy if you get home really late," I reasoned with her.

"Ah…you're right," she whispered, opening her eyes and yawning again. She stretched her arms over her head, cat-like, arching her back. It was an action that could have been deliberately provocative, but was a hell of a lot more enticing because I knew she hadn't meant it to be so. "Okay, okay, I'm going," she said, opening her car door.

"Wait, take off your seatbelt before you get out," I cautioned, my mouth quirking up into a smile.

"Ugh," she said blearily, muttering something under her breath. I caught the phrases "stupid seatbelt" and "frickin' alliteration."

"Here, your keys," I said, getting out of the car as she came around to the driver's side.

"Thanks," she said, blinking a few times. "Oh, man I'm tired. Whoo. Okay. Basic Rules of Driving Handbook, rule number one:
be awake
. So. Waking up, waking up, waking up…" She rolled her head back, cracking her neck in the process. "Oww!"

"Is it working?" I asked seriously.

"Shut up," she replied, hitting my shoulder.

"Yeah, it's working," I chuckled. "I'll follow you home. Go home and go to sleep, okay?"

"Can do," she said, and yawned again. "Aren't you tired?" she asked, getting in the driver's seat. She turned on the ignition and rolled down the car window. I rested my forearms on the ledge and leaned in slightly to talk to her.

"Nah," I said.

"Not even after fighting with Gavin?" she asked.

"Not even," I answered. "If you're tired, turn on the radio and sing along or something," I told her, nodding in the general direction of her car radio.

"Okay," she said.

"Alright. We should go," I said.

I followed her in my car until she reached the safety of her home, gave her a wave which she returned, and turned around to go back to my own home.

Chapter 37: Healed

-
Winter
-

Zack wasn't at school the next day.

And he never misses school.

Not even if he's unforgivably late (because he always finds a way to smile that thirty thousand watt smile of his and
make
it forgivable). Not even if he's sick. Not even if he's so exhausted he looks like he'll pass out if you talk too loudly to him. Hell, he rarely even cuts class. Don't ask me why – my guess is that it's part of some weird moral code of his, because it's not like he comes because he loves school (he doesn't) and it's not like he even pays attention in class half the time, but the point is,
he never misses school
. Ever.
EVER.

And he wasn't at school today. Something was seriously wrong.

And I was desperate to find out what it was.

I was so filled with anxiety I literally jumped when the 3 o'clock dismissal bell rang. I dashed out of class, grabbed the books I needed from my locker, and sprinted to my car so quickly I got a stitch in my side. I fumbled with my seatbelt, jammed the keys into the ignition, fired up the engine –

– and paused, and turned off the engine again. What
exactly
had I planned on doing, anyway?

Psh. What? Don't look at me like that. I wasn't about to drive over to his house in a near-panicked state, bang on his front door, and demand of Victoria where he was. Of course not…

Five seconds later I found myself firing up the engine again, and took off in a squeal of tires from the student parking lot.

Every stop sign lasted an eternity, every red light an eternity and a half. My stomach was squirming uncomfortably and I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. By the time I reached Zack's neighborhood I was pulling 50 on residential streets.

I pulled into his driveway and braked so hard I was jerked forward in my seat. I ran to his door and rang the doorbell twice. Luckily, Victoria was very prompt.

"Winter?" Her face held an expression of astonishment. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I said forcefully, "Where's Zack?"

"Upstairs in his room," she replied, obviously puzzled.

I squeezed past her through the door and took the stairs two at a time. I skidded to a stop in front of his bedroom door, heart beating wildly. Was he okay? Was he even
alive
still?! I didn't bother knocking, simply flung open his door.

"Zack!" I exclaimed breathlessly.

He was propped up in bed by a pillow, listening to his Mp3 player with his eyes closed, and his eyes flew open at my voice. Surprise, then the beginning of a smile flitted across his handsome face as he pulled off his headphones. "Winter? Hey –"

"Where have you
been
?" I demanded, stomping over to his bedside. "God, I thought you'd
died
or something! You had me absolutely sick with worry! My god. Don't you dare
ever
do that to me again!" I ranted. "Do you
know
what I went through today? I was so
worried
about you! I kept seeing you in my mind's eye,
dead
or
injured
or
something
! I thought –!"

He had caught my arm and tugged hard so I lost my balance and fell sideways into his lap.

"Winter," he said. His voice was quiet and low with tiredness, though his face was still lit up with a boyish grin. "You can shut up now." And he planted a lazy kiss on my cheek. "I'm obviously fine," he continued.

He had effectively shocked me into silence. Suddenly, my head was spinning and my face felt very flushed.

"Uh, Zack, are you okay?" I asked him, skin tingling.

"He's kind of out of it, to be honest with you," Victoria's voice interjected. She had just entered the room. "He was running an extremely high fever all last night. He's on a lot of ibuprofen right now."

Indeed, Zack did appear rather out of it, which was evident in the glassiness of his eyes, though he seemed exasperated at Victoria's words, insisting (with a yawn inserted half-way through), "I'm fine. Really. You make it sound worse than it is." I stood up, gently untangling my fingers from his – I didn't even realize he had grabbed my hand – and joined Victoria at the door.

"He's really sick," Victoria said quietly to me such that Zack couldn't hear, her voice etched with worry. "It's just the flu, really, but our family doctor dropped by last night and said Zack's case is really serious. Apparently his immune system is extremely weak right now, so the flu bug is hitting him a lot harder than it should. I get the feeling he hasn't been taking care of himself very well recently."

We both looked toward him. His exhaustion from his illness was obvious, though he was still watching us like a hawk, suspiciously, saying nothing.

"Do you have any idea why his immune system is so weak?" the good housekeeper asked me almost desperately in a whisper.

I had an inkling of an idea, but didn't want to share it with her just yet, so I shook my head. "He's going to get better though?" I asked urgently.

"Yes, of course," Victoria replied. "It's a really bad, bad flu, but he'll get better."

I nodded, looking back towards Zack again. "Do you mind if I stay…?"

"Not at all," she said with a gentle smile. "Right now I think your presence might have more healing power for him than all the medicine in the world. But make him drink his juice."

I gave her a weak smile as she slipped back out of the room.

"So," I said slowly, drawing out the single syllable to fill up the quiet and approaching his bed again after Victoria closed the door behind her, "You're sick, huh?" I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Yeah," Zack said in a low voice. "What were you two talking about?"

I began dragging his desk chair to his bedside. "She just told me how your immune system is not very strong right now," I said lightly.

"Oh," he said as I sat down in his chair.

"Yeah,
oh
," I teased half-heartedly.

He was frowning slightly. "Why are you sitting all the way over there?" he asked, his voice carrying a trace of a whine.