Chapter 36- Draining

Jake's POV

I seriously feel like shit. I'm tired and sweaty and clammy. My heads a little fuzzy feeling, I'm coming down with something. Going and seeing Paige helped at first, she even noticed I'm not doing to hot, but then out of know where she flipped and practically said she never wanted to talk to me again. That is making me feel worse. I think part of my sick probably in fact is all this going on with her, withdrawls almost. It's been two days and we have barely even talked to each other, and when we did talk we were fighting. I wanted to fix things with her, I was there to fix things with her. 

Now I'm laying on the floor in my room, because it's cold compared to my bed. I never get sick, that why this is so foreign to me. It is also why I think it has something to do with what's happening between Paige and I. I swipe the back of my hand across my forehead again, I'm not actually sweating but my body is radiating heat.  I role over onto my stomach, but that's even more uncomfortable I flip back over as my door squeeks open. I pull up my neck, checking to see who it is. I mumble swear words as Jason comes in making himself comfortable. Closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath I sit up. What does he want? I don't want  to talk to him, I don't want to see him. Although it gives me a semi calmed mind knowing he isn't with Paige.

"You don't look to good." He chuckles, and I just flip him off. "Oh no snarky comment? I guess Paige was right you really aren't feeling good." I look at him, Paige told him I was sick?

"What?" I ask standing up.

"Yeah... she called me about 20 minutes ago..." he says as if it's not a big deal... as if she called him all the time. He is just trying to get to me now. "Wanted to let me know you were sick and probably need some kind of medication."

She called him worried about me. It brings a slight smile to my face, as I lean against the wall looking out my closed window. I move the blinds, so I can see out. It's a nice bright sunny day out. The sun hurt my god damn eyes. Closing the blind I look away. Paige is right I probably will eventually need some thing, but I hate going to the nurse. Hospitals, nurses, doctors, it all kind of freaks me out.

"Well I'm fine its just a little bug, it'll be gone by school on Monday." I say, even though I'm not completely sure on it. I hope it will be gone by Monday.

"Yeah... I think you should stop by the nurse." He sighs.

"Oh now you're looking out for me? Because your little ... toy asked you to." I role my eyes, but I myself know she isn't his toy. He wants her to be, but she isn't. Which I can see on his face for a second, but then he clears it away.

"A girl like her isn't used as a toy." He says in a whisper, and I almost nod in agreement she isn't. She can hold her own, I would know. "You know I do actually care about you... is it really that surprising I want you get better?" He tries convincing me for a second. "Would you rather I say I want you better so I have a first base men for baseball?" He stands up now crossing his arms. That actually makes since. That would be a reason for him to want me to get better. 

"What ever I'll go if it gets worse." I tell him, he just shakes his head and leaves with out anything else. I get up and look out the window again waiting to see him come out. I lay down on my bed once I see him get in his car and drive off. I doze in out for the rest of the day, liking all the sleep. 

***

I shoot out of bed, and look at my door. It sounds like someone broke in, but no one is there. As my sense come together I hear the pounding music and who ever knocking on my door. I get up glancing at reflection quickly, I still look terrible. I open the door slightly, and see Anne standing there. The music only makes my head even worse, and Anne steps back seeing that I'm obviously sick. 

"You don't look to good." She says, and I just nod. I had a snarky comment, but I don't feel like getting into it now with her especially.  "Need someone to make you feel better?" She asks, stepping closer, even  closer then what she was before. 

"Ah... no." I say, and her facial expression drops. I don't know why she keeps coming back to me, I've told her no like 50 times and it's starting to get on my nerves. But I can't be to mean... her dad is the principle.  "Now... I don't mean to be rude, but I seriously feel like shit." 

"You look it." She says. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Like tylenol even?" She offers.

"I'm good." I say, she gives me a goodbye smiles and turns away. I close the door. I check my phone, and I see Wyatt as been trying to get ahold of me all day. Asking about a party, I toss my phone onto my bed. There is no way I'll be able to get back to sleep with the music. But sleep is what I need. Well I'm sure I need to go to the nurse, because I am only getting worse, and now I'm getting a stuffy nose and my head is getting worse with every second. I throw on sweat pants and and sweat shirt. I'm gonna go stay at Jason's cabin thing. Although if he is there he'll make me go the nurses building. I sneak out of my room with out any one stopping me, everything is in full blast, so no one really paif me any attention. 

Getting into my car, I drive to Jason's place but it's locked. I mumble more swear words, wondering why he locks his door. I get back in my car where can I go that will be quiet. Other then the nurses building. My mind wonders to Paige, but she might be at the party and if she isn't she would probably also send me to the nurse. Where else would I go? Where else could I go?

Going down the stairs at my dorm was pretty easy, but up the three flight to her room actually tired me out. I don't do sick, at all this is giving me hell. I hold my arm out pressing my palm against the wall next to her door to help keep me up God, I feel like I'm drugged. I knock with my other hand, and it only a couple seconds before the door opens. 

"Yeah?" she asks, "Oh. Jake?" She says, "Oh wow... hey you need to go to the nurse." She says right away. I shake my head. She opens the door more letting me inside. 

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't going to get any rest at my place.. I checked to see if I could stay at Jason's but he wasn't there." I say already even losing my voice. Jesus I'm having symptoms for multiple freaking sickneses! 

"I'm taking you to the nurse." She says leaving the door open, she grabs her keys and pushes me out of her room.  I just came up the goddamn stairs too. She keeps a hold of my arm, until she has me sitting in her car. Then she gets in next to me.  "I can't believe you didn't go see the nurse. I told Jason to make you go." She says driving. 

"You told Jason I was sick." I say, and my smie comes back. I look over at her, and her eyes flick towards mine for a second then they're back on the road. 

"Yes." She replies. "You're... and you need to see the nurse." 

"You're worried about me." I add, and she glances at me again. 

"Yes." She sighs. Then the car stops and we're there already. She gets out, and gets me out of the car. 

"Can I just go back to your dorm... let me sleep.. it'll go away." I say. The closer we actually get to the building the faster my heart races. 

"Oh stop it... your being a baby... are scared of hospi- awww Jake you're scared of hospitals?" She pauses a minute. 

"Not the time.." I shake my head. 

"Yeah you're right." Then she started moving again, and we're inside the building.  "Do you need me to stay with you?" She asks. 

"Please." I say grabbing her now before she can get away. I don't want to be here by myself." 

"Okay.." She says, I let go of her. The nurse goes through checking all my vitals and then the appointment gets more into my actually problem, she gives me a strep throat test, already ruling out the common cold. Time passes, and Paige stays, sitting next to me. We chat about the play, not bringing up anything about earlier. Although the awkwardness is in the air, I don't care. She is here, she is worried and wants to know what's wrong just as much as I do.  

"You look tired... are you sure you don't just want to stay here tonight?  It's already eleven anyways." She says, getting up from her chair. She walks over to the painting across the room looking at it. 

"I'd prefer to not stay here." I yawn, but she is right I'm tired as hell. We've been in here about 20 minutes now by ourselves the nurse is still running some tests. 

"You need to sleep, Jake." She scolds, leaning against the wall. She's tired as well, I close my eyes  knowing I should tell her to just go and sleep. I don't want to get her sick too. 

"You can go... I'll be okay. Go sleep." I say, and she glances at me from across the room. 

"No," she moves away from the wall, walking back to her chair. "I told you I would stay, so I will. I feel bad for practically forcing you to come here especially since you don't like it." She laughs at me and my fear. "You can still sleep though, I wont leave."

"Yeah but what would you do then? Cause I mean.. not that I have a problem with you looking at me.. but watching me sleep..?" He lean bak laying my head against the wall, thinking about Paige watching me sleep gives me both good and weird feelings. Mostly weird, but in some ways it's romantic you could say. I flip the roles in my head, if Paige was sleeping and I was in the room, I'm sure I'd be fascinated to watch her. That's creepy, but true. I peek down at her now sitting next to me again, she is looking down at her phone reading something. I close my eyes looking away, it's not my business.

"I wouldn't watch you sleep..." She finally replies, and it makes me chuckle she is couple minutes late on the response.  "What?" 

"Oh come on... you'd probably pull up a chair and watching intently." I joke, and she just shakes her head at me. 

"That sounds more like you." She sighs, and her phone starts ringing. It's Mrs. Oliver's contact. Why on earth is she calling her this late? Paige stands again, but doesn't leave the room. She faces the wall across from us though so I can't see her face. Hmmm...? I listen, to her and so far she hasn't done move talking other then saying hello and yes I got the message.  After a couple more minutes of Paige saying she doesn't know for sure, I finally get a clue to what they're talking about. A college visit, I'm surprised Paige doesn't want to go, but then again if it's something Mrs. Oliver set up it's probably something to do with art which she is good at and likes doing, but for her career I don't think so.

After another couple minutes they say there goodbyes, and Paige sits back down. I can this is stressing her out. 

"I think you should go." I say, and she looks up at me. "Even if it's not what you want to do... you know look at options." I shrug my shoulders. 

"Yeah.. but Juilliard, that is some serious stuff." She looks away and at the phone in her hand. "Mrs. Oliver's aunt teaches there apparently, and Mrs. Oliver sent her a video of all my performances so far. I might get a scholarship." 

"That's awesome Paige." I sit up. That is huge, that isn't something that happens everyday. Juilliard offering a scholarship...  I didn't think that did happen.  "You need to go... you might be surprised and actually like it." I knudge her gently. She lets out a breath and nods. 

"I leave in the morning." She says now looking at me. "The flight is already booked actually. Mrs. Oliver said she would drag me if she had too."  I smile happy she is going, but if she is going to go in the morning she needs sleep. 

"You should go get some sleep then."  I say, she shakes her head. 

"I'll sleep on the pla-" the nurse comes back in. We both sit up ready for some answers. 

***

"Hey at least you didn't have to stay there all night." Paige says, walking with me back to my dorm. The nurse told her to make sure I get to my room, take my medicine and go to sleep. It's now 12:11, and the party is starting to die out, which is surprising. We get noticed by a couple of the guys, and they just wink at me. I shake my head at them.  Paige ignores them, or maybe she doesn't see them.  "Jeepers, it's a bit early for a party to be ending." She does notice that though. 

Once she has me in my room, she acts like my mother sitting me on my bed. Then she runs to my bathroom getting my water, and offerin it to me for my dumb pill. Apparently, I'm getting mono. Which is highly contagious I'm pretty sure yet Paige is still helping me. She forces me to lay down, and then she grabs a couple things from my desk.  Laying what looks like my phone and a bottle of tylenol on my night stand, she smiles down at me. 

"Are you gonna be okay now?" She asks. 

"Of course." I say.

"Call me if you need anything."  She says, and I nod. "I'm gonna go then." 

"Thank you." I say, as she opens the door. 

"Anytime." Then she is gone, and I let sleep take me.

****

Having Mono sucks ass. I can't do anything, no school, no hanging out witht the guys, no practicing for baseball, no nothing. Jason and Wyat stop by and check on me frequently, which bugs me more. Wyatt does keep me up to date with every thing going on outside my dorm room though, I guess that is a plus. It's been three days though, and I'm getting stir crazy. I've almost called Paige to see if she would come and just keep me company, she is in fact the only company I actually want, but I don't want to bother her. I do wonder how her Juilliard visit went. I do also wonder why she hasn't gotten ahold of me, I thought she would've even just a text but she hasn't. 

I get up making my way to the kitchen, downstairs. It's Wednesday and school is still in for another hour. I grab food, and go back to my room being sure to not touch to much. I of course washed my hands before I left my room ever and I only touch the fridge door handle, and the container grapes. But I plan on eating them all anyways. Having Mono over a common cold is a somewhat good thing in ways, I'm getting plenty of sleep. I also have been drinking lots of water, compared to the amount I already was drinking, annd eating lots of fruit and vegies.  Gotta make sure I stay healthy for when I'm not sick anymore. I get back up to my room, and I pull some grapes from the vine and open up my compuer, checking my email for homework. When I see all I have is a history assignment, I turn it off and put my lap top back on the desk. It just made me think of Paige. God not knowing where we stand is horrible. I'm sure it's adding stress, and that's bad. 

I flick through channels on my tv for a while, deciding on not going back to sleep. I've slept almost all day yesterday I should do a little bit more today. There is a knock on my door, and Jason comes in.  

"He is alive!" He jokes, and I just nod. Not wanting to get a conversation going. I still don't know for sure what's going on with him either. "Well, I'm happy to see you aren't sleeping. You're eating too that's good." 

"Yeah.. I'm not dead." I say looking away from the Tv and over to him. "Hows life? School?" I sit up, wanting to move on to a different topic other then me. He sits in my desk chair, and spins arond in a circle twice. I role my eyes, he has to think about it. 

"Not much really... Baseball stil hasn't officially started... the play is still postponed... everythings been normal." He sighs stopping when he is facing me. 

"Postponed? Still?" I ask, popping a grape into my mouth. "I thought they had the double for me?" 

"Well... yeah for you... but not for Paige.. or the director." He laughs, and now I'm lost. "Mrs. Oliver took Paige somewhere a couple days ago, they aren't getting back until  like friday night." 

"Oh... she is still at Juilliard." I sigh, and that explains it. Now I feel a bit better. I wonder why they're staying there for a week though. That's a long visit.

"Juilliard?" Jason ars his eyebrow. I nod, happy he didn't know. 

"Apparently they might offer her a scholarship or something." I say. Jason leans back again, thinking about it.  "She told me about it at the hospital."

"She was at the hospital with you?.. Now it makes sense why you went there. Let me guess she dragged you?" He sighs standing up. 

"Practically." I sigh, but I can tell he sense something about all of this. 

"Well it's nice knowing she is looking out for you..." he sighs. "She's a good person." I nod she is. "She's a good looking person."  I nod again. He knows already that I think she is hot, I mean who wouldn't. "Why don't you go for it then?" He asks his interest peeked. 

"Because, she is my tutor, and the musical, and Mr. Parker told me he would fail me if I even tried." 

"Aren't you failing already?" 

"Yes, but I decided to stay on his semi good side." I reply. "Anyways, she's a hard shell to crack, I've tried a little bit." 

"Hmmm... well I guess I'll let you get back to... what ever you were doing." he says, and I say goodbye.  I let out a breath hoping he still thinks Paige and I have no connection at all. Paige and I need to sort things out. I need to talk to her and explain. Once she gets back I'll hopefully be  all better and we can finally work this out  this weekend. "Oh!" He pokes his head back inside. "I almost forgot to tell you... Saturday I'm taking to team on a trip... but you still aren't feeling good I'll leave you here." I just nod, wondering what kind of trip he would be taking to team on.

Laying down, after twenty minutes of nothign being on tv, I go back to sleep, wanting the week to zoom by.