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.As if that could make it easier to go another month without seeing him.Eventually we split back into two different people, and after one last shared glance, he disappears into the terminal.Chapter SeventeenIt’s been more than a week since Emma’s gallery exhibit, and final exams slated for mid-December are keeping me frustratingly busy.Of course I found time to go see her work, which like always was strikingly impressive.She’s only fourteen but already so talented.I suppose that’s how talent works.You either have it or you don’t, regardless of age.So I guess she’s always been talented, but with the passing years, it’s her skill that improves.* * * *The weather is turning chilly again, and I’ve responded by throwing an extra comforter on my bed.But until I change the sheets out for flannel ones, it’s still going to be cold whenever I get into bed.At well past midnight, I strip down to my briefs and slide beneath the covers, gritting my teeth at the bite of the sheets against my skin.Usually I go to bed before this, but this semester’s finals seem harder than they have been in the past.On the bright side, I’ve been so busy that the weeks seem to be just floating past.Before I know it, Christmas will be here and I’ll get to see Adam again.That would have been my last thought before I slipped into sleep, but the sound of the door hinges creaking open snaps me awake.A shiver creeps down my spine as I hold my breath.“Ryan?”I exhale.“Holy shit, Em, you scared me.”“I’m really cold.Can I sleep in here with you?” She almost sounds out of breath.I hesitate, because Emma hasn’t come knocking at my room like this in years.And also because it seems a little weird now that she’s a teenager.“Ryan?”“Um, yeah.Just a second.” I flick on my bedside light, blinking in the sudden illumination.Emma is standing in the doorway in white pajamas, her arms clutched against her chest.Shit, yeah, she does look cold.Getting out of bed, I put on a t-shirt and pajama pants from my dresser while she crawls under the covers.I turn the light back off and climb in next to her, and immediately I can tell she’s shivering.“Hold me?” she whispers.This seems odd too, but she’s my sister, and I’d do pretty much anything for her.So I pull her into my arms and hold her tight.Her skin is strangely cool to the touch, and a shadow of concern settles in the back of my mind.“You really are cold, Em,” I say.“I know.”I hold her a little tighter.“You’re probably coming down with the flu or something.”She doesn’t say anything, but her shivers begin to subside, and eventually she moves a few inches away from me.“Goodnight, Em,” I breathe, but she doesn’t answer.* * * *As my eyes blink to accept the morning light, I already know that I didn’t get enough sleep.I glance first to Emma, still asleep beside me, and then to the clock.Crap.It’s almost eight, and if I’m not sitting on the bus by eight thirty, I’m going to be late for class.“Hey, Em,” I say gently.“I’m getting up.”She groans and rolls over but doesn’t say anything.It occurs to me that she should have left for school by now.“Em,” I say again, louder this time.“You’ve got school, get up.”Her eyes slowly open, and only now do I notice how exhausted she looks.She shakes her head.I sit up and straighten my shirt, trying to think through not only my own morning but hers as well.“Right, you should stay home.”This time she nods.“Ahhh.” I shake my head, wishing my tired brain would work faster.“Dad has already left for work, I’m sure.You can stay home alone, right? You’re fourteen.Yeah, that’s fine.”She watches with vague disinterest as I talk to myself.“All right, I’m going to shower,” I finish.Emma is still curled up in my bed when I get out of the shower.I tell her not to look while I change, but she doesn’t respond and I think she’s just plain asleep.My attention shifts to the clock.Eight twenty-three.I’m going to have to run.“I’ll be home around two,” I tell my sleeping sister, and then I grab my bag and sprint out of the house.* * * *When I get home six hours later, Emma has moved exactly two feet.She’s now on the side of the bed where I usually sleep, curled up with my pillow.Whatever bug she has must be a nasty one.Hopefully I don’t get it too.I head down to the kitchen, and when I return twenty minutes later, I have a serving tray with chicken noodle soup.Forcing my alarm clock out of the way, I set the tray on my nightstand and give her shoulder a gentle shake.“Emma, it’s time to eat something.”“I have a headache,” she says, her voice weak.“I’ll get you something for it.”I return with Tylenol, and this time she’s sitting up and sampling the soup.I’m glad she’s eating at least, because she looks kind of pale.I hand her the pills and a glass of water.She takes them in a single swallow and sets the water on the nightstand.After a while she glances to where I’m sitting beside her and asks, “Do you want me to leave?”“Stay as long as you want.I’m just going to start on some homework.”I spread my textbook and notebook across half the bed, and Emma takes up the other half.After she finishes the soup, she just watches me work for a while.At some point when I look up, she’s fallen back asleep.Pencil held motionless in my hand, I let my eyes rest on her as she rests.I hope she gets better soon.A quiet knock on my doorframe grabs my attention.It’s Dad, and I hold a finger to my lips.Carefully getting up from my bed, I join him in the hallway.“Is she sick?” he asks.“Yeah.She came into my room last night because she was cold, and she stayed home from school today.”Dad’s face fills with concern.“You should have texted me right away this morning.”“Dad, she’s fourteen.She can stay home by herself for a day.” I hesitate, then add, “But whatever she has, it’s kicking her ass.”“If she’s still not feeling well tomorrow, I’m going to stay home with her.”“You better cancel all your showings now, because she’s not snapping out of this overnight.”Dad waits a moment before nodding.“All right.”Chapter EighteenThe following afternoon, my econ professor is discussing purchasing power parity when my phone starts vibrating in my pocket.The lecture hall is big enough that I’m not afraid to check who’s calling, even though I’m annoyed at being interrupted in class.I figure it’s Adam, but he should know better, because he knows my class schedule almost as well as his own.My eyebrows pull together when I see that it’s Dad.Weird.I stuff my phone back into my pocket with the plan to call him back at the end of class, and then I tune back in to the lecture about exchange rates.I’ve barely written down another line in my notes when my phone buzzes with a text message.Christ.I pull my phone out again and stare at the message from Dad glowing on the screen.Call me immediately.I stare at it, and the black plastic case is hot against my sweaty fingers as my skin prickles with panic.Dad has never, not one single time, texted me something like that.“You okay, dude?” the blond guy sitting beside me whispers.His name is Jackson, I think, which I only know because he has another, smaller econ class with me too.I slowly turn to him, and it feels like the blood in my face is in free fall.I don’t know if it makes sense how freaked out I am, but somehow I know that something bad has happened.“I have to go,” I say, but it’s more to myself than him.Flipping my notebook shut with my pencil still inside, I shove everything into my backpack and head toward the lecture hall exit [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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