Chapter 6: Maxine

The starting point of my second semester this final year at my high school has not been pleasant. My brain can't even try to pretend what I have gotten myself into. I slowly open my eyes and grab my glasses. The moment I lift my arms and stretch my legs, a jolt of pain courses through my body. My muscles feel so stiff like wood, and my nose is stuffed that I can barely breathe.

I try to roll all over my bed, but it is useless. The last time I felt like this was in middle school.My sheets are drenched with my sweat, and my body is hot like a furnace.

"Max!" my mother knocks on the door, and I open my mouth.

"Come in," my voice sounds like I smoked a pack of cigarettes.

My mother opens the door and frowns at me. I can't blame her. My legs are tangled in a web of sheets and blankets, and my hair is a complete mess. It is quite lengthy and curly, but it's worse today. All the moisture is sucked inside.

"Sweetie, are you okay?"

"Of course—"

My mum speeds off without even letting me say a word. In less than a minute, she comes back with a thermometer and a portable BP machine. She is a nurse, and she doesn't play around if I get sick.

"Mum," I roll my eyes and accidentally let out a cough. My mother quirks her eyebrow at me, and I start to protest.

"It is just a cough!"

"I need to make sure it is not just a cough," she says firmly.

She thrusts the thermometer in my armpit and wraps my upper arm with the cuff so that she can read my blood pressure. It seems a bit excessive for someone with a cough but there's no way I'm going to talk her out of it.

"You don't have—" I start to talk but she interrupts me.

"Hah!" she raises her thumb and removes the thermometer, "40°C, young lady, you are sick."

I clamp my mouth shut, and both of our eyes land on the little machine.

"Your blood pressure is normal," she grimaces, "but your temperature is high. My shift starts right now, which means you will be home alone, but I will make sure to leave the instant soup on the table. Don't do any funny business, and take the meds I write here. You will find them at the bottom left side of the shelf."

I open my mouth to reply, but she beats me to it.

"Take a warm bath and keep warm," she scolds me ,"I wrote a sick note for you, but don't pretend to be fine, because if it gets worse I'm dragging you to the hospital."

I sigh in exhaustion because it is useless to convince my mum. Unlike Hans who has a large family in a big house, I'm the only child with a single parent. My parents divorced at a pretty young age, so I have very little connection with my father.

"I will call you," I respond lamely, and she smiles.

"That's my girl," she pats my cheek and stands up.

"You need to stop doing that." I protest but my mother ignores me.

"But you have nice chubby cheeks," my mother pouts, and I roll my eyes.

After a few minutes of contemplation, complaining, and trying to assure my mother that I'm going to survive even though I feel like I just walked out of a literal war, she finally leaves.

I look around my room and realize that I'm all alone. I don't even have a freaking dog to keep me company. My room is a little too small for me. The soft wind blows through the curtain, and the morning sunlight casts a warm glow on my messy study desk. I should clean that up.

I don't feel good being this sick, but if it means that I don't have to see that cocky smirk, then I'm delighted.

I drop my head and take in a huge breath. Just before I close my eyes and try to relax, a knock jerks me from my sleep.

Why would anyone want to see me? Olive doesn't know that I'm sick, and she will probably call me after class. So who would that be?

I slowly and painfully get up from my bed and shuffle downstairs. I swing the door open, only for a thick scent of warm amber and sweet cinnamon to blast in my face. The cool air calms me down just a little bit, but the face looking down on me is none other than Hans Morgan.

What the hell is he doing here when he should be in school? Doing schoolwork like every normal student should do! As the captain of our school's hockey team, he shouldn't be loitering around the neighborhood, or perhaps he came to ruin my peaceful sick morning because I can already guess the first thing he will say to me.

So I proceed to close the door, but he quickly wedges his foot between the door and me. I glance at his black hair and perfect jawline, and my heart flips backwards.

"Not so fast, four-eyes," he grins and opens the door wide.

"Leave me alone!" I try to push the door back with all my might but I'm too weak.

"How can I leave you alone when we are dating!" he gives me a lopsided smile.

"The hell we are!" I reply in disgust, "I'm not your girlfriend."

"Hah, well, if you don't keep denying—"

" What do you want?" I interrupt him before he threatens me.

"That is more like it," he tilts my head and strokes my chin with his thumb.

For a second, I let his warm finger sweep over my cheek.Then I push it away because I don't like the feeling of his finger on my skin, and what it is doing to my brain.

"I saw your mother rushing over by the driveway, and she told me that little four-eyes is sick."

My mother thinks Hans is an angel. Having him as a neighbor is really painful.

"So I came to see you as your boyfriend," he says, tilting his head down until we're eye to eye. His warm body completely invades my personal space, leaving me instantly, hyper-aware of every inch of him.

"I'm completely fine and we are not a real relationship,"I say .

"Ohhh is that so ? "He replies.

"Yeahhh......"

" Why don't you kneel and bark like a dog for me," he says in a voice so low that my nerves misfire. There's completely no way I'm going to kneel down and bark like a dog.I adjust my glasses and realize that he is completely serious.

"I'm waiting," he whistles patiently,"This is my little punishment for avoiding me yesterday and if you don't. Then maybe I should just tell Ethan and the whole school how obsessed you are with him.Just imagine the humiliation you will go through."

I look everywhere but him. If this is what it means to keep a secret, then I have no choice. Hans has too much leverage on me. My legs tremble as I slowly drop to the ground. Then I drop my head, ready to bark. My head throbs with pain, and—

"Aah," Hans stops me and lifts my chin with his thumb, "it is a nice view, but I won't let you bark. I can see how sick you are. This was a punishment for avoiding me yesterday, but good thing Amber got the message that we are dating even though it hardly moved her."

I grind my teeth in annoyance, but my body is too weak to respond, and the worst part of all this is my eyes are already watering like a reflex. I try to get up, but my legs are trembling and my body is on fire.

"Don't cry on me," he grabs my waist and lifts me in bridal style and heads straight to the living room,"I didn't even think you would that."

It's clear that he enjoys tormenting me. Carrying me makes no difference because I'm so sick that I can't think, but the feeling of his arms feels so different.

"Room?" he stares at me, and my cheeks heat up like a tomato. I point directly to the door with some pink art on it and silently pray that he doesn't make fun of it.

He kicks the door and places me on the bed silently and gently, a stark contrast to his aggressive behavior at the front lawn.

"Sit tight and don't do anything stupid," he stands up, leaving me in a state of confusion.

The door is still open, and I can make a run for it. My mum was right; the hospital was a better idea but I end up shutting my burning eyes as his footsteps get louder. He has probably found a new way to torture me.

"Wake up, Parker," he uses my last name in that deep, husky voice, and in front of me is a bowl of soup.

"What is this? "I look at the bowl bewildered. Is this another kill me. I just can't believe my nightmare followed me to my house. Fresh tears resurface to my eyes and I feel like dying right this second.

"Open your mouth ,"he takes a spoonful of soup and I reluctantly open my mouth. Instead of giving it to me. He cleans the spoon himself and chuckles sadistically.

"You really thought you are getting first class treatment from me,"he smirks.

"I think I can feed myself,"I grumble and he shakes his head.

"We are a couple,"he says and forces the spoon in my mouth,"And we are going to do couple things."