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though I would never admit to it.  
    After rinsing my plate, I stashed it inside the dishwasher and hurried back to my room to get some homework done. For the next few hours, I worked like a man possessed, intent on getting everything done. It was after two in the morning when my homework was finished. I wasn’t even sleepy yet, so I figured one game of L.O.L. wouldn’t hurt. For the next thirty minutes, the world of strategic thinking and coordinated team-play had me distracted for a while. Then I remembered Shannon’s message to call her. Well, it was too late to do that anyway. I’d see her in the morning and figure out how to change partners. The less I talked to her, the better off I figured I’d be.
    Several times during the wee hours of the morning, I woke up, sweating and smarting from terrible dreams, disturbing nightmares that felt so real. The next time I opened my eyes, sunshine was streaming through the slats of the blinds. I looked around, disoriented, and glanced at the clock on my nightstand.
    What the hell?  
    How in the hell did I sleep through the alarm? According to the clock, it was well into the third period already. Even if I moved fast, it’d be close to the lunch hour by the time I was ready and out of the house. When I shot out of bed, a crippling pain in my head made me slump back down. Feeling woozy, I stayed still until the throbbing eased up. I took a greedy gulp of water from the glass on my nightstand and felt a bit better after a moment. Despite the spinning sensation in my head, I dialed Mom’s number. Good thing she picked up on the first ring.  
    “Why didn’t you wake me up?  
    “I tried several times, but you were sound asleep. When I felt your forehead, you were burning up.”
    “I do feel kinda sick.” That was an understatement. I felt like my eyes were two huge fireballs and my body was a lump of coal.
    “That’s why I left you to sleep. Stay home today. I’m just running some errands for your dad. I’ll be back in time for dinner. I left you some pills to keep the fever down and a sandwich for lunch.”
    I lifted my lids to check the nightstand. “Yeah. I see it.”
    “Keep drinking water and juice. I’ll make chicken soup for you once I get home.”
    After we said goodbye, I turned on some music then squirmed underneath the sheet and pulled it up to my chin. My eyes were watery and my body achy. With nothing to do, my thoughts wandered back to Shannon. She wanted me to call her. My stomach churned at the thought. It would be nice to hear her voice and to be able to talk to her every day and not worry about anything else. Not what other kids would think if we were seen together, or what business I had hanging out with such a beautiful girl. Heck, I could even drive her to school if she’d let me.  
    Hey, freak. You’re a goddamn joke , the voice in my head taunted. Yeah, what was I thinking?  
    The sound of the buzzer hauled me from yet another dream, and I stumbled out of bed in a total daze, not sure where the noise was coming from. First I pounded the alarm clock, but another buzz came. Scrambling down the hallway, I gripped my head while I attempted to swallow. My throat was dry and parched like it had been sandpapered. Another persistent buzzing followed before I reached the front door. If my guess was correct, it had to be around four in the afternoon from the angle of the sun. I wrenched the door open.  
    “Mark, what the hell! My head is split—”
    Shannon stood outside, balancing books in one hand, and what do you know, a bottle of orange juice with the other, looking so feminine, so pretty. Her hair was pulled in a nice ponytail this time, showing off her bare neck. I had the sudden urge to trail my fingers along her ivory skin.
    “Are you always this grumpy?” she asked, her face breaking into a wide grin.
    “What . . . ” My voice trailed off. I was still in total shock at finding her on my doorstep. “What are you doing