I glared at my reflection. Why was I getting so sick? I really should go home.
No. I had to stay in school. My brother would kill me if I missed any school.
I coughed. Crap. I couldn't stop coughing.
I stumbled out of the classroom, running into some random new kid.
"Are you okay?" he seemed to say, but his voice was far away.
I banged against a wall, and my eyes opened again.
"I-I'm fine," I muttered. "Where am I again?"
"On the second floor, north hallway," said a passing student randomly.
"Oh okay, thanks!" I yelled back sarcastically.
"Are you sure you're okay?" the kid I had run into was still there, and he was…talking to me? How annoying.
"I said I'm f-" I broke into coughing again.
"Come on, let's go see the nurse," he said.
"But-" I considered for a moment. "Okay."
"You have a fever of 102," the nurse said.
"I what?" I said, the thermometer falling out of my mouth.
"You need to go home," the nurse continued. "I'll call your mom."
I sat up straight. "No way. I mean, can't I just stay the rest of the day, please?"
The nurse laughed. "If only all the other freshman were as excited about school as you are, Leslie!"
"I'm here, Ms. Duboi," my best friend Jade said, coming in.
"Yes, I wanted you to get Leslie's things, and her homework," replied the nurse.
"Who the heck are you?" Jade said to the kid who had brought me in.
"I don't know who he is, he just made me come here," I said.
"My name's Danny," he replied. "And I'm only here because they never told me I could leave."
"That's really caring," Jade said, an edge in her voice.
"Shut up, Jade," I said. "I'm too tired to do anything about it, but please don't beat up the new kid."
"I've been here the whole year," he said indignatly.
"He's not worth my time anyway," Jade said. "Besides, he helped out my best friend. That puts him in my good books."
"Time to go," said the nurse, followed closely by my nervous-looking mom.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Mom asked me.
"I'll be fine…" I said, then fell asleep.