It was a beautiful autumn day. One of those days that Charlie loves, where he would walk home from school, all the while breathing in the day and remembering things. That is, if he were well enough to leave the house. As of Friday, the seventh of November, Charlie was feverish, nauseous, achy, and, all in all, very unwell.
At the nearby high school, Sam and Patrick were beginning to wonder about their young friend's whereabouts.
"Where do you think he is, Patrick?" Sam wondered, furrowing her brow. Charlie usually came up to them before the first bell to say hello to them. He hadn't today, which was extremely unusual. "I don't know, but I'm sure he's fine," Patrick said, unconvincingly. He seemed to be trying to persuade himself more that his stepsister. Charlie was usually never absent. There was the time he'd had appendicitis, and missed a few days due to that, but that was the only time that Sam and Patrick knew of.
"Oh, do you think he's alright?" Sam wrung her hands in rapidly blossoming worry.
"We'll call him as soon as we get home," Patrick promised, pulling Sam into a comforting embrace. There was nothing they could do about it now, so they both turned and headed to their respective classes.
In the back of Charlie's fever-glazed mind, Charlie wondered if his friends were worrying about him. Perhaps he should have called them?
No, they probably didn't even notice his absence, he assured himself. He quietly moaned as he rolled over, mushing his face into the pillow in hopes of alleviating his pounding headache.
At school, lunch had just started. As Alice, Sam, and Mary Elizabeth sat down, Patrick leaned forward in his chair, projecting his voice so that all three girls could hear him.
"Charlie wasn't in shop today, and he didn't come and say hi to us before homeroom. Have any of you seen him?" Mary Elizabeth and Alice shook their heads, confused and worried.
"I asked his English teacher, and he said that Charlie didn't show up to his class, either," Sam informed the others. "He looked worried."
"Where do you think he is?" Mary Elizabeth wondered aloud. Alice just shook her head in bewilderment.
"He never misses school," she says, fidgeting in her stolen jeans. The four seniors shook their heads, brows furrowed in worry and confusion.
"Patrick and I are going to call him after school, so we'll keep you posted," Sam promised. Alice and Mary Elizabeth nodded distractedly, where on Earth was their innocent freshman companion?
Candace had just gotten home and wandered into Charlie's room after a quick three knocks, to find the bed-ridden boy fast asleep surrounded and half-covered by blankets upon blankets. She frowned sympathetically and put the back of her hand against his forehead, only to yank it back. He's burning up, the poor boy, Candace thought, eyes full of compassion. She was on her way to the kitchen to get some ibuprofen and an ice pack for her younger brother when she heard the phone ring. She sighed, but picked it up.
"H'lo," she said, distracted by her sibling's well-being.
"Is Charlie there?"
"Who's this," she wondered skeptically.
"Oh, it's Patrick. Charlie wasn't here today and he never misses school and we- me and Sam, I mean, were worried. Er, I'm his friend." Candace took all this in stride.
"Charlie is unfortunately quite ill today and was unable to make it to school this morning. He doesn't have the strength to do much of anything, in his current health."
A pause on the other line.
"Can we come and see him?"
"Uhm, I guess if you really want to, but-" she was cut off by the sound of a soft moan coming from upstairs. "Charlie, are you alright?" she called out.
"Candace?" came a weak voice.
"I have to go, my brother isn't feeling well. Come if you must." She hung up and hurried up the stairs, the kitchen forgotten.
At Sam and Patrick's house, Sam called Mary Elizabeth.
"Hey, Mary Elizabeth, it's Sam. Is Alice there too?"
"Yeah, have you heard from Charlie yet?"
"Kind of. Patrick talked to his sister-"
"Ponytail Derek's girlfriend?"
"Yeah. Well, she said Charlie's sick."
"How sick?"
"Pretty sick, from what Patrick told me. We're going over now."
"Can me and Alice come?"
"I'll call you from his house. Tell Alice for me." Sam hung up, grabbed her coat, and followed Patrick out to the truck.
Candace entered Charlie's room to a pitiful sight. Her brother was laying down still, face pale and sweaty, breathing shallow.
"Charlie, are you okay?" She rushed to his bedside.
"Candace…" he whispered.
"What hurts, dear?"
"My head, and my throat, and my lungs, and my stomach. I-" he cut himself off by suddenly trying to sit up and coughing. A long, deep, wet, heavy cough. She helped support him and rubbed circles in his back as he coughed and coughed. Finally, he was finished. He managed a weak smile at his sister.
"Thanks for... for being here, Candy," he said softly, using her childhood nickname.
"That's okay, Charlie… have you lost your voice?"
"I-I think so," his voice was soft and gravelly. The doorbell rang.
Candace turned and shouted, "it's open!" She didn't miss the way Charlie cringed at the volume of her voice.
"Sorry, little brother," she whispered. Soft footfalls were heard on the stairs and Sam knocked on the doorframe, Patrick trailing closely behind her.
"Hey, Charlie," she said.
"Hey, Sam. What're you guys doing here?" Patrick and Sam approached his bedside.
"We were worried, silly. Mary Elizabeth and Alice want to come, too."
"Sure, that's fine," came his soft affirmation. Sam left to call Mary Elizabeth. Patrick knelt next to the freshman.
"How are you feeling, bud?" Charlie chuckled darkly.
"Really not good," he said. Patrick nodded.
"How come you didn't call us, any of us?" Charlie looked confused.
"I, uh, didn't think you'd care." Patrick looked bewildered.
"Why wouldn't we? We're your friends! Sam and I are your best friends."
"Michael was my only friend. I guess after he, you know," Patrick grimaced in sympathy, "I got used to having no friends. Now, I guess I have you guys," he noticed Sam at the door, eyes glistening, "and I don't think I've ever had friends that really cared. Michael's dad was a big drinker, and he had 'problems at home,' so he didn't really have time to care about me. So, after he shot himself, and I was alone again, it wasn't that much of a difference." Patrick stared at him. Sam had tears at the corners of her eyes. They both lurched forward and gathered him in a hug. After a moment of surprise, Charlie hugged back.
"We're your friends, Charlie," said Patrick.
"And we love you and care about you," said Sam.
Mary Elizabeth and Alice walked in.
"We were worried about you, Charlie," Mary Elizabeth said, bottom lip wobbling.
"We care, Charlie. We do," Alice put in.
"We love you so fucking much, Charlie," added Patrick. The blonde and the Buddhist joined the hug and Charlie relished in the love that he deserved.