Sick Jughead at School
Jughead gets sick at school and doesn't want Betty to know. His friends notice and try to take care of him.
I have been feeling sick all day. I woke up with a headache and my stomach feels like it might fall out of my ass at any moment. Or maybe I'll choke on it. My throat is sore and everything is hurting. But I try to hold all of that back. I just want to be okay.
I lay my head down on the desk for just a few seconds. The next thing I know my eyelids are sticking and my lips feel dirty. I wake up, wiping my mouth off sit up. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I try to chuckle but it fails.
"Archie?" I ask.
"What's up? You okay, Juggie?" he asks.
"Sure. Thanks," I say, grabbing my bag. Normally, I have no problem. But right now, it feels like a heavy weight on my body. I try to focus on the things in front of me as I walk but I can still feel the uneasy sense in my stomach. I cough, trying so hard to hold back the bile. I don't want to throw up. It will just hurt my head that much more. I grab another book from my locker and make it all the way to class. I don't know how because my body hurts so much that I am wondering if it is even possible.
I sit down in my desk and rest my head on my arm. When the bell rings, I sit straight up and try to remember to stay calm. Nothing works. My head is throbbing so badly I can't even see the right way. Everything is blurry. My eyes are hurting. My body is aching. My face is hot and my stomach is clenching. It won't stop. I lean over my own body as class starts, watching the teacher move back and forth. After a while, I can't watch her anymore. It's making my stomach hurt worse and my mouth feel fuzzy.
Class feels like it is taking hours. But it doesn't. It's the same time it always is. Every moment feels like another brick on my chest or more knots in my stomach. I force myself to stand when the bell rings and make my way over to my locker. I let my head fall on the coolness of the metal. I get lost in it. The soothing nature of the cold is almost impossible to walk away from. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"What?" I ask but even that hurts so bad I am not sure if I should do it. It makes me feel more like I might throw up.
I manage to turn my head and the room starts spinning. Oh no. I see Betty but she looks like she is upside down and sideways all at the same time. She looks worried and scared. But I can barely tell through the feeling in my gut.
I grab her hand and move her away from me as I run past her and into the men's room. I empty the contents of my dinner in the toilet, feeling disgusted and sad. I try hard not to let my eyes water. I hate this feeling. It's so scary. I close my eyes, letting the tears fall and brushing them away with the back of my hand. I stand up and go to the sink, rinsing my mouth out a few times before I am sure that my stomach has stopped clenching. It still hurts though. It hurts enough for me to have to lean over but I am sure I am not going to be sick. At least not right now. but then my head starts throbbing again. It is throbbing bad enough for me to hold my hand to it when I walk out, collapsing against the wall. I can't manage to keep myself up right and my head is making my eyes water.
I feel a hand on me again.
"Juggie," she says. It's Betty. I lean into her cool hand as she brushes it against my hot face. I keep my eyes closed. I don't hear people in the halls anymore. The bell must have rang and I didn't even hear it.
"Don't get sick," I tell her but I can't pull away from her. I need her to be close to me. I need her to comfort me in this. I don't know why but everything just makes me feel so weak. She gives me just a little more strength.
"It's okay," she says. "Let's get you back to the trailer."
"How?" he asks.
"I can call Fred," she offers.
"Don't bother him," I say and then regret it because I need help. My legs suddenly feel weak and shaky. I sit down on the ground. Betty grabs onto my arm in shock and tries to help me so I don't fall. I can hear her worry but I can't make out her words. My headache is so loud. The pain is so severe that I can't remember how to function.
I feel Betty leaning close to my side. She has her arm around my knees and is letting my head fall on her shoulder.
I can faintly hear her talking.
"It's Jughead. I can help him but he needs to get back home. He's really sick."
There is a long pause.
"As quickly as you can. He really needs medicine and a bed…no. No hospitals. He won't like that."
I try to shake my head but I feel her kiss my forehead.
"It's okay, Juggie," she whispers. "He'll be here really soon. He's gonna drop us off at your house. You'll be okay."
"Don't go."
"I won't."
She stands up and reach out but it hurts. She grabs my hand and helps me stand under my arms. I lean on her body weight but I don't want her to feel like she has to hold me up. I don't know how well I can hold myself up so I decide that leaning on her is the best option. She helps drag me along until I can feel the cool breeze on my face. I sigh in relief as I feel this pleasure, something just a little bit better than the hell I am in.
She brings me to a car and tells me to sit down in the back. But I can't hold myself up. She lets me fall into her lap. I rest my head on her as she brushes her hands over my face and kisses my forehead.
"Jughead?" I hear. It's not her voice. it's another voice. But I can't see. My head hurts too bad. My vision is too blurry.
"He's hurting, Mr. Andrews," Betty says. So that must be who it is. Mr. Andrews did answer. He is taking us back to my trailer. Maybe there I can lay down and Betty can help me. maybe I can get some sleep and make this all go away.
"Betty," I say, reaching out to her as the car starts to move and I don't feel well again. My stomach aches bad enough for me to curl in on my body. She grabs my hand and I squeeze her fingers.
"Almost, Juggie," she says.
"Hurts."
"Do you want to go to a hospital?" she asks.
"No. No. Please no," I tell her. I hate those places and I hate the bills when it's all done. That's how my dad lost his work with Andrews the first time. He took side jobs to pay for medical bills. Well we don't have that kind of money. I'll have to figure out how to be okay again without that.
"Alright," she assures. "Alright."
I feel Betty petting my head, massaging it under my hat.
When we arrive, she grabs me under my arms and helps me inside. I try to thank Mr. Andrews but I am not sure that it comes out right. She brings me into the house. I stumble on the steps and almost fall over when the pain gets bad enough. But then she grabs my hand and squeezes. I try my best to help her as I fall on the bed.
I can feel her taking my shoes off and then pulling my hat from my head. I curl on my side and she tries to take my jacket off. it takes a while but eventually it is off and I lay down on the bed with my head on the pillow, feeling cold but hot at the same time. Betty puts her hand on my forehead and then pulls the blanket up to my waist.
I feel her start to leave so I grab her hand, reaching as far as I can. She gets the idea and leans closer to me.
"I'm going to get something to bring your fever down and help with your headache. Then maybe this stuff will go away," she says, putting her hand on my forehead. I can finally see her again. Her face is in anguish and her body remains rigid with fear. I see her hands clenched in fists at her sides. I reach down to grab them, opening them up and kissing them gently but still keeping her close.
"Lay with me?" I ask.
She nods. "Let me get the medicine first."
I nod in return but then grab her hand again, showing her the marks that she is making on her perfect body.
"Don't do that," I beg her, tears coming to my eyes. Everything about me feels so weak and fragile. It's all because of this weird sickness but I can't control my emotions either. "Don't hurt yourself because of me. Please."
"I won't," she promises.
She leaves. I am alone. It is only a few seconds but is almost unbearable. I try not to feel the pain in my chest like tears in my eyes. I feel my shuddering breath and then I am falling apart, tears on my cheeks and my chest aching. Then my stomach is aching and I am having to lean over, begging it to stop.
She comes back in just a few seconds but I am already in agony. She finds me in a disheveled mess.
"Jug!" she shouts.
I don't want to say anything. I feel too ashamed to say anything. Something is wrong. I just don't know what it is. She leans over me and holds out the medicine and a cup of water. She just nods so I take it and then hold my arms out of her. After setting the cup down, Betty lays in my arms and I rest my body in hers. We hold each other in perfect bliss. She brushes the tears from my cheeks with a question on her face. I know what she wants to ask but I don't want to answer. I don't know how to answer.
"I'm scared," I admit.
"Why? You'll be okay. It's probably the flu but you'll be okay. You just have to get over this part and then you'll be fine."
I nod but that's not what I meant. I lean closer to her, wanting her to understand. She rests her hand on the side of my face. It feels good.
"Tell me," she says.
"If I ever got sick when I was a kid, my parents would argue about whether to take me to the doctor or not. They almost never did. They did one time when I got pretty bad but then they couldn't afford it. I just don't like feeling like I'm a burden. This kind of pain is not something I can control. I don't like it."
She pets her had down my face and then down my neck and side. She continues to do this as my eyes get heavier. I want to close them and feel better. I want to but if I do, she'll leave. When I woke up, Mom was always gone. She never stayed.
"Betty," I beg. "Stop."
"You need sleep, Jug. Your body can heal itself when you sleep. With the medicine and sleep, you should be alright," she says.
"But then you'll leave," I promise. I know she will. That pain in my chest is worse than anything I have ever felt before.
"Of course, I won't. I have nowhere else to go. Just let me help you."
I nod and close my eyes. "It's worse than last time."
"I know."
"What do we do about it?" I ask.
"I will have to think of something. you sleep. I won't leave and I'll think of something. I promise," she assures.
I let her put me to sleep. The feeling of her hand on my face and in my hair soothes me more than she knows.