Meggie's POV
After tossing and turning for the entire night, I finally come up with a solution to my swim problem.
"Honey, it's time for school." My mom Emily says as she enters my bedroom.
I let out a few fake coughs in response.
"You're not getting sick, are you?" Emily asks concerned.
"No Mom." I say before coughing some more.
"You don't sound good at all." My mom says with a sigh.
"I'm fine, really." I say as I stumble out of bed.
I don't eat anything at breakfast, and I continue to fake cough.
"Are you okay?" My mom Paige asks me.
"Yes." I say with a nod.
"She's been like this all morning." Emily says as she shakes her head.
"Maybe you should take the day off school." Paige says after thinking about it for a minute.
"Miss school? But the swim meet is today!" I exclaim.
"Your health is much more important than a swim meet." Emily tells me.
"But Mom..." I start to say.
"But nothing Meggie, go upstairs to your room and get some rest." Emily says seriously.
Mission accomplished!
Line Break
I spend the day catching up on homework and searching Alison DiLaurentis. At about one o'clock, my mom Paige enters my room.
"How are you feeling?" She asks as she takes a seat on my bed.
"Okay." I say with a shrug.
"Zach is here to see you, should I send him up?" My mom asks me.
"Yes!" I exclaim.
My mom leaves, and moments later Zach enters my room.
"Hey." I say with a warm smile.
"I heard you were sick, and I wanted to come by and check on you. I even made you chicken noodle soup during cooking class." Zach says as he hands me a container full of soup.
"Thanks, that's really sweet of you." I tell him truthfully.
"I'd hug you, but I don't want to get sick." He tells me apologetically.
Lying to my moms is hard, and lying to Zach on top of that is almost unbearable. I feel so guilty about everything, that tears begin to pour out of my eyes.
"What's wrong?" Zach asks concerned.
"It's nothing." I say with a sniffle.
"Something is bothering you." Zach says as he takes a seat on my bed.
"I'm not really sick!" I blurt out suddenly.
"You're not? Were you trying to get out of taking a big test?" Zach asks me curiously.
"I wish it were that simple." I say with a sigh.
"Is someone at school bothering you?" Zach asks as he grabs my hand.
"No." I say as I shake my head.
"You can tell me what's going on, and I'll do everything that I can to help you." He tells me gently.
"I haven't gone to swim practice in over a month, and my moms have no idea!" I say as I start to sob.
"Why don't you just tell them the truth?" He asks me.
"Because it will devastate them!" I exclaim.
Zach responds by wrapping his arms around me and holding me close to him.
"Everything about you is incredible Meggie, and you shouldn't have to pretend to be someone who you're not." Zach tells me.
"I might be incredible to you, but the rest of the world wants me to be someone who I'm not. My moms have done so much for me, and I can't let them down." I say with a sigh.
"So what are you going to do, keep lying to them?" Zach asks me.
"No, I'm quitting soccer and getting back into swim." I say after thinking about it for a moment.
"You can't do that, soccer is your passion!" Zach exclaims.
"The love that I have for my moms is stronger than the love that I have for soccer." I say with a sniffle.
"I don't agree with this decision!" He tells me seriously.
"I'm not asking you to agree, I'm asking you to support me." I say to him.
"Of course I support you." Zach tells me.
"I love you." I tell him truthfully.
"I love you too, so much." He says as he rubs my back gently.
No words are spoken between us for a few minutes, but eventually Zach speaks up.
"I have a confession to make!" He blurts out nervously.
"Okay." I say to him.
"The other day when we were watching that horror movie, I was terrified!" Zach exclaims.
"Why are you telling me this now?" I ask him confused.
"Because I don't want to keep anything from you. I love you so much, and I want our relationship to last for a long time. The reason that my parents are still in love after all of these years is because they are always honest with each other." Zach tells me.
I let out a startled gasp when he says this.
"What's wrong?" He asks me.
"Nothing, I completely agree." I say nervously.
"I have to go to soccer practice, but I'm really glad that we had this talk." Zach says before kissing my forehead and scurrying out of my bedroom.
"Bye Zach!" I call out after him.
What in the world am I suppose to do?
Line Break
At about five o'clock, I enter the living room, where my moms are watching a college swim meet on TV.
"Hey honey, how are you feeling?" Emily asks as she envelopes me in a hug.
"A lot better." I say with a guilty smile.
"Why don't you go up to your room and get to bed early?" Paige asks me.
"Do you mind if I ride my bike over to Rosewood High? I left a few things in my locker." I lie nervously.
"You're sick Meggie! We don't want you leaving this house." Emily exclaims.
"Please, it's really important. The fresh air might be good for me." I say trying to persuade them.
"Fine, but if you're not back in half an hour we're coming to pick you up." Emily tells me seriously.
"Thanks, I love you guys!" I say as I run out the door.
Line Break
I walk up to Coach Jay's office and knock on his door nervously.
"Meggie?" The swim coach says as his eyes grow wide with shock.
"Hey coach, congratulations on the win." I say with a nervous smile.
"Thank you." He says cooly.
"I've been thinking a lot, and I really want to come back to swim." I blurt out.
"I'm afraid things don't work out that way Meggie, you quit on this team when we needed you." Coach Jay says angrily.
"I know, and I'm so sorry! I promise that if you give me another chance, I'll make it up to you." I say with a sigh.
"Practice tomorrow is at six o'clock sharp, be ready to work." The man says as he slams his office door in my face.
Line Break
I'm riding my bike home, when I get the sensation that someone is watching me. I look behind me, and see a black van driving directly behind me. I panic and turn on to another street, and the van follows me.
"Leave me alone!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
The person driving the van ignores my pleas, and drives even closer to me. I start pedaling as quickly as I can, and a startled gasp escapes my lips when I lose control of the bike. I feel myself flying off my bike, and my head hits the hard ground. Seconds later, everything around me goes black.
Oh no! Is Meggie okay? Do you agree with her decision to quit soccer? I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get 20 reviews. Thanks for reading.