Melancholy

Thanks to my usual readers! I can't believe how nice all of you are!

- - - -

"Hey, Pash-girl!" Sandy pushed away the heavy blinds on my window. "How are you?"

I managed a smile. "I have to still lay down. My head hurts badly if I don't." I dropped my aching body back down into the woodchips. Bijou and Penelope rushed up to me. "Ooh," she frowned, feeling my forehead. "It's still a bit hot." Penelope frowned worridly.

"Penelope, you should keep your distance," I warned mildly, though I longed to hug her badly. "The doctor says I'm still a bit contagious." Penelope hopped away obediantly next to Sandy, whom was observing my cage thoughtfully.

"Whoa, Pash, when did your cage get so...clean?" she remarked, examining my domain carefully.

"She did not mean it in the wrong way!" Bijou added in hastily just was I opened my mouth to retort. Sandy looked quickly over to me.

"No way, I would never be like that!" Sandy told me guiltily. "It's just, like, your cage is so sparkling clean! I've never seen anyone's like this!" I turned red.

"It's okay, Sandy, I should have known," I admitted. I had cleaned it up (with my head pounding), which meant I waxed the cage bars, I cleaned up the wood chippings, and I picked up any stray sunflower seed remains.

"So, what's the occasion?" Bijou asked curiously. Don't blush, don't blush! I managed to keep my face normal as I told her.

"Nothing."

"Ookyoo!" Penelope obviously knew I was lying.

"C'mon, guys, I can't clean my cage for no reason?"

"Nope," Sandy grinned.

"...with that fever, no," Bijou added again, glancing at Sandy. "You'll make it worse! Did you take your medicine?"

"No, not yet," I pointed over to my food bowl. "My tablet's there. The doctor dropped it off today." The young healer was in such a rush, nearly dropping everything in his First Aid kit in a rush.

Sandy must have seen me glimpse at the clock on June's desk, because she asked, "Expecting someone?"

"Well, Panda is later, but..." I expected them to give me a sly remark about him and me, but Sandy just nodded seriously.

"He's really worried about you," she said. Well, wasn't that lickety-split. "Whatever we're doing at the Clubhouse, he stops what he's working on and hurries to see you." I smiled.

"So, any other news in the Clubhouse?" I asked, my heart feeling very light and happy now.

"Oh yeah!" Sandy gulped down the sunflower seed she was chewing on. "Mei is so cool. She's smart and she even made me a ribbon for my tail!" She spun around and I caught a glimpse of a beautiful patterned bow tied neatly onto the clump of fur on her tail.

"It's pretty," I said. It really was too, likethe patternson itwas a painting with a thousand meanings.

"Ookyoo!" Penelope agreed.

"I'm sure any guy would be lucky to have her,"I added quietly.Bijou heard me and agreed.

"Oui, as long as it's not Maxwell," she smiled at Sandy.

"Or Hamtaro, I'm guessing?"I asked Bijou. She turned red.

"Well, you must like somebody, Pashmina," Imust have turned pink, because shesuddenly asked, "It's Dexter,isn't it?"

"No..."

"Ooookyoo Ookyoo!" Her version of Howdy.

"No, Penelope."

"I bet it's Stan!" Sandy piped up. "He told me how friendly you two were getting..." She smiled slyly.

"Sandy, he says that about every girl..." I informed her dryly.

"Oh yeah...but seriously, he's crazy about you Pash!" I felt my face burning.

"Guys, I don't have anyone!" I interrupted their gossip. But Panda's face shone in my mind. I thought of Stan and my heart dropped guiltily.

"Anyways...doesn't Mei look perfect with Panda?" Bijou interrupted. I frowned.

"Yeah, she does!" Sandy agreed. "They look so similar, they were childhood friends, it's so romantic..." She sighed. My heart was starting to hurt quite a bit now.

"Ookyoo?" Penelope asked me. I smiled weakly.

"Yeah, they do..." I finally realized.

They belonged together. It would be Mei and Panda forever, and I would end up with Stan. It was hopeless. I couldn't stop it.

"Well, we should be going," Sandy looked at the clock. "Bye Pash!" She climbed out of the cage and headed towards the window.

"Ookyoo!"

"Eat your medicine!"

And they were gone, just like that, and I was alone.

- - - -

"Hey, Pashmina," I saw Panda standing outside my window. He jumped in and I put on a smile. Then a tantalising aroma reached my nose.

"Wow, Panda, what's that great smell?" I asked. He grinned and held out a basket of funnel cakes.

"Mei made them for you," he said when I stopped gaping at them. "She thinks that they'll make you feel better." My stomach suddenly dropped with the heavy load of guilt.

"They're so beautiful, Panda! Thank her for me, will you?" He nodded.

"She put hot syrup on two, and some apple filling on another. Then she sprinkled sugar on top."

"This is amazing!" I looked at them. The three were warm and golden brown, perfectly crispy. The sugar and the toppings were perfect and the right amount.

"Yeah, I've always loved her cooking," Panda looked around. "Wow, everything's so clean."

I grinned. "I know."

"You should eat your medicine with that, Pashmina," he handed me my blue tablet. "Here."

"Thanks, Panda," I smiled, and I took it, gulping down a bit at a time. So Panda sat next to me and we shared the funnel cake and laughed about what happened with Dexter and Snoozer today. But my stomach suddenly burned.

"Ow..."

"What's wrong?"

"I dunno," I touched my stomach. "Something happened..." The heated blow came again. "OW!" My stomach felt like it was ripping open. I cringed, then the pain became too much. I toppled over.

"Pashmina!"

- - - -

A/N: Hmm...was there something wrong with the medicine...?

Find out in the next chapter! -Super Hero dramatic theme starts playing-

...what the heck?