=Normal POV=
(Wednesday, 1/2/2018-11:45 am)
(Archian Island, Berk)
(Berkian Academy)
Nicole felt like she'd been sitting there forever a long time, but really it was only a minute or two, perhaps the way she felt about the time was just a tip of the hat to the fact she didn't feel well at all. Nicole didn't want to be sick, and really hoped it was nothing. Being at school and Hunter's practices or games were her getaway from home; she took every chance able to be able to escape her house. That wasn't to say she disliked her parents or anything, but since they were always working and what not; she didn't want to be home alone all the time. And what sucked more is that she couldn't have friends over because her parents liked their privacy and quiet.
"Alright, sweetie. Now that we've got the computer responding, can you tell me your name and grade, please?" Allison questioned lightly.
"Nicole Strondsen, twelfth." Nicole replied in a soft, respectful tone. Allison typed the name, and clicked a few things.
"Seventeen years old, came to the school in September after attending a private school in Berserker?" Allison glanced at her.
"Yes, ma'am." Nicole nodded.
"Excellent, thank you. With that set and I know who I'm treating now…Tell me how you're feeling, when things started?" Allison smiled.
"Well, I guess it started this morning before school. I just felt tired, but I didn't stay up late and got a full night's rest. I figured maybe a shower and eating breakfast would wake me up more, initial been off school for the vacation, so maybe my body was just readjusting to the schedule again…" Nicole started as Allison nodded to her, working at her computer. Nicole assumed she was logging information into her file about the visit to the nurse's office. "Getting to school, and the first few classes up until lunch; the fatigue stayed. In gym, I started to feel nauseous…"
"Any vomiting?" Allison asked.
Nicole shook her head. "No…Just the nausea. Getting into lunch, my boyfriend noticed I felt a little warm and suggested I come here because I could be sick. I never ate my food because of feeling nauseated and being afraid to eat and end up puking…And developing now is a headache…"
Allison typed in some things, and clicked others before she got up from her seat and came closer. "No coughing, runny or stuffy nose? No sore throat?" Allison wondered.
"No…" Nicole responded. "Is something going around?" she countered.
"Well, it's the time of year for colds. But nausea is not one of the symptoms, so I'm wondering if you may have food poisoning." Allison stated, debating the idea. "Those symptoms can come on just hours after consuming bad food. At the same time, it would be a lot worse by now with vomiting, diarrhea, etc." She continued to ponder. "Perhaps a bug, seems more likely with the timeline. Very small symptoms in the beginning, could evolve into more over the next two or so days…" Allison remarked now.
Nicole really didn't want to entertain the idea that was what could be wrong, she'd rather take the cold. "So what now?" Nicole questioned.
"I'm going to take your temperature, and if you have one; it might be best to give you a Tylenol, and then send you home. I wouldn't want to see you get worse while here." Allison went to her cabinet by the sink and pulled out the thermometer. Allison returned over to Nicole and wiped the wand from one temple to the other before the machine beeped twice quickly. Allison frowned and Nicole already knew that couldn't mean anything good. "99.9." The nurse revealed. "It's slight, but it's still a fever and should you show more symptoms of being ill; the temperature will rise. I'm going to give you a fever and pain reducer, then we'll get you heading home. Who would be best to call?" Allison sterilized the thermometer and set it back where it belonged before getting the medication and a cup of water.
Nicole wondered quickly who would be easier to contact; her mother or father? Her mom was a paramedic, and her father a doctor. Her father would likely be a great deal busier, so her mom would be the best choice. "My mom…" Nicole finally replied, accepting the pills and water cup. Allison moved over to the computer, adding information and then scrolling to get the contact numbers while Nicole took the pills and got her phone to text Hunter she was being sent home. Allison was already dialing out to call her mom, and then began to explain things to the woman.
11:50 am
Getting sent home. Nurse is calling my mom right now.
Nicole attempted to relax while Allison spoke to her mom. It wasn't more than a few moments later when her phone vibrated with a response from Hunter.
Hunty, 11:51 am
Want me to take you home, babe?
Nicole tapped the text box to reply.
11:51 am
You're not going to have time to take me home and get back here before next class…
Hunty, 11:52 am
Not worried about it, I can get a late pass. How else are you going to go home to get better if you can't get home from your mom or dad? My dad already said it was okay if I signed myself out to take you there.
Nicole knew that was true, especially if the nurse was confirming she was sick or getting there slowly. "Nicole, your mother wants to speak with you." Allison held the phone out to her over the desk. Nicole accepted the device and set it to her ear.
"Hi, Mom…" Nicole answered. "I felt fine last night. All this just came on today over the course of a few hours…" She stated softly. "I know you and dad are really busy…I-I didn't want to have to take either of you away from work…" Nicole frowned some as her mother was apparently also on the phone with her father. "Guys…" Nicole tried to get them to stop semi-arguing over who was going to leave work to get her. "Guys, I…Have a friend who can bring me home if you allow it?" She tried. "I-It's Hunter…He's actually the one who suggested I see the nurse and offered to bring me home if you were unable to…" Both of her parents were quiet now. "No! Gods, no; I was not saying him bring me home and stay with me until you get there later on. Just to bring me home and I'll likely just get right in bed to rest!" Nicole knew she should have specified Hunter's offer better. "Yes, yes; he'll just bring me home and then return to school. We're on lunch hour right now…So…Is it okay? I really just want to get into bed and hope I feel better tomorrow, or even later on today…" Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, thank you. I'll see you guys tonight…I love you. Just let the nurse know it's okay for Hiccup to take me home." Nicole handed the phone back as Allison continued to speak with the Strondsen parents.
Nicole got her phone once more to reply to Hiccup, who she was sure was anxiously awaiting a response from her.
11:56 am
My parents say it's okay if you take me home, and also, thank you for offering.
Hunty, 11:57 am
They're welcome. I'm heading to you now, babe.
Nicole just sat there as Allison finished up on the phone, and then working on a pass for Hunter, or so Nicole assumed. After a minute or so, Hunter walked in. "Hello, Hunter. What can I do for you today?" Allison inquired.
"Nothing for me, Miss. Mayden. I'm here to take Nikki home, I offered earlier if it ended up being the case she was sick." Hunter smiled lightly as Nicole got to her feet, lifting her bag onto her shoulder.
"I suspected, but I like to check with anyone who comes through the door." Allison chuckled a bit as she held out a pass to him. "This should give you plenty of time to get Nicole home, and back here. You should have plenty of time anyway, next period doesn't start until 12:30 pm, but still precautionary measure in case of traffic."
"Thank you," Hunter accepted the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. "Ready?" Hunter turned to Nicole now as she nodded to him. The nurse pulled out a binder for Nicole to sign herself out, and then Hunter filled out a small piece of paper which allowed him to temporarily leave campus. Allison would file that with the office, confirming the time she set on the pass for him to return by and then when that time came, the office would watch to make sure Hunter came in when he was supposed to. Nicole and Hunter departed the nurse's office and then went by the main office and cafeteria, waving goodbye to their friends who were still inside eating lunch. Hunter led Nicole out and over to the student lot where his jeep was parked; he unlocked it and opened the door for her as she climbed in. Hunter closed her door and then went over to the driver's side to get in and start it up once their seat belts were on. Not more than a minute later, Hunter pulled out of his spot and began driving to get Nicole home.
. . .
(12:10 pm)
(Strondsen Home)
Pulling up into the driveway, Hunter parked the jeep and shut it off. Nicole was tired, in the drive alone; she almost fell asleep. Nicole got the belt off and moved out of the car.
"Thank you for bringing me home, Hunter…" Nicole said softly.
"You're welcome. You okay to get into the house?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah…Yeah, I'm alright. I don't want you to be late getting back." Nicole replied, preparing to move away from the jeep, but stumbled a bit.
"I'm not convinced, Milady," Hunter got out now and went beside her. "I won't be late. Ally gave me until 12:45 to get back, so as long as I'm in the main doors at that point; then I'm good. Come on, let me help you. Once you're settled in bed, I'll leave." Nicole didn't argue with him, she was too tired and so she nodded to him. Hunter and Nicole headed for the front of her house as she unlocked the door with her key and then quickly got the code into the security system panel. Nicole started through the main entry hall and into the living room. Hiccup already picked up that off to the left revealed the kitchen, and the right had another hall entrance. Walking with Nicole; she went down the hall and stopped at a door on the right and opened it.
"This is my room…" Nicole revealed lightly as she walked in and Hunter admired the space, definitely seeing that Nicole's room represented her. The walls were painted a midnight blue with silver speckles splattered for contrast. The curtains were black, but normal white shades. There were posters from favorite bands or shows, all black wood furniture. The lights on the ceiling were dangled down acted as stars against a black ceiling, and even a painted full moon. Nicole also had a computer desk, very organized too. The room had bookshelves with movies and trinkets in different places, and obviously, the closet stored all of her books; Hiccup knew that from their first conversations over text, that Nicole turned her walk in closet to a reading nook. "Sorry it's not much."
"Are you serious? Babe, this is amazing…Hell, I should have you come decorate my room." Hunter exclaimed. Nicole laughed a little, hiding a blush in the dimly lit room as she set her bag down next to her desk. "I love it. You utilized every bit of space in here, and it flows perfectly and makes the room appear big even though it's average. Or…So you've described it to me before as that. I know you've told me how you're room looks, but being in it is a different experience." He smiled.
"I'm…Glad you approve. My parents don't even come in here; they say it's creepy. So if they need me, it's knocking on the door, a call, or text." Nicole informed. "The only time they came in here was when we moved in and I let them know what room I was taking. There are two other rooms down the hall, and the main bathroom too. Mom and Dad's room is…I guess the best way to describe it would be that it's behind the two-door garage, and kitchen." She shrugged a bit.
"Oh, alright. That's pretty cool. I know I haven't seen the whole house, but this is awesome so far. Seems pretty big." Hunter smiled.
"I could…Show you around real quick? You said you didn't have to be back til 12:45 pm, and it's only 12:15 now. My parents would flip if they knew you were still here and that you're in my room…" Nicole stated.
"No boys over since the ex-boyfriend thing?" Hunter asked as Nicole nodded to him. "I understand. The rule at my house is open door. Meaning I can have girlfriends over, but the door has to stay open."
"But…Whenever I'm over, you close the door?" Nicole questioned.
"Well…That policy was in place when I got with Ashley, first girlfriend over thing. It was a rule to make sure we weren't doing anything we shouldn't be. Obviously now that dad knows I've had sex before…There's no point keeping the door open to prevent the alone time. Dad now prefers that if I have a girl over, I close the door. And he doesn't care as long as I have protection." Hunter informed calmly.
"Oh, so I'm allowed in your room and we can have the privacy of the door shut and he allows it because I assume he assumes that you have condoms?" Nicole asked.
"Bingo. I mean, I do always have them…Not for the sake of hoping to get laid, but you know…" Hunter said, rubbing the back of his head. "Dad just prefers I always have them…"
"If it should ever become a situation where sex could happen; you want to be prepared?" Nicole finished for him.
"Yeah, that's right." Hunter nodded.
"Does your dad assume you're just going to have random girls over and it'll turn into sex?" Nicole giggled a bit as Hunter's eyes widened a little. "Did you forget that I was in the room when your dad and uncle were outside the door listening to us talk the day we got together? Your dad said you had that…Encounter after Ashley and you broke up. I never asked about what he meant because it was your business, but since we came up on the topic of random sex…" She admitted. Hunter mumbled something about needed to have a word with his father about opening his mouth on certain subjects in mixed company, but he ended up sighing a bit and maybe looking off to the side ashamed. "Hey, you don't have to tell me anything, Hunter. If it was some random hookup, I'm not gonna get upset. It happened before I was even in your life; I promise I'm not that kind of girl." Nicole offered a smile to him, and a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"No, it's okay. I just didn't like dad bringing it up with you right there and because he knows I was pretty upset with myself for letting it happen." Hiccup muttered. "So…After Ashley and I broke up and I was in between that upset and mad about her not giving me a real reason as to why…I let the guys, not Fisher though, talk me into going to a party with them. They figured it would be a good way to maybe meet someone else or at least have some fun and be distracted for a while. Party was alright for a bit, then it got out of control with drinking, smoking, and…Drugs. I was trying to stay out of things and see if I could get my dad or Glenn to pick me up, but neither of them were answering me and my phone ended up dying. I'd lost track of Shane and Travis…I made the dumb move to get some punch, not knowing it was spiked when I absolutely should have known…" Hunter trailed off.
Nicole looked at him softly, feeling bad. "Got yourself drunk and slept with someone?" Nicole asked.
"Worse…I got drunk, drugged, and had unprotected sex with this one girl who was there…" Hunter admitted, very ashamed of himself. "The punch didn't taste off, so I had a couple drinks. Being drunk didn't really hit me until after I went to the bathroom. I mean, I'd never been any kind of drunk before, so it just felt relaxing and no real worries. The next mistake I made was eating a brownie; they were special ones, so I ended up high. Felt snacky, so had a piece of candy from the bowl; there was ecstasy mixed in. I was so far gone after it hit, sitting outside away from all the noise and lights. I want to say I was in the garage, or maybe the pool house. This girl approached me; she was probably as messed up as me. One thing led to another and…I don't remember a thing after she kissed me. All I knew was that she had blond hair and blue eyes, like Ashley and I guess wanting her back came forward while I was all whacked out like that. Everything faded out. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital…" Hunter closed his eyes.
"I guess Dad and Glenn did show up, locating Shane and Trav first and realizing what kind of party was going on. Dad and Glenn demanded to know where I was and they said the didn't know. After a little searching from all four of them; they found me knocked out wherever I was. Dad was furious and worried, so they took me to the hospital. I was never in any life-threatening danger, but just a mix of everything and being emotional before it all fried my brain and I went out like a light. I got brought home by Glenn while Dad dealt with Shane and Travis's parents, explaining what happened. Those two were grounded for two months. I went right back to sleep once home, and the next morning; I wasn't in trouble with dad or anything, he was just glad I was okay and knew I wouldn't have willingly got mixed up in the illegal aspects of the party. But…Yeah, that was the encounter he talked about. I told him I knew that I ended up having sex with some girl who looked like Astrid despite not remembering the act taking place." Hunter continued.
"How did you know for sure you did?" Nicole wondered lightly.
Hunter sort of cringed a bit. "Okay…It's gross as hell, but…" He paused. "Because that girl was on her period…When I woke up and went to shower, I…saw the blood and knew it wasn't mine."
"Gross, yes…But I suppose a positive sign is that because she was on her period, there's no way she could have gotten pregnant." Nicole remarked.
"That…Had been my biggest fear. But Dad and Glenn also said the same thing you did, that it would be highly unlikely. The worst part about the entire ordeal…Is that I…Now know who that girl is." Hunter sighed. "She's…Camille Boggs, senior at our school. We avoid one another like the Scourge of Odin…And…If this can stay between us, I'd appreciate it. Our friends don't know, not even Shane and Travis. They…Just figured I blacked out…They don't know about the sex. I'd probably want to runaway or die if Ashley ever found out that I was so messed up at a party and had sex with a girl who looks dead on like her because I was that hurt about the breakup and wanting her back…All this went down during Spring Break…Just a couple months before she got with Bryan and about four months after she ended things…" Hiccup sighed some. "But yeah…That's why dad wants me to keep condoms around, in case something like that ever happened again. Claimed he knew how teenage hormones ran and just wanted me to be prepared and safe for any more…Accidents."
Nicole moved beside him and held his hand with a soft smile. "Hey, it's alright. And I totally get where your dad is coming from; he's right, it does just happen sometimes. Least he gives you that freedom and knows that even if he can't stop it; he prepared you the best he could. My parents are super overprotective ever since…Well, you know…" Hunter nodded to her. "I won't tell anyone, babe. I promise; it'll stay just between us." Nicole assured. Hunter nodded, silently thanking her from the bottom of his heart with just his eyes.
"I-I should be getting back to the school and you need to get some rest." Hunter smiled to her. "Uh, message me later when you wake up and let me know how you're feeling?"
"I will. And thank you for bringing me home." Nicole replied to him. "You know you're way out?"
"I do. Go on and sleep, I'll lock up for you." Hunter said as he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead then they hugged. Hunter left the room, closing the door for her and reached the exit of the home. Hunter flipped the handle lock and left the house, returning to his jeep. After taking a deep breath, he buckled and started the vehicle up and backed out of the driveway before heading back for the school.
Inside, Nicole had used the bathroom and changed into something comfortable before climbing into bed and covering up. Nicole sent a message to both her parents that she was home safe, Hunter had left, and the house was locked up. Nicole set her phone to charge, keeping the sound off but the vibration on. Nicole yawned and finally settled, allowing sleep to take her fifteen minutes later and praying she felt better when she woke up.
