Cordelia dropped Misty off after making the girl promise to call her if she needed her and the girl had finally agreed. She stepped into the quiet house and looked around before finding a note from her mother that she was gone for the night and her father wouldn't be home until the next morning. She sighed to herself thankfully and made her way to her bathroom to look in the mirror.
Misty grimaced at her reflection. Her nose was a deep shade of purple and she left the bathroom to grab an icepack from the freezer to hold to her face before going to her room to lie down on her bed. She laid there for a while and heard her phone chime about fifteen minutes later. She pulled it from her back pocket. She had a message from the woman and opened it.
'Is everything okay?' She bit her lip at the woman's caring and had to stop herself from smiling at the thought.
'Yes, ma'am. They're gone for the night. Everything's fine.' She hit send and sat her phone down on her stomach as she laid on her back in the bed. It beeped again a few moments later and she picked it back up.
'You've got to stop calling me ma'am.' She laughed and grinned slightly.
'Sorry, Miss Goode. Habit.'
'It's okay, Misty. And you can call me Cordelia if you want to. Just not during class.' Misty's grin did take her face. She heard her phone beep again and looked at it to see another message from the woman. 'Please don't hesitate to call me if something else happens.' She bit her lip.
'I promise.'
oooOOooOOooo
Her father had come home that morning and gone to bed. Her mother was still out doing whatever it was that she did and Misty was at the table in the kitchen with her text book open in front of her as she did the assigned reading for one of her classes. Her phone beeped and she looked down at it.
'Are you okay today?' She smirked at her phone.
'I'm fine.' She hit send and got an immediate reply.
'Sorry. I just hate it.'
'Don't apologize. I'm sorry I brought you into all of this.'
'Misty, you didn't bring me into anything. I did this myself when I wouldn't let your long sleeve choice go. And I don't mind being there for you.' Misty smiled.
'Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow.'
'See you tomorrow, sweet heart.'
oooOOooOOooo
Misty was sat in her class in the greenhouse and looked up when she finally heard the teacher come in. Miss Goode was dressed in a floral black and white skirt and a white blouse. Misty grinned at the sight of black rimmed glasses. 'Gosh. She's so gorgeous… Ugh. Stop that ya creep.' She shook her head to herself and looked back up when the woman started explaining what she wanted them to do for the day.
oooOOooOOooo
Misty was now sat in the greenhouse like usual for study hall. She heard the woman come out of the back room and stand next to her, "How'd you get that to look normal?" Misty looked up in confusion and the woman gestured to her nose, "Oh. It wasn't that dark colored this mornin' and it covered pretty good with makeup," Cordelia nodded.
"I need to go get some things set up in my classroom for a chemistry lab tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" Misty looked up and nodded. She left her things where they were and followed the woman into the school and down the science hallway.
"What d'ya need help with?" Cordelia looked up and grinned.
"You're so sweet," Misty furrowed her eyebrows, "I didn't bring you in here to make you work, darling."
"Oh… Well, still. What d'ya need help with?" Cordelia just smiled at her and moved to the counter.
"Each station needs beakers that are this size and this size," She pointed as she spoke and Misty nodded to her, "Will you do that while I measure the correct amount of each chemical?" Misty nodded and Cordelia thanked her before moving into the storage room. She came back out to see Misty walking around with a large box of beakers and just bit her lip at the adorableness of the girl. She sat the second box back down when she was done and Cordelia looked up at her, "That's it really. I have to finish this," Misty nodded and took a seat across from the woman.
Misty stood a few moments later and headed for the door, "Umm?" She stopped and looked back sheepishly.
"Sorry. I'll be right back," Cordelia just laughed and the girl left the room. She came back a few minutes later with two candy bars in her hand, "Sweet tooth cravin's must always be answered," Cordelia laughed and Misty held one of them out to her.
"Oh, Misty. You didn't have to do that."
"I'm well aware of that," She just stared at the woman and Cordelia reached to take it from her. Misty grinned and reclaimed her seat across from the woman who was finishing up what she was measuring. Misty opened her own candy and took a bite as the woman finished. She stood and washed her hands after she put everything where she would need it for the next day and sat back down across from the girl, "How's Rhi?"
"She's great. I love having her around. I guess I didn't realize how empty the house was with just me in it," Misty nodded, "She's so sweet and she's content to just lay on anyone as long as you pet her for a little while," The girl grinned and Cordelia picked the candy bar up and opened it, "I feel bad that I even considered taking her to that shelter now."
"Ya shouldn't feel bad. Ya didn't do it and she's happy now," Cordelia nodded to the girl.
"I sent Stevie a picture of her. She loves the name," Misty's eyes widened, "She says she's really pretty."
"I'm sorry. I know that I already knew this but it's so hard ta wrap my mind around."
"I know. It's a lot to take in," Misty nodded, "I told her that you named her," Misty's eyes widened impossibly farther, "She was so happy to hear that 'the young people' still like her music as she put it."
"Who wouldn't?" Cordelia laughed and nodded at her in agreement.
oooOOooOOooo
Misty made her way home and found her mother in the kitchen. She was on the phone, so Misty walked by her quietly and into her room to put her things down. She sneezed loudly and widened her eyes, "No. No, no, no. I can't get sick," She groaned and hoped it was just allergies before heading into the kitchen when she heard her mother end her call.
"I'm gone for the night," Misty just nodded and watched the woman head for the door, "Your dad is away for the rest of the week for work so don't expect him back tonight," Misty nodded again and the woman finally left. She looked around and sighed before deciding to make herself dinner and get some sleep.
oooOOooOOooo
Misty woke with a pounding headache. Her stomach hurt as well and she grimaced as she stood. Her throat felt awful and she made her way into the kitchen to see if she could ease it with something to drink. Her mother was there, "Why aren't ya dressed yet?"
"I'm goin' now," Her voice sounded foreign and scratchy and she flinched slightly when her throat panged as she spoke. She looked to her mother who just shrugged and made her way back to her room. She decided on a soft pair of white denim shorts which she paired with a grey tank top that had a daisy printed on the front of it. She sat down and gathered her books into her book bag before standing and grabbing a jacket from her closet. She pulled it on over her top and felt her body stop shivering slightly.
Misty shook her head and sighed before standing and shouldering her book bag. She walked through the kitchen and left the house without a word to her mother.
oooOOooOOooo
"You look sick," Misty looked up at Zoe and nodded, "Like really sick. What are you doing here?"
"I didn't wanna miss anythin'. I'll be fine," She bit her lip and hoped that her friend would accept her excuse. She sighed inwardly when the girl just nodded, "I need ta get ta class. See ya later."
oooOOooOOooo
Misty made her way out to the greenhouse and sighed when she realized she was the first one there. She heard Cordelia come out of the back room and the woman looked up at her before moving to her side, "Are you okay?"
"I'm sick. I'm fine, it's just a cold or somethin'," Cordelia looked uncertain and held her hand to Misty's forehead.
"Misty, sweet heart, you have a really high fever," The girl just looked at her, "Just focus on staying awake for this class and don't do anything extraneous please," The girl nodded and Cordelia moved away from her as she heard her other students start entering the building.
oooOOooOOooo
Cordelia looked up when her last student left and moved quickly to Misty's side, "Why are you here?"
"I didn't wanna stay home with my mama," Cordelia took a seat next to her and held her hand to the girl's forehead again. She grimaced.
"Misty, you're really sick, darling," The girl nodded and leaned into her hand. Cordelia grinned lightly and moved her hand down to cup the girl's cheek, "You should go home," The girl's eyes snapped open and she shook her head.
"No, please. I don't wanna go home like this," Cordelia bit her lip and fought to control her anger. No one should ever be scared to go home.
"Have you eaten anything today?" Misty wouldn't look her in the eye and Cordelia lifted her chin, "You have to eat, sweet heart."
"I know, but my stomach doesn't feel great and I didn't know how well eatin' would agree with me," Cordelia nodded and stood before coming back with a bottle of water.
"Will you at least drink this?" Misty scrunched her nose up at the bottle, "Please, sweet heart? Your body needs something in it," The girl finally sighed and reached for the bottle with a shaking hand. Cordelia pushed her hand away and opened the bottle before holding it up to the girl's mouth. She took a small sip of the water and Cordelia sat it down on the table, "Are you cold?" She motioned to Misty's jacket and the girl gave a small nod. Cordelia nodded and stood. She came back a moment later with the blazer she'd had on earlier and draped it around the girl's shoulders.
"Thanks," Misty pulled the jacket more tightly around her shaking frame.
"You really do need to go home and lay down, sweet heart," Misty shook her head again.
"Please? She's leavin' around three and I'll go home after school. They'll both be gone the rest of the week," Cordelia bit her lip but nodded.
"Will you drink this for me then?" Misty looked at the water bottle and finally nodded.
"I guess so."
oooOOooOOooo
Cordelia looked over to her sick student, "School's over," Misty lifted her head from where she'd had it laying on her arms on the desk and nodded. She pulled the woman's jacket off and handed it back to her before bending to pick her bag up, "How are you getting home?"
"The same way I always do," Misty furrowed her eyebrows and the woman motioned to her to continue, "I'm gonna walk?"
"No you're not," Misty raised her eyebrows and Cordelia stood, "I'll drop you off. There's no way I'm letting you walk home like that. You can barely stay focused long enough to speak a full sentence," Misty opened her mouth to refuse and Cordelia held her hand up, "I don't want to hear it. You can let me take you home or so help me I will make you stay here where I can make sure you don't die during the night."
"Fine."