Page 43 of SnowBound

10

ABIGAIL

“Hey, what’s wrong?” my roommate Ellie asked as I exited the stall where I emptied my stomach after we got dismissed from our music branding class. At the sink, I splashed cold water over my face.

“Stomach bug. It’s been going all around campus for the last week. I’m its latest victim. Jessica and Shana have been locked in their dorm room for the last two days, eating chicken and noodle soup and watching reruns of a sitcom I shall not name, or the jingle will stick with me for the next decade.” I turned the faucet off and dabbed my face with a paper towel. “Ellie, you should stay away. Sleep at Tom’s or something. Until I feel better.”

My friend shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine.” She flexed her biceps. “Super extraordinary immune system here. Stomach bugs don’t scare me easily, girl. And who will take care of you if you get a fever in the middle of the night? Or go on a painkiller run if you develop a stomachache?”

I raised my hands before me. “Fine. You win. But if you get sick, don’t blame me. I warned you.”

“Nah, I won’t.” She snaked her arm through mine. “Let’s go. Or we will be late for our next class, and I really wanna grab a chai latte before that.”

Just the name of her favorite drink upset my stomach again.

I rushed to the closest stall, emptying my stomach for the third time since I woke up.

Minutes later, I splashed more water over my face and rinsed my mouth, trying to get rid of the putrid taste.

Ellie inched closer and lifted herself on the countertop next to the sink. “Abby, no offense, but you look like shit. I’ll take notes. You need rest. And hydrate yourself if you wanna fight this fucker. Go back to bed.”

As if to agree with her, a yawn left my mouth. My eyes brimmed with tears. I hated missing classes. I hated being sick. I hated feeling like hell. But Ellie was right. I felt so weak at the moment, and my bed was calling my name.

“Enough. Abigail Peña, get your ass moving. Bed. Now.”

I slouched my shoulders forward and nodded. “Fine, Mom. But if I’m feeling better later, we’re going to that fiesta happy hour at the Mexican joint we’ve been dying to try, okay? I really don’t wanna miss it.”

“Deal,” she said. “Can you believe it’s been two weeks already since we came back from winter break? Time flies, and I’m scared we will miss all the fun stuff because we’re always too busy. If we’re not careful, soon we’ll graduate and become real adults. I’m not ready for all the responsibilities.” She shook her head, her platinum blonde hair sweeping her upper back, her shoulders dipping. “I’d love to surf the late teenager wave a bit longer. Screw up and experiment while I still have the chance.”

“Yeah, well, you’re lucky your parents are paying for all your extravaganzas. Some of us need to work to afford college. If it wasn’t for that grant based on my academic achievements from high school, I’d be attending garden parties and dating the heir of a powerful family, being molded into a future politician’s perfect stay-at-home wife. My parents are stuck in their own beliefs. They still don’t understand why I wanna work in the music industry. If they had to decide my future, I’d be a trophy wife. Because this is the only career path viable for women like me who have parents more skilled at parading their wealth than caring for their offspring’s wellbeing and happiness.” A long sigh left my mouth. “I’m so tired of hearing the same bullshit every time I’m back home. My mother used to be different a long time ago when I was little. She was a flight attendant, and she used to laugh and have fun. Her smile was more genuine than the plastic one she’s stuck with nowadays. She used to thrive.” I grabbed my phone to look at the time. “Ellie, you should go, or you’ll be late. I’m sorry. Now you won’t be able to get that drink before class. Leave. I’ll be okay.”

My friend flipped her wrist. “Nah, no worries. I have Tom on speed dial. He’ll break a leg for me if it means making me happy. And satisfied. Talking about satisfied, he learned a new tongue trick. Gurrrl, I’m telling you, you gotta experience it before you die. It’s kinda miraculous. I thought I went to heaven and was resuscitated. No kidding.”

I pushed her upper arm.

“Please no tongue trick four-one-one today. Wait until I feel better to gimme all the details, okay? I wish I had time for a boyfriend.” I shrugged. “One day…”

“Don’t lie to yourself. Even if you had, you’d still be hung up on that guy you met on winter break. Give it time. There are other perfectly fine male specimens out there.”

“I guess. He was special. We connected. It’s harder than I thought to get over him.”

A wave of nausea filled my mouth, and I placed a hand over my lips until it settled down. “Sorry.”

Ellie touched my forehead. “No fever. But you’re as pale as the wall. Go to bed. It’s a roommate order. I’ve got you covered.” She jumped from the counter and kissed my cheek. “Sleep it off.”

“Thanks. For always having my back.” We walked out together toward her next class. “Bye,” I said as we parted ways in front of the brick building of the dining hall.

“See you later,” she called out over her shoulder, laughing, as she sauntered away.

Ellie and I had an instant friendship connection when we shared a dorm room in our freshman year. We hit it off immediately. She was the bubbly, oversharing friend. I was the more introvert one. Together, we balanced each other. Ellie had grown up in a family resembling mine. Super strict, wealthy, and very old school. Both of us only children, we saw our college years as an opportunity to shine on our own, to experiment, and to live a life we were both shielded from in the past. The only difference was that my friend’s parents paid for all her expenses, even the ones they didn’t approve of, while mine were more like helping out only when they saw it fit their own ambitions. And college wasn’t their aspiration for me. And as long as I was enrolled, they agreed to cover the remaining tuition fees my grant didn’t if I paid for every other expense from my own pocket.

A guy from my management class waved at me when we crossed paths, and I returned the gesture.

My stomach made a funny sound, and I closed my eyes, counting to ten, begging it to stay still until I reached my dorm, a ten-minute walk away.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, nearing me.

I swallowed. “Yes. Stomach bug or something. You shouldn’t get too close to me.”