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“What do they want you to do?”
“Just stay in my room and go to student health if I show symptoms. Then, test again until I get a negative result. I think I have to get a negative two days in a row, though.”
“Come home.”
“Mom, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Just get in your car and come home so I can take care of you.”
“Mom, you can’t get it again. I got it bad, but you got it worse. If I gave it to you…”
“That’s not for you to worry about. That’s for me to worry about.”
“I can’t just leave. They only just let us go back to in-person class recently.”
“You have it. They’ll let you go virtually.”
“Mom, I can’t. If I got two negatives in a row tomorrow and the next day, I could play in the next game. I just need to see how it goes. If I start coughing or something, I’ll consider leaving.”
“How are you going to drive if you’re that sick?”
“I won’t wait that long. I’ll be okay. I really do feel fine.”
“You know how it happened last time… You were tired but fine, and then, you had a fever the next day.”
“If I wake up with one, I’ll go to student health.”
“I’m worried, Layne.” Her mom sighed. “Someone in the building here had it twice, and he… didn’t make it after it hit him the second time.”
Layne could hear the fear in her mom’s voice, so she said, “I’ll be okay. I just wanted you to know. I feel fine now, and I’ll check in all the time, okay?”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
She hung up the phone and received a text from Shay.
Shay: Where are you? We’re leaving.
Layne typed.
Layne: I feel fine, but they said I’m positive, so I can’t go tonight. I don’t know how I got it, Shay. I swear, I didn’t do anything. I’ve been so careful. I haven’t even been alone with you. I don’t know how I got it. But I’m okay. I’m going to watch the game on streaming. I don’t want you to worry about me tonight. I’ll cheer the team and you on from here, and we can talk more later.
She saw the bubbles appear immediately.
Shay: Babe, I’m scared.
Layne: I’m okay. Just focus on the game. Have them test you twice tomorrow or something just to be sure I didn’t somehow give it to you. I’m sure Coach will tell the team soon, but I’m okay.
Shay: She’s telling us to put our phones away now for the drive. Probably going to tell us soon. I’ll message as soon as I can.
Layne lay her head against her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Then, she felt it. There was a scratch in her throat, and she coughed. She sat up and coughed again.
“No. No…” She reached for her bottle of water and took a drink.
She felt her forehead again, got up, and went in search of the old-school thermometer that came in her cheap first-aid kit. She put it in her mouth, waited a while because she had no idea how long to wait, and pulled it out.
“Ninety-nine point one. Fuck.”
