Chapter 9 : DISABLE

Boom!

The loud sound blasts through from Phun’s home theater system. It makes me feel like I’m being mocked for losing with the words ‘Game Over’ flashing the screen. I throw the controller out of frustration for losing exactly a dozen times.

Stupid Xbox. You’re not that fun to play with. The game AI totally cheated. I think (blame others) while I lay down on the carpet, out of ideas on what to do next.

Who can be nice at every hour? I’m a person, not a character in a drama on TV.

Who the heck is calling me? I glance over to see my phone ringing and vibrating by the school bag that I left on the sofa. A part of me is lazy and doesn’t feel like answering, but the other part of me is afraid that this would disturb the owner of this bedroom and he might wake up.

So I hop over quickly and grab my phone.

“Sup, ##########?” It’s Om.

“How come you’re not here today?! I got disciplined by the Brother so now I gotta take out the trash in their offices in the evening.” Om’s alarming voice comes through, I can’t help but laugh at his predicament. “And how the hell did you get yourself in trouble?”

“I was chatting with Mong, MSN paper style.”

“How’d you get caught passing notes?”

“It was taking too long passing the notes around so I threw it at him. The Brother turned around and saw me.” Dumbass. Serves him right.

“You think that I was being a dumbass, weren’t you? ##########.” What the ##########? Why’d did he have to insult me?

“So where are you? If you’re not here then who’s gonna help me take out all the trash?” So basically, he’s not worried about me or anything. He just wants someone to help him. What a wonderful friend.

“Just running a little errand.”

“What errand? Or are you still with Yuri since yesterday?” He always think of the dirtiest things. If he were here, I’d smack him in the head.

“ ##########.” This is the politest word to use for someone like him.

But before I could hear Om’s reply, there are faint noises coming from Phun. “Cold…cold…cold…”

“Who are you with?” Holy ##########, not only he barks like a dog but he has good hearing like one too. I have no time to explain now. “Hey, I gotta go.”

“Cold…cold…” Phun’s voice gets progressively shakier.

“Who’s there with you?”

“I’ll see you Monday.” I cut him off and hang up. I hop over to the A/C remote control and turn it all the way up to 30 degrees Celsius. It’s gonna be ########## hot.

I stare at the numbers that had just been changed and I can already feel that I’m getting warmer. I take off my shirt and throw it over the sofa before I walk over to check on the patient who is curling up on the bed.

It seems that he really is freezing. He’s gathering all the comforter he can get around him. His lips and his entire body are shivering agonizingly

Even if I were failing my health class, I can recognize that he has a fever just like he told me earlier. I start to panic since I’ve never had to take care of anyone like this before. The first thing I decide to do is putting my hand on his forehead to check his temperature. He’s as hot as an iron!

Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?!

I’m panicking even more now. I order my legs to pace back and forth for a long while before I finally come up with an idea that I should probably go and get someone to check on him. Just as I am about to run out the door, my entire body gets pulled over.

“Hey!” I struggle with burning arms around me, while being completely startled. This ########## Phun pulled me over and is holding me captive. Very tightly too. I try to wrestle myself away from his hold on me but this jerk just would not let go. Isn’t he supposed to be sick? Why is he wrapping himself around me so tightly like an anaconda?

“ ########## Phun! Let go!” I’m trying to break free because I’m not used to this, and I also want to leave so I can find someone to help him too. My forehead is rubbing against his neck, the noises I make are barely audible. He is completely unaware of what is going on and hugs me even tighter.

“Cold…cold…” I can still hear his hoarse voice coming through nonstop. I finally stop struggling.

I raise my head, (with much difficulty) and look at Phun’s pale face. Some of the red marks are starting to disappear revealing his pasty face. I stare at his furrowing dark brows and his eyelids that are closed tightly. He’s clearly in agony. His eyes are usually bright and cheerful, yet full of mischief. His lips are normally tinted light orange like girls would have if they were wearing makeup. But now, he’s looking very weak that he hardly resembles his normal self at all.

I don’t like this at all. I need him to get back on his feet and joke around with me again.

When I realize this, I decide to just let my whole body sits on top of his broad chest and allow its owner to hold me. He’s still moaning about being cold. I hope that this will help, even just for a little bit.

I don’t know if I’m imagining this, but he seems to be calming down. His muscles are less tense and his body temperature is returning to normal.

***

I could be brown, I could be blue, I could be violet sky.

I hear an unfamiliar ringtone breaking the silence. This is the reason I woke up and found Phun and myself holding one another as if we’re one person. -_-” More importantly, I’m still face down on top of him too. (I’m freaking sore.)

Do people usually go this far when taking care of someone with a fever? (Nope.)

I could be hurtful, I could be purple, I could be anything you like.

Mr. Mika is still singing away from Phun’s cellphone. Although I do like this song, I need to wake the owner of the phone up. I violently nudge him so he would come to, because one, it’s so loud and it’s annoying me, and two, I need him to let go of me already!

Phun is startled when I nudged him. He wakes up and sees the condition we’re both in and now he is even more startled. “Yo!”

“Don’t even. You did this to me.” He’s so scared as if I was the one who forced myself on him. I tell him while glancing his way. His chin is barely touching my nose.

“Wh–what did I do to you?” Get your mind out of the ########## gutter. He is very taken back by this. He doesn’t even realize what he’s done. -_-” I’m really over it. -_-”

“Nothing, nothing. You spiked a fever and kept saying that you were cold. I walked over to check your temperature and you apparently mistaken me as a heater and grabbed me. This is how we end up like this.” I explain things to him scene by scene. He finally understands and nods. He has some colors back to his face now and isn’t as pale as he was this afternoon. I’m happy for him and all, but…

“If you’re caught up to what’s going on then let go of me already.”

“Right, sorry, sorry.” He shoves me off of him right away. Great. I back up from him and sit up on the bed. I crane my neck left and right since I slept weirdly. Your entire body is sore when you sleep on top of someone, seriously.

Why don’t you like me? Why don’t you like me? Why don’t you walk out the door?

At this point, Mr. Mika has finished singing the hook of his song. I don’t want him to get tired of singing so I look over at the black Nokia phone on the table, then I glance back at Phun. “You gonna answer that?”

“Can you find out who’s calling?” Oh, ordering me to do stuff again? But I walk over and check the phone without any protests. I’m letting him have things his way just for today.

I see a couple photo lit up brightly on the Nokia N81 screen. “Aim…” I was just reading what was written on the screen.

“Oh, I’ll take it, I’ll take it.” Phun annoyingly motions his hand for the phone. Of course, your girlfriend’s calling. I quickly walk over and pass the phone to him since I don’t want the person on the other line to get upset.

“Hello? Hey. I’m at home. Eh? What is it? Oh, I’m sorry. Can we do that tomorrow? I don’t feel well today and I’d like to get some rest. I’m sorry.”

“How come?! But you already promised me that you’d go with me today!” O_o?! I was curious as to why Aim has called and I finally found out when I heard her booming voice coming through the phone. The person next to me doesn’t even bother putting the phone up to his ear. Phun stretches out his arm and gives me a wry smile when he sees that I have a startled look on my face.

“But…Yeah…Sure. I’ll go pick you at the school this evening. See you then.”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna go on a date.” Doesn’t this jerk realize he’s still sick?

“It’s not a date, Aim wants to go buy some shoes.” He lethargically answers me as he places his phone near his pillow. I quickly grab it and put it back where it originally was since I heard that leaving a phone near your pillow is actually bad for your health.

Leaving the house even though you’re still sick is bad for your health too.

“That’s the same thing. Are you really gonna go in this condition?” I ask him, completely feeling very frustrated. Phum simply puts his hand on his forehead and slowly closes his eyes.

“I’m doing a lot better now. Plus, I did make a promise to Aim that I’d go beforehand.”

We might be close now, but I’m in no position to overstep my boundaries when it comes to his personal life.

I have nothing else to say to him so I let him sleep. My head is filled with many thoughts.