Free Nothing Else Matters by Leslie Dubois Page A

she was sure she hadn't caused any damage, she punched him in the arm. "That's for making me think you cared about me, then going back to Amber. I guess you really do prefer blondes." Reyna went to her desk and tried to get back to work.
    "It's not like that. I swear. I do care about you. I love you, Reyna."
    "Ha! If you loved me you wouldn't have been all over Amber today."
    Scott sighed. "It's not what it looks like, okay? It's all part of Stu's plan."
    Reyna gave him a confused look. Scott approached her desk and knelt in front of her. "I can explain," he said, taking her hands in his.
    Before he could start talking, Reyna noticed something.
    "Scott, what's wrong with your hands?"
    "What?"
    "They're really hot and swollen ... and it looks like you have hives," she said, looking closely at his skin. "They go up you arm. Take off your jacket."
    Scott obeyed and found that his entire left arm was covered with red welts, which suddenly became itchy.
    "Oh my God, Scott. Are you allergic to something?"
    "I don't know," Scott said, starting to scratch.
    "No, don't scratch. Let me get you some Benadryl and Calamine lotion." Reyna jumped up and went to the medicine locker. "Take off your shirt. Let's see how far it's spread," she said, taking out her key.
    Reyna stood in front of him and examined the hives closely as she carefully and gently applied the lotion to his chest and arms. She tried to think back to the hundreds of descriptions of mysterious diseases she'd read about to see if this fit anything. Nothing came to mind. She felt a tension in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn't right with Scott.
    Scott was uncharacteristically quiet while sitting on the examination table. Something in his mind probably told him that this wasn't normal.
    "Have you eaten anything unusual today? Does Sam have you on a new vitamin supplement or something?"
    Scott shook his head, but didn't respond verbally.
    " It’s okay, Scott," Reyna said, feigning confident reassurance. She knew he must have been worried. Suddenly her jealousy over Amber seemed petty and ridiculous. She just wanted her friend to be healthy. "It's probably just a reaction to a new laundry detergent or something." Somehow she knew that wasn't true. She could feel it and the feeling scared her. "We're gonna figure this out."
    “What’s happening to me?” The childlike fear in his voice brought a tear to her eye.
    Despite the volatile anger she felt towards him just moments ago, she didn't resist when Scott pulled her close into a warm embrace. He wrapped his legs around her and placed his forehead into the fold her neck. He was quiet while she rubbed the feverishly hot skin of his back. "I promise we're going to figure this out."
     
     
     
     

Chapter 13
     
     I spent nearly an hour in the athletic trainer's office with Reyna. We both missed fifth period but we didn't care. I needed her. I needed her strength. Suddenly I had gotten this overwhelming feeling of dread concerning my health. The muscle spasms and the intolerable pain in my joints didn't worry me for some reason. I was used to pushing my body to the max. No Pain No Gain. But those symptoms on top of weird hives. Well, it just threw me off. I didn't know what was happening to my body.
    Thankfully, the Benadryl apparently worked. The hives receded and I was able to convince Reyna that I didn't need to see a doctor. That it was probably just an allergic reaction. I could tell by the look she gave me that she didn't buy it. It was her classic "Do you think I'm stupid" stare. She mumbled something in Spanish then let me go to class. I was sure she went back to her desk and started searching the internet looking for what might be causing my symptoms. Part of me hoped she would figure it out. I knew she could. She was so smart.
      Wandering aimlessly through the halls thinking of Reyna, I mistakenly bumped into Amber. I had hoped I wouldn't see her again until dinner that night so I could put in to action the