Soccer Foes Story 4 - Part 1

"I can't believe we only have one week left of camp and then it's over,” Morgan says while munching on some potato chips. Wow. Time sure did pass by. It feels like just yesterday, Shane and me were having our first fight here. Don’t you just love some memories?

"I know. I'm going to be so sad; especially since I won't see you guys again" Jazzy says staring pitifully into her drink. Oh yeah! I forgot that Jazzy goes to a different boarding school than Morgan and me. That's sucks for her. She won't get to see my awesome face everyday. Bummer!

"Too bad you don't go to West Brooke like us. Maybe we'll get to play against each other or something,” Morgan says trying to make her feel better. That would be cool but wouldn't it also be awkward since one team is going to win and the other lose... Well I guess we won't know until we try it.

"Maybe you should just run away from your school or something,” Emma suggests. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she is now part of our group after our little fiasco in the woods. Jazzy noticed her sitting by herself the next day and invited Emma to sit with us. Morgan and me weren't too sure about her at first because... Well...she's a bit weird, but she's actually pretty chill when we got to know her better. Who knew that the emo girl was pretty chill?

"Like that would turn out fine,” I say sarcastically. What's up with Emma and running away? Sheesh.

"No way! I could never do that. According to Bailey, I'm a goody two shoes. Plus I actually haven't been to school yet. I'm going to be a freshman. So it might be more awesome than your school" Jazzy says sticking her tongue out at Morgan and me. She really is a miss goody goody two shoes; unlike me who is wreaks havoc everywhere I go. I like to think it as leaving an impression. Heehee.

"Yeah right. WBA is the best" Morgan says defending her and my soon to be school. I'm not so sure about that. It 'could' be pretty great but then again, it is still school. And school is a total DRAG. You have to work and do homework and boring stuff like that. Ugh!

"Also according to my brother it is. Whatever. But I'll have to see for myself if it really is the "best" high school for me" Emma tells us since she'll be a freshman as well. Guess who her brother is? Spencer. When she told us that they were related, I was shocked. Like my mouth literally dropped. I didn't see that one coming, that's for sure. They're total opposites. He's outgoing and she's quiet. He likes it here and she obviously doesn't. He's hot and she's.... not that much. But in her defense, if she took off all that dark makeup, she would look so much better.

"The main point is that we have one week left and lets make the most of it. See! I really did listen to Shane's speech today" I say to Morgan. At the end of practice, Shane said that since we had one week left that we should work extra hard and to set a goal to achieve. Blah blah blah. I kept zoning out but I got the most important...I think. Anyway, Morgan accused me of not listening. So in her face! She rolls her eyes.

"Barely. Come on, let's head outside and see what we're going to do tonight" Morgan says standing up and stepping away from her chair. However, as Morgan was doing that, someone RUDELY bumped (actually more like fell) into her.

"Oops. You really need to watch where you’re going" someone says with a laugh.

Oh what a surprise. It’s the Paris and Nicole wannabes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ Morgan begins to apologize before I step in for her. She has no reasons to apologize to this blonde bitch (I still have a major grudge on her, in case you couldn’t notice).

“Actually Paris, YOU are the one who need to watch were your going. Talk about a major klutz” I tell her, as I also stand up next to Morgan and fold my arms.

“Funny. I don’t think I wasn’t talking to you, Bailey” Paris says wit attitude. I roll my eyes. She thinks she’s so clever with her little catch phrases. Yeah right.

“I find it even funnier that you think that you are sitting on some kind of pedestal or something. News flash: your not! So the only person who is going to apologize here is you. So you can either say it or walk away,” I tell her staring her down. If you mess with my friends, you get my spiked cleats. You would think that they would learn that by now. Jeeze. Paris obviously is smarter than she lets on because she just rolls her eyes with a huff.

“Whatever. Oh and by the way, I'd watch my back if I were you. Come on Megan. Let's go" Paris says with one of her dumb smirks and walks away. She thinks she's scary or something. I should watch my back. Puh-leeze!

"What did she mean by that?" Morgan asks me. I shrug.  

"It’s nothing important" I tell her turning back toward our table to pick up my plate of mostly uneaten food. I'm also too lazy to tell her about Reddy wanting to get back on me because he thinks I told on him. Hey! In my defense, that would just open up a huge can of wriggly worms and I'm just not in the mood to tell them the whole story. That would be a whole lot of talking. Too much talking for tired Bailey, that's for sure. Shane made us do conditioning today. Ugh! I practically died in the woods. I really did. Although even if I did, I don't think anyone would care. Hmph. Shane just told me to stop being so dramatic and suck it up. Damn him! Thinking about it now, I should have past out or something just to show him; even if my butt would pay the price. It would have been worth it though. Heehee (insert evil laugh). Anyway, I must have turned around too fast because I suddenly became dizzy and started to wobble a little bit.

"Bailey, are you okay?" Jazzy asks me worriedly as she grabs my arm to steady me. I rest my hand on my head to stop the soccer balls floating around in my vision.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just moved a little fast and it is a bit hot in here. Let's go outside" I try to assure Jazzy but I have a feeling that she is onto me more than ever now. Great. Just what I needed. Someone watching me like a hawk. Wait, never mind. That’s normal for me.

"Yeah, it is getting hot in here. Too many people breathing hot air out of their loud mouths. Hey, I heard that we're going to have a free night to do whatever we want" Emma tells us as we make our way toward the doors. Did I hear correctly? We get to do whatever we want? I know that I'll be doing. Spending time with Shane; in secret.

Later that night:

I'm walking toward the bathrooms to get ready for bed. The only major downside (besides being spanked. Duh!) To this camp is that the bathrooms aren't even close. You have to walk on a trail to get to them. Totally sucks if you have to pee in the middle of the night. Big foot or something could eat you. And we all decided that what we heard in the woods when we got lost was most definitely big foot.  Jazzy scared herself so bad that she can't even walk to the bathrooms at night by herself because she's afraid she might encounter Mr. Big again.

'Crack’

I stop walking. I look around to see if someone is also walking on the trail. I see no one. Okay, I'm going to walk a little faster now.

'Crack’ 'whish'

I freeze where I am and look around in the woods. This time it sounded like someone was walking through branches. My heart is pounding. What do I do? Soccer angels, help me! I suddenly hear something breathing heavily behind me. I don't have a lot of time to comprehend what to do because I feel something touch the back of my thigh. Oh my God, what is that?!?! I don't dare turn around to see what it was that touched me because I make a run for it. Déjà vu or what?

I run back toward my cabin totally scared shitless. I swear that it was big foot. If that doesn't prove that Mr. Big exists then I don't know what does. When I get to the end of the path, I start to see the cabins. I'm saved! I slow down to a brisk walk as I make my way toward my cabin. I feel whole lot better now since I see a ton of people walking around. Now that I think about it, why the hell was I the only one on the trail? You'd think at least a few people would be on it at the same time as me. Hmm. Weird. I get back to my cabin and see Jazzy and Morgan sitting on the steps outside.

"That was fast. You just left like 2 minutes ago" Jazzy tells me while looking at her watch. That's it? It felt like I was running away for hours.

"Are you okay? Your face seems kinda flushed,” Morgan says looking at me closely. Geeze, I wonder why.

"Listen, I need you two to come with me to the bathroom" I say grabbing their hands and try to pull them up.

"Why?" Jazzy asks as she and Morgan stand up. No reason. Except that big foot is waiting to pounce on his next victim. (Gulp) hopefully it won't be me.

"I just decided that I would feel a lot better if I had some company with me. Please" I ask them giving them puppy dog eyes. Who can resist those?

"Well okay" Jazzy says as she and Morgan walk beside me. Yes! Now if big foot decides to come out again, he can have them and not me. We're just about to enter the trail when a bush shakes right next to us. I practically scream. Morgan and Jazzy jump.

"What? What is it? Why'd you scream?" Morgan asks me. I put a hand on my chest to calm my beating heart.

"Listen, I'll think I big foot was right behind me when I first walked to the bathrooms" I tell them slowly. I don't want to freak them out considering what happened to us last time.

"What! What do you mean you saw big foot? Was that just him a minute ago? Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Jazzy panics. So much for breaking to them slow. I told you Jazzy is scared shitless.

"Well I actually didn't see bi-" I try to correct her but it's no use since Jazzy is in full-blown frantic mode now.

"Oh my gosh!! Oh my gosh!! I gotta get out of here! Oh my gosh" Jazzy says as she runs back to our cabin. Morgan and me just look at each other before staring after Jazzy. Okay..... Jazzy runs past Shane and Alex who were talking to each other as they were waking. They stop and stare after Jazzy confused.

"What the heck is wrong with her?" Shane asks Morgan and me. She's running for her life obviously.

"She got scared again" Morgan says.

"Not again" Alex groans. He had to comfort her about big foot last time. It apparently took a very, very, very long time for Jazzy to calm down.

"Why?" Shane asks next. I give her a don't-say-anything-else look but she completely misses it. Ugh.

"Bailey thought that she saw Big foot in the woods and was scared to go to the bathrooms by herself and wanted us to go with her but we all heard a bush next to us shake and Izzy got scared and told then told me and Jazzy about seeing Bigfoot " Morgan tells them. What is this? Story time?

"First of all, I didn't actually see big foot.  I just heard him behind me and he TOUCHED me!" I tell Shane and Alex. They both look amused. Oh great. Thanks Morgan. This is why I didn't want you to tell them.

"Bailey, how many times do we have to tell you that Big foot doesn't exist?" Shane says laughing. Grrrr. He touched me. That's proof right there.

"Until you capture one and pull his mask off" I tell them folding my arms with a huff. I'm not a crazy person who sees things.

"You guys are hilarious. We wouldn't be able to capture one because there is no such thing as big foot" Alex says laughing with Shane. Laugh it up you guys. I'm glad you find it so amusing.

"Morgan, come help me find Jazzy. Hopefully she isn't into a full blown panic attack by now" Alex says walking in the direction Jazzy fled on with Morgan waving bye to me before following him.

"Come on, scaredy cat. I'll take you to the bathrooms" Shane says putting his arm around me and giving my cheek a kiss. Now that were alone, we can be close. I try to not smile since I'm still in pout mood for the boys making fun of me.

"Whatever. I'm not a scaredy cat. I just don't like random things touching me. And anyway, it is dark on the trails at night. It's very possible for something to hide. Just saying" I tell him as we make our way to the bathrooms. Sheesh, this is like my third time trying to get to these dumb bathrooms. I didn't know it could be this hard.

"Baby, the trails are lighted by a ton of bright lights. I'd hardly call it dark" Shane says indicating the lights above us.

"Yeah, but they don't light the woods next to the trails" I point out. I try not to look out into them for fear of seeing Mr. Big. A branch cracks quietly. I squeal loudly and make a grab for Shane and hold onto him tightly.

"See! See! I told you so!" I say. Pssh! And he didn't believe me.

"Oh stop it. It's probably a night critter. There's nothing to be afraid of. Okay?" Shane tells me as he unattached my arms from around his body and holds my hands in his. Since I was just scared a minute ago, I failed to notice how good Shane smells. Mmmmmm.

"Or it could have been bi-" I start but Shane cuts me off by saying

"It’s not big foot, so stop worrying about." He rolls his eyes and gives me a smile before kissing my forehead, then my nose, and then (finally) down to my lips. (Happy sigh). I forget about how scary these dark and creepy woods are as I continue to kiss Shane.(if you were kissing Shane too, I'd bet you'd forget about everything else too). Anyways, a slight noise catches my attention. I peek my eyes open to look out of the corner of my eye to see a figure near the end of the trail. I know it's a person because it’s a girl with blonde hair. She disappears off the trail. Hmmmm, interesting.

A couple days later:

Oh my gosh! When is Shane going to let us all have a break? I could swear that we have been playing nonstop in this blazing sun for probably an hour straight. I mean really. Is it too much to ask for a minute to sip some water? Please Shane, I'm begging you!

"Hey bail, you okay?" Jazzy asks me as she comes to stand next to me. Shane is having our group do different exercises. It involves constant running, passing, more running, blocking, and.... Oh yeah more RUNNING! Ugh.

"Yeah, why would you ask that? I'm fine" I huff out as I wipe sweat away from my forehead. Dumb sun. Jazzy looks at me in concern. It seems like that is how she always looks at me these last few days. Ever since she has noticed my eating habits, she thinks I'm starving myself or something. Please.

"It just that your face is really red and you look worn out" she tells me. I roll my eyes at her.

"I'm fine. It's just really hot out here and I wish we could have a water break,” I say. Maybe I can send brain waves to Shane somehow and he would get the message for a much need break. What? I'm desperate right now.

"You know, you can get a drink of water whenever you want. Shane wouldn't mind; especially of you really need it, which I think you do"

Jazzy tells me placing a hand on my shoulder as a comfort thing I guess. I look down at her hand and stare back at her with a bored expression. You don't know how many times I have had to tell her that I'm fine. She doesn't believe me though.

"Jazz, quit worrying. I'm fine and I can hold off on the water,” I tell her. LIE! I'm dying of thirst. I just hate acting like a wuss.

"Bailey! Anya! Back in line please" Shane calls out to us. Oh, so he notices when we aren't in line but fails to see me looking pitiful and waving a white flag around in the air. Actually I'm not surprised. It's not he's actually doing anyone. Guess who got picked to lead the exercises? That’s right. Paris. And to make it even better, she got to pick a partner to help. She chose her BFF Nicole. I knew I wasn't going to be picked because I have been lacking the last couple of days and I'm not sure why, but I can believe Shane would pick HER. Unbelievable.

"Seriously, Jazzy. I'm fine so stop worrying about me please,” I tell her annoyed. We start to go back on line when I suddenly get a bit light head and stumble into Jazzy.

Let's just say, that Jazzy freaked out the max. And Shane calls me a drama queen.

"Bailey! Oh my gosh! Are you okay?! Help! Bailey, are you okay? Oh my gosh! Help!" Jazzy says loudly while holding my body up right. I'm totally sooo embarrassed for her. By now, she has everyone's attention.

"what going on?" Shane's demands taking control of the situation. (sigh). He's so hot and he's all mine. Heehee.  The dizzy spell has passed and I have already gotten myself straighten out and away from Jazzy. I try to answer but miss drama queen over there beats me to it.

"Bailey passed out, Shane" Jazzy tells him. After that little announcement, Shane's turns from badass leader to overprotective boyfriend. Oh geeze.

"what happened, Bailey? Are you okay?" He asks me while folding his arms together and giving my body a once over to make sure that I am in one piece.

"I'm fine. no I didn't faint. If I did, I would still be on the ground. I just got a bit dizzy and stumbled a bit. Really I'm okay now" I tell him.

"no one who gets 'dizzy and stumbles a bit' is fine. You may think your fine but that doesn't mean that you truly are" Shane tells me. I glare and cross my eyes. What part of I'm fine don't people understand. I mean, it's simple English.

"that's funny. You act like you can read minds. Well, you obviously can't because if you could you would know that I really am okay. And I wouldn't have gotten dizzy if you would have called a water break a little sooner. And your the one who always tells us to drink plenty of water" I say getting mad at him, at Jazzy, at the sun, and the Paris and Nicole wannabes.

"yeah, obviously you haven't been listening or else you wouldn't have become dizzy. And don't give me crap about a break. You could have gotten water anytime you wanted to" Shane says right back at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jazzy give me an 'I told you so' look. Grrrr. I just get even more mad. He may be good looking, but he still pisses me off.

"you know what, fine I'll got get some dumb water since you think I'm so incompetent in  doing so. screw you Shane. And screw you too ANYA" I say walking off and resist the urge to push people over as I make my over the benches. See, I have some self-control.

"alright, a five minute water break. Bailey, sit out. You and I need to have a talk" I hear Shane say behind me. Oh great. I don't have a good feeling about this.

"Shane, I'm fine,” I tell him again when he makes his way over to where I'm sitting on the bench. He sits down next to me. Not as close as I would have liked since we're still hiding are relationship. He sighs.

"No, I don't think your fine babe. You’ve been drinking water regularly, right?" he asks me. His earlier irritation with me is now replaced with concern. I roll my eyes. Thanks for ignoring my last statement, buddy.

"Yes, I've been drinking water. Its just today has been hotter for some reason. I didn't get enough water so that's why I got dizzy. Nothing to worry about" I say hoping that'll pacify him. So it's not exactly true. I think I it dizzy from not having a big breakfast or lunch. Although I wasn't lying about how hot it is. It's like a freaking huge oven out here. Shane looks at me suspiciously.

"Mhmm. If it was nothing then why did Anya freak out like that if it was nothing?" he asks me. Because she is crazy and had a crazy and totally blown out of proportion breakdown. However, I didn't say that. I had a feeling Shane wouldn't like that answer even it was true. I shrug.

"I don't know. Ask her yourself. She seems to think that something is wrong with me. Kinda like you" I say glaring at him.

"Girl, chill out. Calm the temper. I'm just trying to figure out what happened. I don't think it all had to do with not having enough water. You've been lacking the last few days Bailey" Shane tells me. Ugh! Tell me something I don't know. I know I haven't been playing my best the last few days. Actually, I pretty much suck. Not a surprise that Shane would notice.

"A lot of people have been starting to pass out and I don't want that to happen to you baby. I know that you don't think that is going to happen but I don't want to take that chance with you" he says. Aww. That's so sweet. Shane's making me be mushier and mushier everyday.

"That’s why your sitting out for the rest of practice and possibly tomorrow too" Shane's says next while standing up. Good moment gone.

"What! Shane!!" I cry out pissed while standing up as well. Oh crap!! Head rush. Head rush. Major head rush!!! I stood up too fast and got dizzy.  I almost fell over but Shane caught my arm keeping me upright. My vision becomes blurry and I black out.

My eyes shoot open suddenly. I blink to try to regain complete consciousness. What the fuck happened? I notice that there is a crowd of people standing above me looking down. I wince and close my eyes again as I notice the heat of the sun and that my poor head is pounding. Literally, it sound like there is a boogieman jumping up and down with cleats on in my head. Not cool at all, dude.  

"Oh my god, she's alive" someone says.

"I thought she was in a coma or something " another person adds.

"Um she was only out for like a little over a minute. No need to be dramatic" this time the voice seems familiar but my mind is so slow right now that I'm not going to even try to figure out who is talking.

"Alright guys. Back up and give her space" I hear a deep voice say near me. I open my eyes slowly to Shane's face above mine. I can tell by his eyes he is completely worried about me right now.

"Where am I?" I croak out confused.  My throat is like a freaking desert. It's a miracle that I can even speak.

"Your on the practice field babe. You passed out" Shane informs me as he places a wet washcloth on my forehead. I groan as I close my eyes. I can't even move my body. I'm like frozen. Come on soccer angels. Help me out here. Maybe send a gust of wind my way or even cover the blazing sun with a cloud. I mean really. I'm dying over here.

"Bailey, I'm going to help you sit up okay?" Shane asks me. I nod my head. By all means, go ahead Shane. Use your strong self and help me up. Even if I actually had the strength enough to do it myself, I would still let Shane do it. I mean, what girl wouldn't let her sexy boyfriend help her. Heehee. Amazing how I still have these thoughts even though I'm barely conscious. Shane grasps my arms from behind me as he slowly sits me up. Now that I'm up, I become a little more aware. The whole team is standing around me in a circle. Again, I'm the center of attention. What else is new?

"Here's some water Bails" Morgan says kneeling next to me and hands me a water bottle. I grasp it with shaky hands and give her a small smile. Good thing it was Morgan and not Jazzy. I'm still a little salty with her. My memory is coming back to me now. I was playing soccer, it was hot, I got dizzy, jazzy freaked out, Shane tells me to sit out, then Shane tells me I can't play the rest of the day, I get mad (of course), and then I black out. Ugh is all I can say.

"Practice is over for the day. Hit the showers and stay hydrated please. I don't want a repeat of what happened today,” Shane tells the team as he stands up. Yeah I just so happen to be the perfect visual of what happens if you don't stay hydrated. Hmph. Shane replaces my wet cloth with another one.

"Do you see spots or is your vision clear?" Shane asks me as he kneels beside me.

"It's clear,” I say as I continue to drink my water. I still feel like shit though.

"You scared me baby love,” He tells me quietly as he caresses my cheek. The rest of the team aren't near us since they are packing up their water bottles and cleats, so no one is paying attention to us. I look into his still worried brown eyes. I feel really bad. It didn't mean to make him feel like this. The worst girlfriend award definitely goes to me.

"I'm really sorry Shane. I should have been drinking more water or this wouldn't have happened,” I say to him. But if he had given more water breaks.... Just saying.

"It's okay baby. Just start drinking a lot more water please. I don't want you passing out on me again. Ready to go to the infirmary?" Shane asks me as he takes the wet cloth off of my forehead. I nod my head.

"By the way, you are so not playing tomorrow" He adds as he helps me stand up. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

"I know" I pout as I lean most of my weight into Shane. This sucks. Especially since I can't fight him on it. I fainted. End of story. Shane wins any argument we might have had on the subject. Plus I would have probably gotten a sore butt added to the equation somehow. You know how I like to test Shane's patience. Let's just hope I only sit out for one day and he doesn't add more later. Then I will most definitely be testing his patience like never before.

Later that evening:

I walk out of my home away from home. Aka: the infirmary. It seems I'm always in her now. Nurse Kelly doesn't seem surprised to see me anymore. It's like the usual now. But she like me so it all good. Imagine if she hated me. Yikes. I'm heading to the dining hall since it's dinnertime. I'm not planning on eating much but I'll go so Shane can see that I'm alive.

(Crack)

What the hell was that? I look around the wooded area but I don't see anything or anyone. Ugh. This is what is what I hate most about this camp. The forest is everywhere and you can barely see into it at night. I quicken up my steps just incase I come face to face with big foot.

(Crack)

I stop because this time it was a whole lot closer. I turn around and come face to face with my worst enemy at the moment: Reddy.

"Well it looks like you’re all better from your fainting spell. You know, you must be really stupid if you don't drink water when it's a hundred degrees outside" Reddy tells me with a smirk. I glare at him. Who does this asshole think he is?

"Whatever jerk face. Still mad about getting kicked off of Shane's team. I bet you’re jealous that I'm still on it huh?" I tell me him with a smirk of my own. Incase he forgot, he got kicked out all by himself. But he's too dumb to take the blame. I can tell that I hit a nerve with my last comment because Reddy's face gets red.

"No! I know the reason that your still on his team is because he feels sorry for you ever since your family visited you. Plus you're totally milking it too. Starving yourself so you will pass out and have Shane be even more sorry for you. He totally pities you" He tells me getting up in my face. I stand my ground.

"Starving myself? Yeah right" I scoff as if it's a total lie. Except that it's not. How did be even notice that, anyways?

"You know it's true. After I called you fat, I figured that you were insecure enough to do something about it. And I was right. I've noticed that you hardly eat any food since then. You are too easy" Reddy says laughing in my face. What a douche. He's pissing me off so much right now. Reddy continues to laugh at me but I've had enough of his bullshit. I knee him in the groin. Take that you stupid jerk. Reddy quickly stops laughing and topples over while protecting his privates from any more blows. Okay so I could have handled it better by just walking away. But where would the fun be in that? I leave Reddy lying on the ground in pain and continue on my merry way. I'm still pissed though. Not at Reddy but at myself. How could I do that to myself just because of what Reddy said? What does he know anyway? I guess my insecurities clouded my judgment. Grrrr, I was so stupid. I am so going to get him, Paris, and Nicole back for this. Payback's a bitch. I make my to the dining hall. I'm not worried about Reddy telling. He won't want to seem weak and say a girl kicked him. Plus that will open up a whole can of worms that involves getting him into trouble. So I'm safe. I grab a plate in the loud cafeteria and put a cheeseburger and fries on it. I spot Morgan and Jazzy sitting at a table nearby. I make my way over toward them.

"Bailey, are you feeling better?" Morgan asks me when she notices me arrive at their table. I put ketchup on my fries, still in a bad mood.

"I hate people sometimes" I tell her as I dig into my food. Mmmm. Fries, how I've missed you.

I'm still beating myself over what Reddy said. I'm so stupid for harming myself like that. I've been eating like normal now, which is confusing the heck out of Jazzy. We're not on a talking basis at the moment. I'm still a little pissed at her for being so dramatic and everything. And Shane continues to call me the diva. Puh-lease. Anyways, I'm walking over toward Morgan and Emma by the Rec hall. It's a free night tonight, so you can do whatever you want. Well as long as it doesn't piss off the leaders at least. Emma seems to be complaining about her brother...again. Her and Spencer argue ALL the time. Even more than me and Shane. Shocker, isn't it?

"You are so lucky that you didn't have to go to practice today. All Spencer did was stupid conditioning drills" Emma was saying. Oh well in that case, her complaining is justified. Conditioning is devils play.

"Yeah conditioning is the worst. Too bad I had to miss it" I say trying not to smile. Shane told me that I didn't even have to bother showing up for practice since I might be tempted to join in or something. I pouted half-heartedly at that. What? It's in my nature to show some kind of displeasure. So I got three hours of bailey time in my cabin. I was living the life.

"No you didn't. Conditioning is tomorrow" Morgan told me with an in-your-face grin. My smile drops instantly.

"What! But Shane always does conditioning on Wednesday" I say getting pissed. Morgan shrugs.

"He switched it around this week. I guess you won't be missing out on conditioning after all" Morgan says while trying not to laugh. I fold my arms together. Shane so did that on purpose. He knows how much I hate conditioning. Grrr. What a jerk. I'm so going to be talking to him about this.

"So what are you guys going to do tonight?" Morgan asks us. Me and Emma shrug.

"Where's jazzy?" Emma asks next. Ugh. Her. I roll my eyes and shrug again. As if I care where's she at.

"You two still mad at each other?" Emma asks me. What is with all this questioning? Geez.

"Yeah I guess we are but I don't want to get into it" I tell her with a huff. I'm already in a bad mood with the conditioning news, don't make it worse please.

"You know she only freaked out like that because she cares, right? Even if it was a little over the top" Morgan says.

"A little?" I ask. It was way, way, way over the top. Like whipped cream and a cherry on top over the top. Wait, did that even make any sense? Oh well. Heehee.

"Okay, a lot over the top. But she was not worried about you" She says. I roll my eyes and don't reply. Okay so I know she was worried but she was a total diva about it. Hmph. I was about to change the subject but a new voice joins the conversation.

"Bailey, can I talk you for a minute?" Shane asks behind me. I turn around to face him. I notice that he has a serious expression on his face. Uh oh. Did I do something wrong? I wrack my brain to see if I did anything naughty. Hmmm, nada.

"Okay" I say a little put off and start to walk with him to wherever he wants to talk at and it better be actually talking. I look behind me at Morgan and Emma. Morgan mouths 'what did you do?'. I shrug my shoulders. I have no idea. (Gulp)

Shane doesn't say anything else until we're at our cabin. By our cabin, I mean it's the place that me and Shane meet to be alone since we're still reclusive. Okay and it's the where Shane spanks me too. I bet you guys were all thinking that, huh? Anyway, once we're inside. Shane takes my hand in his and leads me toward a bed. I subconsciously rub my butt. I don't like where this is going. Even though I haven't done anything wrong. At least I don't think I have. Shane sits down and then pulls me down next to him.

"What's wrong? What do you want to talk about?" I ask a little worried for the sake of my ass.

"Anya wanted to speak with me during practice today. Any guess on what she wanted to talk about?" Shane asks me. I instantly scowl. What a blabbermouth! Okay so I wasn't eating for a few days. I am now incase she didn't notice me chopping down on three slices of pizza today.

"What did she tell you?" I ask folding my arms.

"Anya informed me that she noticed you haven't been eating much this past week. Is that true?" He asks folding his arms as well. He obviously thinks it true so why should I answer. Screw stupid Jazzy.

"Maybe but not in how you think it is. I just wasn't hungry. Okay? No big deal" I exclaim rolling my eyes while standing up to face Shane. I'm sooooo tired of coming back to this stupid conversation. I'm fine. Fine. Fine. Big fat FINE!

"No big deal? You've been lagging, Bailey. You haven't been playing well at. You passed out yesterday. As far as I'm concerned, I consider that a very big deal" he says standing up as well. I place my hands on my hips.

"Thanks a lot for reminding how much I suck lately, Shane. And anyway, I was just dehydrated. You said it yourself" I say with a glare.

"You were dehydrated but I also knew there was something else going on as well. What, you randomly just aren't hungry for a week during an athletic camp? Sure Bailey" Shane tells me sarcastically. He's really pissing me off right now. Calm down, Bailey. Do your impromptu I'm-not-going-to-kill-someone deep breathing. In and out. In and out.

"I just wasn't, okay?" I say turning my back to him and crossing my arms to myself. This whole stupid thing just goes back to Reddy. If him and his stupid posse would have left me alone, I wouldn't have to deal with this right now. Damn him! Shane comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.

"Baby, did something happen? Did somebody say something to you?" Shane asks softly into my ear. Yeah, just go ask your old favorite team member, Reddy the doofus.

"No Shane. Nothing happened. I just didn't eat which was really stupid of me. But I'm eating again, I promise" I say leaning into him. Sigh. I love being in his arms. Total chick moment but who cares. Ha! Shane turns me around to face him again.

"You swear you won't do something so irresponsible and stupid with your health again?" He asks me seriously while gazing his brown eyes into my blue ones.

"I promise" I say back, meaning every word. Shane brings me into his arms to hug me tightly. Happy sigh again. I snuggle right back into him. I've mentioned that I love this right? Cool, just checking.

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you lovie" Shane tells me while giving my head multiple kisses. I smile into him.

"I'm sorry too" I say back and give his cheek a kiss, which earned me a smile from him. You know, Shane and I might want to kill each other at times but in the end, we got this. As we're walking out, I remember the conditioning news.

"Are you doing conditioning tomorrow?" I ask Shane by the door. Please say no. Please please please say no.

"Yeah, why?" He asks holding my hands in his. I groan.

"I thought you did conditioning on Wednesdays" I pout. Stick with the schedule Shane. Seriously.

"Well since you weren't there, I decided to wait until you were back to do it" Shane tells me with a grin and a shrug.

"What! Shane, you know how much I hate conditioning" I push his shoulder. Not cool!!

"I'm kidding, babe. I already decided at the beginning of the week that I was going to do it on Thursday instead of Wednesday" Shane tells me with a laugh. Ugh. Out of all the days to miss practice, I somehow am unable to avoid the conditioning one. Only my luck.

"Can you go easy tomorrow? It's our last week. What if I pass out again?" I say half serious and half jokingly. Shane's not pleased with my little comment.

(Smack) (Smack)

He gives my Nike clad butt two hard swats.

"Own! Ow! Ow! What was that for?" I ask him as I rub the sting out from my cheeks. How could I forget how much Shane's hand hurts?

"Don't even joke about that Bailey" Shane tells me not amused. Okay, so me passing out is still a sore subject with him. I'm crossing out any future plans with fainting off my to do list. Those to smacks HURT.

Before Happily Ever After 4

Happy sigh! Since me and Eric saw each other so little during that time with me at school and him working at the hospital, I always LOVED the times that we did have together. Well, except if I was spanked. I didn’t like those parts so much. In case your wondering about what happened to the others, they got spanked again too. I guess the guys didn’t like Jarod “spanking” their girls. Oh and of course what happened during the G.N.O thing too. Duh! How could I forget that? Anyways, back to the present with Devon. She flips to the next page of the photo album to a photo of me with Lily, Mariah, Sophi, and Janey during that night.

“All of you look so pretty; especially you Cori” Devon tells me as she scoots closer to me on the couch. She’s so cute!!

“And Mariah” she adds flipping onto the next page. Hmmm, Mariah is quickly becoming Devon’s favorite too. Now that Chris and Mariah are together, his family is growing to love her. Demi wasn’t sure about them dating at first but after she learned that Mariah was my cousin, she was all for it. Eric had told me that his parents think she is a good match for Chris because they are so alike and Mariah could put Chris’s “player days” to rest. I think she has because they are cute together, but not as cute as Eric and me. Heehee.

“Is she your new favorite?’ I ask her pretending to be hurt. I’m teasing now but if Devon says yes, then I’ll be pissed! I met her first and Mariah cant come and steal my title…

“No, you’ll always be my favorite. She’s second” Devon says assuring me while looking up at me. Ha! In your face, Mariah!!

“Yay! I’m happy again” I tell her. She giggles and snuggles back into me. Speaking of Mariah, her and I have gotten a lot closer now and her and Janey have grown apart. Sad, isn’t it? After that drinking fiasco, Mariah seemed to hold a grudge against Janey since she blames her for Chris spanking her. That’s what I think anyway. That’s not what Mariah told me though. The reason we have grown closer is because we’re dating brothers and because of my mom. My mom came back into my life. It was a hard time when she wanted to enter back too. I was going crazy over wedding plans and school. Never mind. I was just going crazy over wedding plans and it seemed like people were wanting my attention at all times. It was soooo hectic. I couldn’t even get my routine manicure and pedicure. (Sigh) It was terrible. So when my mom wanted to talk to me, well, it was kind of hard to handle. Ugh! Lets just say, it didn’t end well for me or my butt; as usual……………………………………….

Should I choose vanilla or chocolate? Hmmm, decisions decisions. I love chocolate anything but vanilla sounds really good right now. Hmph! It's too hard. I guess I'll just have to go with the obvious. Both. Duh! I grab vanilla and chocolate ice cream bowls from the cold section for my breakfast this morning. You see, I've been having a sore throat for a couple of days. So I need something to ease my aching throat. And ice cream is the perfect thing for that. Plus, I'm eating breakfast; it's just not breakfast food. Eric always tells me that I should eat breakfast. However, he never mentions what exactly I should eat. So ice cream it is for me. Heeehee! Just as I'm sitting down, my cell phone rings in my purse. Yay! It's Eric. 

"morning little angel" Eric tells me when I answer the phone. He sounds really tired.  You see, Eric just finished a 48 hour shift at the hospital and he only gets to sleep when he can. I wouldn't be able to do that. I'd probably sneak off and sleep in a vacant hospital bed. What? I need my beauty sleep. 

"morning handsome. You tired?" I ask as I dig into my vanilla ice cream.

"Yeah, I'm going to bed after I talk to you. Are you in the dining hall right now?" he asks me, probably hearing the noise of the people getting food before the start of the day in the background.

"mhmm and I'm eating breakfast. See! I am taking care of myself. I'm a big girl, Eric. I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry about me, mister" I tell him grinning. During Christmas break, Eric noticed that I wasn't taking care of myself since I lost some weight and was super tired. Let's just say, he gave me a fierce warning,with me over his lap with my bare bottom up getting soundly spanked, about what would happen if I failed to continue to do so in the future. 

"baby, I always need to worry about you. I know that your a big girl. You just need some help sometimes; actually more like a lot of the time" Eric says with a laugh. Ha-ha-ha. Soooo not funny.

"whatever, Eric. Im just accident-proned. You know that I don't get into crazy situations on purpose" I say into my phone. Which is true, by the way. I don't try to make my plans fail. When things don't go according to my plans, like a nerd walking into a trap meant for someone else or I don't escape in time with Lily and we get caught, then the whole thing is basically screwed. So it's totally not my fault.

"things just don't go according to how you wanted them to. So it's not like its your fault" Eric tells me  Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did I not just think that? 

"Oh. My. God. Eric!!!" I exclaim with my eyes wide. 

"couples empathy, right?" Eric asks with total seriousness. 

"yes!!!" I tell him. I always knew that we had it. I was so right. Its freaky shit!

"totally some freaky shit, huh?" he asks me next. Okay, I'm getting goosebumps. 

"Eric, I just thought the same thing you just said. Totally crazy" I say. Eric starts to laugh. 

"Cori baby, I'm just playing with you. I love messing around with you on this couples empathy stuff you always talk about" he tells me still laughing. He can laugh all he wants but it exists. Hmph! 

"whether you want to believe me or not Eric, couples empathy really does exists" I say as I move onto my chocolate ice cream now. 

"I'm sure it does" Eric says still chuckling. (Sigh) He'll never believe me. I notice Mariah and Janey walk into the dining halls and neither one of them are looking happy. Uh oh. Trouble in best friend paradise?

"angel, you feeling okay? You've been sniffling this whole time" Eric asks me. Damn! How did he notice? I know he's a doctor but I thought I was being quiet and he wouldn't notice. Guess I was wrong; as usual. 

"yeah, I just have a bit of a cold. My nose is sorta stuffy and my throat is kinda scratchy, but I'm fine" I tell him hoping he won't go into doctor mode. "how sorta and kinda?" He asks me next. Ugh!

"just a little bit. I'll take some cold medicine before class. I'm really fine, Eric" I plead to him, hoping to convince him.  

"alright baby. Just get some rest when you can please. I don't want you to get any sicker; especially with the weather being so cold" Eric says. Ain't that the truth. We just got fresh snow last night. 

"I will" I say. Phew! Thank god he didn't ask anymore questions. 

"and make sure that to drink plenty of fluids" he tells me. I roll my eyes. 

"I will, doctor. And don't start really worry about me now either. I'll be fine. It's just a cold" I remind him. 

"let's make sure it stays as a cold and not turn into something else" Eric says. Of course, it will. Why would it turn into something else?

"it will... or it won't...well you get what I mean" I say to him, confusing myself. 

"I do, sweetie. I'll let you go so you can get to class. I love you babygirl" Eric tells me. I sigh since I know our conversation is coming to an end. I really, really miss him. We talk on the phone when we can but it's totally different than being together in person. 

"I love you too" I tell him, trying not to be sad. We end our phone call with me promising him that I would take my medicine and I'll call him after my classes today. I'm putting my phone back into my purse when Mariah sits down across from me at my table with a huff. 

"what's got your panties in a twist?" I ask as I finish my chocolate ice cream. Mariah covers her face in her hands and groans in frustration. 

"Janey is seriously pissing me off. Some best friend she is turned out to be" Mariah tells me as she adds granola to her yogurt. Apparently, Janey and Mariah thought that I would be a good counselor because they both come to me for a shoulder to cry all their friend problems on. Don't get me wrong. I love to hear all the juicy details of pretty much everybody since I like to be in the know. But ugh! Mariah and Janey are dragging this on forever. Either make up or break up: best friend edition. They seem to do a lot of fighting and no resolving. It's just all 

getting to become a little too much. And this coming from ME. Miss noses posey fashion Rosie!! (did you like the nickname? I made it up just now. Heehee)

"what did you fight about this time?" I ask with a sigh. I'm not really interested so I check my email on my phone. Oooh, I got a discount for Victoria secrets. Shopping time soon!

"she told me that she didn't think that Chris was a right match for me. I said okay but you have to tell me why. She said that I was changing. I was like 'what the heck ?'. She went on to explain that she thought that I was becoming a different person since I've been with Chris and I have new friends that she thinks aren't good for me and I hardly spend anytime with her anymore. What is up with her?" Mariah tells me. I quickly put my phone down after hearing that. Now THIS I can take. Keep bringing on the details, girl. 

"well, maybe Janey feels lonely now that you aren't always hanging out with her. And why did you suddenly start joining clubs?" I ask wondering. Mariah does have more friends other than Janey now that she has joined some others clubs on campus. She's being much more sociable for some reason 

"Well she needs to get over it. Hmph! I mentioned to Chris one time when we were snuggling together on his couch watching a movie and..." Mariah starts to tell me in a dreamy voice. Ugh! Not again. 

"Mariah! How many times do I have to tell you? No details. No details!" I remind her for the hundredth time. I really don't want to hear what they do during their "snuggle times"; especially after she told me about an earlier incident of what they were doing...in detail. Double ugh!! She sooooo does not think before she talks sometimes. Hmmmmm, reminds me of someone else I know but I can figure out who. Oh well. 

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. Okay, I mentioned to Chris that I wished I had more people to hang out with. He said I could join more clubs at school since I was already on the dance team. I figured I'd try out what he said and got myself more involved with new people. Chris was so proud of me" Mariah says with a smile. Aww, I'm actually happy for her and I really mean it this time. I don't usually think that way about Mariah since she was a bitch to me all those years. I wonder why Janey said those things? I'll ask Eric about it tonight since he Janey is his cousin and be might know why. 

"anyways, I didn't come over here to just let off some steam. I actually need to talk to you about something" Mariah tells me as sips her coffee. 

"something good or bad?" I ask her curiously. I really don't need something bad right now. Maybe she'll tell me that one of my favorite stores are having a huge sell today. I can hope, can't I?

"ummm... I don't think your going to like it" she says. I brace myself for the worst. Like the nearby shopping center is closing. Eek!

"my mom called me last night. She told me that our side of the family knows about your upcoming wedding. And no, it wasn't me who told them" Mariah says holding up her hands in defense. Yeah, I'm not surprised. I didn't invite some of my aunts and uncles to my wedding. 

"anyway, my mom also told me that your mom also knows" she continues. My mom. I haven't thought about her in forever. And she was one of the few people I didn't tell for obvious reasons. 

"she does?" I ask her not sure how I feel about it. Mariah nods before saying

"And she wants to see you. Like as soon as possible" 

"what!! Why?" I demand angrily. She wants to see me. That's funny since I thought she didn't want anything to do with me. 

"my mom told me that she wants to see you and meet Eric too" Mariah tells me hesitantly. She can see that I'm clearly not happy. 

I fold my arms and look at her in disbelief. 

"my mother never cared about me. So why should I return the favor?" I ask with a scowl. My mother had a drinking problem when I was growing up. She was either drunk or belittling me when she wasn't. Yup, that pretty much sums up my life until I went to live with my dad in sixth grade. I remember the day I was leaving to go live with my dad like it was yesterday. 

"Princess, do you have everthing that you wanted to take with you?" my daddy, Henry, asks me as he puts the last of my bags into the back of his car. I nod my head. I hardly have anything to begin with since my mom doesn't have a lot of money to spend on me. Daddy told me that he's going to spoil me rotten and I'll get to buy all the new clothes and stuff that I want. I'm sooo excited!! 

"did you want to say goodbye to your mom?" Henry asks as me as he shuts the trunk. I look up at the apartment's entrance to see my mom leaning against the doors. Her arms are folded and she is glaring down at us on the streets. Her brown eyes are cold and her face is bitter. She always has that look except today it is worse. The only time it isn't is when Aunt Vanessa and Mariah visit. I sigh and shake my head no. I get into daddy's car and he closes it shut. As we drive off, I can still see my mom's eyes in my head. 

"you shouldn't. I'm just the messenger for my mom" Mariah says knowing full well why I shouldn't. She looks down at her plate and plays with an end of a napkin. 

"listen, I know that she was horrible to you and I don't even know half of what went on when you were growing up but... I saw your mom a little over a year ago and she had really cleaned up her act. She went to rehab and counseling for her drinking. She had been clean for almost a year when I saw her. She has totally changed. I know that might not mean anything for you, but I was just... I was just letting you know" Mariah says quietly. I stare at the table in front of me as I take in her news. Has my mom really changed?

"and look, I know that I apologized already for how terrible I was to you all of those years and what that caused you. Honestly, I really am sorry and wish I could take it all back now. I really do" she says looking at me with a guilty expression. I smile slightly at her. 

"I know. I forgave you for it already too. So does my mom still live in the same shitty apartment?" I ask as I gather my things and stand up at the table. Mariah nods her head and hands me a piece of paper. 

"yeah, she does. Here. This is her phone number incase you are abducted by aliens and do decide that you want to talk to her" Mariah tells me as I take the paper. I roll my eyes at her comment. I tell her bye as we part ways. Once I'm outside, I lean against a pillar. I clutch my notebook tightly against me. 

"what am I going to do?" I whisper to myself as tears start to fall down my face. I take a deep breath as I wipe the tears from my face and brace myself against the cold snow as I walk to my first class. 

I close the door to the apartment, then turn around to try to find Eric. I didn't have to try hard since he was right behind me. I rush into Eric's open arms and hold onto  him super tight. I called Eric after my classes in the afternoon in tears saying that I needed him and if I could come and see him. Of course he said yes and was really worried when he heard me crying. You know how protective he can become. Eric wanted to come get me himself but I insisted that I could drive. Sheesh, it's not like I had a broken finger nail or something. Anyways, I snuggle closer into Eric's warm embrace as he holds me tight. Eric kisses my head as he continues to hug me as we stand by the door taking in the feel of one another. 

"whats wrong, baby? Please tell me" he asks me while kissing my head again. I sigh and rub my cheek against the soft material of Eric's shirt. I take comfort in the familiar scent of him. I lean back in Eric's arms and look up into his worried green eyes. 

"I (sniff) got some really (sniff) really bad news this morning, Eric (sniff)" I tell him as tears roll down my face again. Damn! I didn't even realize I was crying again. Ugh! I guess the water sprinklers are turned on in my head today. 

"What's the bad news and who told you?" Eric asks as he gently wipes away my tears with his thumbs. That  my evil witch of a mother suddenly wants to contact me. Eek! Who wouldn't be afraid of that?

"Mariah told me that my mom... She-she wants to see me and you" I whisper up to him. Eric pulls me close to him again. 

"oh baby. I wish I could take away your pain. What can I do to make you feel better?" he asks me while rocking me in his arms. No, I don't want Eric to have to experience my pain because he doesn't deserve that. 

"Will you just hold me please?" I ask him. I need some MAJOR cuddling time with my man right now. 

"of course, baby girl. For as long as you want" Eric tells me giving me a gentle squeeze before letting me go. He grabs ahold of my hand as we walk to into the living room. Eric wraps me up in a warm fuzzy blanket before sitting down in a large leather chair with me on his lap. (happy sigh) We sit like this for awhile before Eric asks me gently,

"so what exactly did Mariah tell you, angel?" Ugh! Don't remind me. 

"she told me that her mom told her that my mom wants to see me like right away and she also wants to meet you" I tell him with a sneeze. As much as I hate my mom, I am sort of curious as to why she wants to contact me now. 

"bless you baby. I think you need to wait and really think about whether or not you should get in touch with your mom. Considering the fact that you didn't have a great relationship with her growing up, I don't think you should rush into this" Eric says. So the question is do I want to talk or see my mom or not and when? Hmmm...

"and you know I'll always help you and be by your side with whatever choice you do choose" he adds with a kiss to my nose. I smile before I sneeze again and cough slightly. I sniff. Crap! I totally forgot to take some cold medicine this morning. I hope Eric doesn't notice...who am I kidding? 

"but please don't do anything until your one hundred percent better. You don't need to get any sicker" Eric says kissing my temple. He then places his hand on my forehead. 

"and I'm pretty sure you have a fever. Did you take any medicine like you told me you would this morning?" he asks me already knowing the answer. See! I told you so. I snuggle closer to him and push the blanket up over my face.

"I'll take that as a no. But since you have had a hard day, I'll give you a pass" Eric tells me giving my butt a light swat and a kiss on the top of my head. Phew! I dodged that one. My butt is saying thank god!!

"but on the good side, i know your gonna take extra good care of me tonight so it makes up for it" I tell him looking at him with a grin. So it actually worked out better in the end. Yay me! Heehee. Eric rolls his eyes and shakes his head at me. 

"you know it, baby" he says with a grin of his own since he knows what I said is true. I cuddle closer to Eric in his safe embrace as I try to forget today's news.

As soon as I walk into my dorm room, I jump on my bed face down. Ugh! I feel like crap. It's been two days since I have left Eric and I thought I was getting better but I really wasn't. Now I have this stupid cough and my cold is so much worse. What am I going to say to Eric when he notices that im still sick. I agreed that i would go to the doctors if i wasn't completely better. In case you haven't noticed, i didn't go. My butt is soooo screwed. Why me? I reach underneath my bed and feel for a magazine to read from the many piled beneath me. I grab a thick one and pull it out. Ohhhh, Wedding Dresses Galore. How could I have missed this one? I must be sicker than I thought. I really need to get going on my wedding dress shopping. Can you believe that I haven't boughten a dress by now? You'd think that would be one of the first things scratched off my to do list. Eek! What's happening to me!?!? I'm flipping through the pages and marking the things that would look fabulous on me when Lily walks in with a huff. 

"You'd think they would turn up the heat since its so cold outside. But no, the university wants us to freeze and suffer!" Lily exclaims as she wraps and blanket around herself. Okay, so she does have a point. The dormitory we're staying in have some temperature issues. When the weather is hot outside, our dorm is like a freakin' Sahara desert. When it's cold outside, I wouldn't be surprised to see Rudolph the red nosed reindeer walk past my dorm door. 

"I know right. Totally sucks" I say sniffling into a tissue. 

"how is it possible that you sound even worse than you did this morning?" Lily asks me laying down on her bed. 

"Lily, you seem to forget that anything is possible with me" I tell her before I start to cough up my heart or stomach or whatever it is in my body. 

"good point. You'd think i'd have that engraved in my head by now. But seriously, you should go to the doctor Cori. You sound terrible. What it's something serious?" She asks me worriedly. Oh jeeze, here we go. Lily just loves to think up of worse case scenarios. She and Eric must have the same book full of them or something. And they call ME dramatic. Yeah right. 

"oh stop it Lils. I'm fine. It's just a really, really, really bad cold. I'm not going to die or anything" I say rolling my and grabbing another tissue. Lily doesn't look so sure. She's probably already making my funeral arrangements in her head. My cell phone starts to ring in my purse. Who's bothering me now. I'm so not in the mood to talk to anybody right now; especially at the end of a busy day of classes. 

"if you think that you just have a cold then you are being ignorant. It doesn't sound like just a bad cold" Lily tells me. I stick my tongue out at her as I grab my phone and look at the number. I don't recognize it. Hmmm... Should I answer it? I hate answering numbers i don know. It could be a crazy killer out to get me or something. But It could also be someone calling about wedding preparations or something this time. I'll chance it. 

"hello?" I ask into me cell. There's silence on the other end. 

"helloooo?" I say. Again, there is no one on the other end. Oh. My. God!!! A killer is out to get me. This kind of stuff happens all the time in the movies. Next thing you know, the person is dead. I'm just about to hang up but a voice stops me,

"um...I...is this...is this Cori Fleming?" That voice. I know that voice. I haven't heard that voice in over ten years and i always told myself that I never wanted to hear it ever again. 

"mom?" I ask in a whisper. 

How did I get myself into this? Now, I know that I have gotten myself into some…. interesting situations, but this time is totally different. I shut my car door with a slam and hurry toward the entrance of the building. Geeze, its freaking cold out here. I love snowy weather; especially around Christmas time. But now that the holiday season has ended and it’s almost Valentine’s Day, I’m sick and tired of it. All it’s doing for me is making my cold and cough a million times worse and not any better. Ugh! I pull my coat tighter around my body as I walk up the apartment steps. Speaking of coughing, I practically feel like I’m coughing up a hairball as I step into the building. I feel soooo bad for cats now. The front door creaks loudly when I pull it open. They still haven’t fixed that after all the years??? Sheesh, someone is lazy. And that’s coming from ME. Scary, isn’t it. I start the walk up the stairs to the fifth floor. When I FINALLY reach the fifth floor, I have another huge coughing fit. This cough will be the death of me.

‘Knock’ ‘knock’ ‘knock’

My heart is beating so loud and so hard that I feel like I just got caught in the middle of a plan gone wrong. Wait, I take that back. This is a whole lot worse. Even more than when Lily and I figured out that we put hot sauce in the WRONG person’s food. And that person happened to be Felipe. Oopsies…

‘Knock’ ‘Kno- 

I’m in the middle of knocking again when the door opens to reveal my mom. We stare at each other not sure what to do or say. My mom, Veronica, has a tight grip on the door as if she might fall without the support. She has changed in some way in how she looks. My mom used to be a stick with a rigid, stern expression on her face. Now she has gained weight and has a motherly plumpness to her face that I have never seen before. She is a few inches taller than me. I remember that she always had her hair in a tight bun, but now it is down hanging loose just below her shoulders. One big change is her eyes. They’re different somehow. They aren’t cold and bitter like how I remember, but now her eyes are filled with something else that I cant quite put my finger on. Hmmmmm….

“Soooo, are you going to let me in or what?” I ask as I shiver in my coat. And it’s from the chilly hallway, NOT because I’m not feeling the greatest (or what some people-Eric and Lily- may view as sick).

“Oh uh of course. I’m sorry, I just got…. I’m sorry. Come in” Veronica says hurriedly as she steps away from the door. I walk in to the all too familiar apartment and take it all in.

“Are you hungry or thirsty? I’m sure that it was a long drive from the university,” she asks as she closes the behind me.

“I’ll have a glass of water,” I say as I continue to look across the living room. It hasn’t changed much since I left. The furniture and the walls are the same (she could have at least painted the walls a pretty green color. It would make the room soooo much better), but there are new pictures of different paintings on the walls that make the room a little lively. I sit down at the table near the kitchen as my mom hands me a glass of ice water. The water feels amazing for my aching throat.

“I didn’t know if Mariah would actually deliver my message to you or not. Even if she did, I wasn’t sure if you would want to call me, much less come visit me. I’m shocked that you would want to see me” my mom tells me sadly as she sits down across from at the table.

“Well, I surprised myself. I’m always full of surprises” I tell her as I sip my water. She has noooo idea how true those words are. What she doesn’t know is that I usually end up crying my eyes out with a sore butt after all of my “surprises.” Veronica was about to say something before she stops herself and then she just stares at my glass. Why is she staring at my glass? Is there a bug in it or something? Hey, I can never be too careful. I still don’t trust my mom and for all I know, she could have easily decided to put a bug in my drink or something. Hmmm, that’s actually a good idea. I gotta remember that for any future plans that I might need. Heehee.

“What?” I ask as I turn my glass around to see if there could be an insect in the water.

“Your ring is so beautiful. Can I have a closer look?” she asks me still mesmerized with my engagement ring. Oh, I know! I stare at it all the time. It looks so good on my hand.

“Sure” I say as I put my drink down and lift my hand closer for her to see.

“Oh wait, where are my glasses? I have a hard time seeing things now days. I guess it comes with old age. Shoot, where did I put those darn things? I just had them…” Veronica says as she looks all around the table for her glasses. Wow, this is embarrassing.

“Ummm…I think they’re on your head” I said as I point to her head. She instantly feels for them.

“There they are! I always seem to do that. If it was a black widow, it would have killed me,” she says putting her glasses on and tentatively grabbing my hand. I think she was afraid to touch me since she wouldn’t know how I’d react. It was weird having her touch me for the first time. I remember how her hands were always cold and dry but now they are warm and smooth. I think they are different because she has stopped drinking. Overall, my mom does look healthier. I’m not sure though and I’m not ready to start talking about THAT or asking questions yet. I don’t think she is either.

“Its gorgeous! It looks perfect on your hand” Veronica tells me. Tell me something I don’t know. She looks up and then stares at my face. What’s with her and staring? It’s starting to freak my out.

“You’re beautiful. You’ve become such a lovely young lady. I just wish I had…” my mom says breaking her sentence as she looks away with tears in her eyes. Okay, I don’t think I would ever in my entire life see my mother cry. She might really have changed. I put my hand over hers and give her a small smile. She returns my smile with one of relief. I guess since she is really trying, I might as well try too. The moment was ruined by my stupid cough attack.

“My goodness. Are you coming down with something?” Veronica asks me. No, I’ve already been hit hard not once, not twice but about a million times already. At least that is what it feels like to me.

“No, I just have a cold. I’m fine,” I tell her as I sip more water. It’s a cold, I promise you. Eric and Lily just like to worry.

“Oh maybe some food will make you feel a little better. I have been trying some new recipes that are actually turning out great. I made these new appetesters that I want you to try” Veronica tells me as she stands up and walks into the kitchen. Huh?

“What are appetesters?” I ask while searching for cough drops in my purse. My throat is burning bad now.

“You know, the dishes that restaurants bring out before the meal” she says getting a plate from the fridge.

“You mean appetizers?” I say. Veronica brings a plate of food to the table but stops when I she hears what I said.

“Ohhhh…No wonder the lady in the meat section at the grocery store looked at me funny when I told her what I was planning on making next” she says as she goes back to fetch some plates and napkins. Okay, is it just me or does she remind you of someone? She seems so familiar. Hmmm, oh well. All I know is that she has definitely changed but I don’t know if it’s for show or if she really has changed permanently. I’ll just have to be extra careful until I know for sure.

Eric’s POV:

I bust through the hospital doors as I make my way to the front desk inside. My heart is beating against my chest.

“Hi, do you know what room Cori Fleming is in?” I ask the front nurse sitting at the front desk. She looks up from some paper work she is working on and types on a computer.

“It looks like she is in room 203 on the second floor. The elevators are to your left.” She tells me pointing in that direction. I flash her a smile before I head to the elevators. In case you’re wondering what’s going on, I got a call from the emergency room letting me know that my fiancé is in the hospital. Lets just say I freaked. I mean, wouldn’t you if you got a call telling you that the love of your life is in the hospital. (sigh). I wonder what she got herself into this time. When I step out onto the elevators, I head toward Cori's room. When I got to 203, I notice that a woman is sitting outside. She quickly stands up when she spots me. I look at her and I see chocolate brown eyes that are exact replicas of Cori's beautiful eyes. 

Cori's POV:

I honestly can't believe this. Why do bad things always happen to me? And no, I don't always bring stuff about me on my own like Eric says. It's just that bad things just like to make my life a lot more worse. It's like I'm a magnet or something. So your probably wondering what happened to me know. I'm currently in the hospital right now. Ugh! See! Bad stuff always happens. I ended up here because I had a horrible cough attack. I literally couldn't stop. I thought I was going to die. Like seriously, in my mind I was saying goodbye to all of my show collections. What? My shoes would miss my footsies. Anyway, so I was coughing like crazy and I was just getting ready to leave my mom's apartment. She got super worried and obviously she called 911. I guess I should be happy that she cared enough to help me. She even followed the ambulance to the hospital. But I don't know exactly how I feel about my mom yet. The visit we had went surprisingly okay. She asked me a ton of questions about where I went to school, what was my major, what I liked to do on my spare time (shopping, duh), and of course about Eric and the upcoming wedding. We didn't tread about too much from the past. That's still a little too touchy of a subject. I'm not sure that I will ever be comfortable enough to talk about my childhood with her. So as I was leaving, she asked me if I would like to  get together with her again; perhaps with Eric maybe. I wasn't able to give her an answer because that is when I started to cough. So that is how I ended up in this place. (sigh). Why me? 

"hi, baby" I look up to see Eric walk through the door. He comes to stand beside my bed. 

"how are you feeling?" he asks me while placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. Clearly I'm not feeling well at all since I'm in the HOSPITAL. Sheesh, and he's a doctor. 

"terrible! I almost died, Eric. I was coughing and gasping for breath" I tell him with a sad sigh. Eric shakes his head and tries not to grin. 

"your pitiful" he tells me as he laces his hand in mind. Gee, thanks. That's some compliment. 

"yeah, because I'm in the hospital with two sticks attached to hoses stuck in me nose" I tell him with a huff. He rolls his eyes. 

"it's to help you breath, angel. Especially since you have a bad case of bronchitis" Erica says. What the?

"how did you know that? Did talk to the doctor or something outside?" I ask. He shakes his head. 

"no I'm a doctor, remember? You obviously didn't go see a doctor when your symptoms got worse like I told you to. I even warned you that you could end up having bronchitis if you didn't take care of yourself properly" Eric tells me. He did? Hmmm, now that he mentions it, I do remember him telling me that. Weird. Why didn't I remember that until now.Then again, I was looking at wedding catalogues. 

"I know, I just didn't think it was that bad. It didn't get bad until today" I say. Actually, no it didn't. Shhhhh. Although, I don't think Eric believes me. what a surprise. 

"If thats the case, then why did you drive over an hour away to visit your mom. You should have gone to visit the doctor instead. You don't realize how sick you have gotten, do you?"Eric tells me. I shrink under his unhappy gaze. My butt is soooo screwed. Why is no one surprised?

"I realize now! I'm in the hospital, Eric. But... I just got curious about my mom , you know. I didn't mean to end up in here. Are you mad at me for visiting my mom?" I ask him looking down. Eric sits on the edge of the bed and puts his arms around me tightly. 

"baby girl, no I'm not mad nor will I ever be mad at you for visiting your mom. I'm glad that you want to connect with her again. You know she talked to me before I came in here.  She told me that you have turned into a beautiful girl and that I am lucky to be marrying you" Eric's tells me. I smile.

"did she really say that?" I ask him. He nods his head. 

"yeah, she did. And she's right. I am the luckiest guy in the world" Eric says giving me a kiss on my cheek. I smile even bigger and snuggle closer to Eric. Okay, so I guess my mom's not too bad but it will definitely take more time before I'm really, really comfortable being with her

"what I am unhappy with you for is that you didn't take care of yourself. You should have seen your mom when you were completely better. You also shouldn't be out in this weather either little missy" Eric tells me. This conversation did a complete turn around. Ugh. 

"I know. I'm sorry. But thank you for coming to me" I say giving his cheek a kiss. I did that to change the topic. What? My butt is desperate, I tell you! 

"I love you but your in so much trouble" he says with a laugh. Damn. My plan didn't work. 

"I know" I say pouting. Again I ask, why do bad things happen to me?

"so are you FINALLY getting better?" Lily asks me over the phone. I close my laptop with a sigh. I love shopping for clothes but wedding dress shopping is a whole other ball game. My poor head is getting a headache while trying to find the perfect dress. I know. I hope you didn't faint. It's hard to imagine ms. Shopaholic having a hard time. 

"yeah. Finally! I didn't even realize that I was so sick" I say. Beware: bronchitis will be the death of you, trust me. 

"Whatever, Cori. I told you a million times that you were sick. You just didn't listen; as usual" Lily says with a hmph. I can hear the I-told-you-so in her voice. Very much similar to Eric's voice after I was complaining about the disgusting medicine I had to take. Seriously though. Can someone please come up with a good tasting cough syrup. Like chocolate or strawberry. At least something that is bare able. The medicine my doctor prescribed to me takes like total shit. I kid you not. I've never tastes anything so sick in my life. I feel bad that my stomach has to endure such a disgusting liquid. It makes me want to gag and my eyes water. Eric thinks I'm being a drama queen but of course he can say that since he isn't he actually taking the medicine. Ugh! I'm feeling sick just thinking about that stuff. 

"sheesh, your making feel better" I say sarcastically while rolling my eyes. 

"the truth hurts, doesn't it? Although I'm really glad that your feeling better. Hurry back because I'm lonely in our dorm room" Lily tells me. When I got released from the hospital, Eric insisted that I stay with him at his place since I didn't take care of myself the last time. Not that I was complaining. I'll take any time I have with Eric; especially cuddle time. Heehee. 

"sorry about that but I'll be back on Monday. Eric's going to unleash me back into the wild" I tell her. I'd rather stay cooped up in Eric's cage thank you very much. 

"so are you still in trouble?" Lily asks. I snort. 

"why you even ask such a stupid question? Of course I'm still in trouble. Huge trouble" I say. Since I was getting back to health, Eric hasn't punished me yet. But the clocks ticking until the moment my butt becomes toast. 

"I was just wondering. But hey, Eric's had time to cool off so it'll be a little better" She says hopefully. FYI, my butt doesn't believe that for a second. 

"hey Cori Baby, I need to discuss some things with you" I hear Eric call for me. Gulp. And he was using the tone that implies I'm about to be spanked. Just great. Lily jinxed me. Thanks a lot Lily.  My butts yelling CODE RED! CODE RED!! I guess the clock has rung and it's finally the moment. 

"what do you want to talk about?" I ask Eric as I sit down next to him on the couch. Okay, so I'm playing dumb. I'm pretty sure his "discussion" doesn't involve a lot of talking. Ugh. Eric pulls me into his lap and holds me tight against him. 

"since your almost completely better, I think it's time that you face the consequences for your actions" He says before kissing my cheek. Sigh  Just as I figured. 

"Okay. But remember that I had a very serious illness which was painful enough, so take that into consideration"  I say leaning back in his embrace. I think that bronchitis should count for SOMETHING, right?

"I'll keep that in mind" Eric says, rolling his eyes. Hmph, he better. 

"will you please hold me first though?" I ask giving him my best puppy dog eyes. Eric grins. 

"of course" he says pulling me close to him in his arms. Happy sigh. I just LOVE cuddle time with Eric. 

"so did you ever call your mom back?" Eric asks me. My mom called me at the beginning of the week to see how I was doing, but I wasn't feeling well enough to talk to her. I had yet to call her back. I shake my head no against Eric's shoulder. 

"just do what ever your comfortable with, angel. You can call her back when your ready" Eric tells me. 

"after thinking about it, it's just... I don't know if I'm ready for her to be in my life. But there's a part of me that is curious, you know?" I say quietly. As much as I dislike my past, she's still my mom and at least she's trying to form a relationship with me. 

"I understand that. I really want you to take your time with it though. I don't want you to get hurt again" He says. You and me both, mister. Ugh. 

"I'll take my time" I promise Eric. Hmmm, I wonder how much time I'll need. Eric smiles into my hair, satisfied with my answer. 

"Let's get your spanking over with so we can enjoy the weekend. Well, I guess as much as you can with a sore ass anyway" Eric says snickering. Very funny. Not! I fold my arms and glare at him. 

"your mean" I say, pretending to be deeply hurt by his words. Sheesh, I'm already getting spanked. Don't rub it in. 

"Mhmm" he murmurs while nibbling on my ear. It's hard to to keep up my mad face when he's doing that; especially if it feels good. Be strong, Cori. 

"Come on, little one. Stand up and pull your pants down" Eric says back in serious mode. I guess it's time to walk the plank of spanking doom.Why me? 

"Eric, are you sure that I'm well enough for this?" I ask as I stand up from his lap and start to pull my victoria secret sweatpants down. Maybe he'll have a change of heart or something.

"don't even start. Your fine" He tells me as he takes a hold of my hand and guides me over his knees. Finger snap! It was worth a try. I'm always desperate right before my behind's warmed good. I feel the weight of Eric's hand on my panty clad butt. 

"why are you over my lap right now, baby?" Eric asks me. I really don't want to answer because I know he's gonna spank me. 

"Because I didn't take care of myself" I say toward the ground. He raises his hand and brings it down hard on each cheek. Ouch!

"be more specific please" Eric tells me next. Grrrr. Why does he need to know the details anyways? Can we just get this show on the road...

"I got sick and then I got even sicker" I say annoyed. Happy? 

Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack

Okay he wasn't happy. Those full blown smacks HURT. Me and my bug mouth. 

"Do you want to try that again or shall I continue?" Eric asks me, patting my butt in warning. 

"no, I'm sorry! When I started to get sick, I should have rested and stayed inside" I hurriedly say so there wouldn't be any more pre-spanking sprees. 

"what (smack) else should you (smack) have done instead (smack) of driving an hour (smack) away to see your mom? (smack)" he asks while landing hard smacks. My poor butt is already hurting. 

"go to a doctor" I tell him, trying not to wiggle around. I would have gone to Eric but he was at work. So I don't think that's fair. Hmph. 

"and no, angel. I don't count. Seriously Cori, you ended up really sick because you didn't want to stop for a few days. You can't ignore something like this and hope it goes away. When your sick, it doesn't go just go away; it only gets worse. That's why you got bronchitis and a pretty bad case of it too" Eric tells me before he resumes with my spanking. 

Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack

"oww I'm sorry ah ow it won't happen again ouch" I cry out as Eric starts to spank even harder. Is his hand made of wood or something? Eric stops spanking me and rubs my hot cheeks. His hand was hard a minute ago and now it's soothing. I will never understand how that is possible. 

"I hope not baby because I hate it when your sick. Hopefully this spanking will remind in the future to take better care of yourself. What did I say would happen if you didn't take care of yourself again?" He asks me as he starts to pull my panties down. My butt is screaming for my panties to come back. Hmmm, what did he say aga- UH OH. Not Ms. Unfriendly Brush!!

"you'd paddle me with my hairbrush" I tell him while sniffling. Eric finishes pulling my panties down before he wraps his arm around my waist with a tight grasp. 

"obviously I didn't get through to you the first time. So maybe the hairbrush will work this time. Your health and well being is extremely important to me, angel and it should be for you as well" Eric says. I think the spanking you gave me around Christmas worked just fine. I'm just really forgetful. You of all people should know that, Eric. 

"I know and I'm sorry. I'll try really hard in the future, I promise" I say as pitiful as I can. My butt's going to die once Ms. Unfriendly brush comes out. 

"let's hope you keep that promise or else you'll be right back where you are now" he tells me. Okay, enough of the chit chat. Just get started already. I feel the smooth side of the brush on my warm tush before it was raised and brought down on my right sit spot. 

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

Eric falls into a rhythm of alternately spanking my sit spots. Where did he get the brush from anyway? I didn't even feel him grab for it. Did it poof out of thin air? 

"ahh owww Eric please ah" I cry as tears are streaming down my face. 

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

Man, I hate when he only focuses on my sit spots. It freaking hurts!!!

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

"ah Eric I'm owww sorry! Ahh" I say starting to sob. I wiggle around hoping that Eric will miss a smack or two. He only tightens his grasp and raises his leg to bring my butt higher which allows better access to my thighs. So much for my wiggling plan. What else is new? Eric continues to spank my sit spots and sometimes my thighs. 

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

Eric gives my poor butt ten more extremely hard smacks before he put Ms. Unfriendly brush down on the coffee table. FINALLY! I thought I'd be over his lap for ever. By this time, I'm a sobbing mess. My bottom is on fire. I better get lots of cuddle time. Eric breifly softy rubs my back to calm me down before pulling up my panties over my sore cheeks. He helps me up then sits me down gently on his lap and into his arms. I sob my heart out as in Eric's warm embrace. 

"shhhh it's okay baby shhhh I know it hurts shhhh I've got you shhhh" he whispers, soothing me as he rocks me in his safe arms. I eventually stop sobbing and crying. Eric's shirt is probably soaked with my tears. Oh well. Payback. Heehee. 

"my butt hurts" I pout looking up into Eric's green eyes. He smiles and kisses my nose. 

"I know baby girl I know. You know that I hate to spank you; especially with the hairbrush. But I do it because I love you like nothing else and I want what's best for you" Eric says while wiping a few of my tears away from my face. Kind of a funny way of showing love. 

"I know and I'm sorry. I really will try to take care of myself now" I say, smiling when Eric kisses my nose again. Yeah, I don't want another encounter with Ms. Unfriendly brush. She was really unfriendly this time. 

"your all forgiven baby and your free to work on wedding preparations again" Eric tells me as he rubs my butt. YES! Eric banned me from all things wedding until I was fully recovered. Let's just say it was torture. I couldn't even look at any magazines. Except he doesn't know that I took a quick peek at some wedding dresses online. Shhhh. I kiss him on the lips. 

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!! I have so much I want to show you" I say happily. I'm behind a whole week. Eric better be ready to spend the whole weekend devoted to wedding plans. Hopefully, I can talk him into the idea of having a s'mores bar. Who doesn't like s'mores? Heehee.