In school the next morning, I'm more focused on the symptoms of a quickly approaching cold that's come out of nowhere.

My nose burns with every inhale, every muscle in my body is fatigued, and there is an ongoing itch in my throat that hasn't gone away since I opened my eyes this morning.

I just want to go home and lay in bed beside Honey while watching my comfort movie–Good Will Hunting–with a bowl of soup.

I'm trying not to stress out about my sickness, but if the symptoms progress, it could result in the loss of focus, or even worse, having to stay home from school. That thought fills me to the brim with fear.

The quarter ends in less than three weeks and even though the gradebook won't close until the end of semester, I refuse to go into the next quarter with missing assignments.

When it's almost time to leave AP Bio, I begin stacking my belongings into one neat pile, but I pause when I feel someone's eyes on me.

My head turns to the right where Ezra has his head in his chin and his head is slightly angled towards me. His lips pull into a soft grin and my eyes dip.

I almost kissed that mouth last night.

He mouths the words, nice outfit, causing me to look down at what I'm wearing. His black sweatshirt and a pair of my own blue jeans. Not my best outfit, I admit, but I'm too tired to care.

Thank you, I mouth back, ignoring the rapid pace of my heart.

Everything okay? he silently asks.

I nod, even though okay is far from the truth.

"Care to let us in on your exhilarating conversation, Indi?" Mrs. Janko's voice snaps me back to reality.

I try not to glare at the teacher when my face heats up. "Sorry," I mutter, returning my gaze to the desk.

"Anyway..." She's just going over the assignments that were due last week, so I don't bother paying attention.

When the bell does finally ring around an hour later, it feels like I'm being set free. I grab my notebook and writing utensils, waiting for everyone else to leave the class first. No need to spread my cold to a whole entire school.

With my free hand, I open my phone and scroll through Instagram for a quick minute. When I glance up, Ezra is standing right in front of my desk.

"Clancy," my hoarse voice greets him.

"Indigo. Are you waiting for something?"

I shake my head slowly before standing up. I have to angle my head up in order to meet his eyes. Wow. "How tall are you?"

He furrows his eyebrows before answering, "Six-one." 

It's strange how quickly I do the math in my head. Eight inches taller than me.

"Well, I guess I should go." I turn around and walk towards the door. He doesn't reply, but I feel him remain right behind me.

And then he falls into step right beside me.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" he asks.

"It's just a cold," I tell him. I don't add the part where I only slept three hours last night because my mind just won't rest anymore.

"I have a free period after this one," he says. "I can go get you something if you want."

I look up to meet his eyes, instantly glancing away after a moment of contact. If I look too hard, I'll only be able to think of last night.

"I'm okay, Clancy. Really." My lips pull into a fake smile. "But I'll see you later, alright?"

I don't wait for an answer before speeding past him, walking towards my art class.