My eyelids struggle to lift the heaviness of the world, as gravity seems to be unfair and refuse to let my eyelids bludge. I get a short glimpse of white, and eventually, as my eyes loosen up, they flutter open to what looks like to be a dull ceiling. A dull, familiar ceiling. I allow a few blinks and listen to my even breaths as I try my hardest to recall why my body feels too lazy and tired to do anything as simple as flipping on my side. 

Taeyeon, are you okay!

A voice.

Jesus! You're an icicle!

Panic.

Violation ripples through me as I explode in coughs, my head feeling hot and skin sticky. The box of tissues I usually keep at my desk has now appeared at my beside table, and I grab at it thankfully, patting the layer of sweat forming on my forehead.

How peculiar, I don't usually give off a lot of sweat. 

I my cracked lips as I recognise the vile phlegm in my throat. 

I must be horribly sick.

I spend what seems like months lying in my bed, feeling no fatigue but the full blast of a temperature. Thinking of nothing but everything at once. Trying to guess what day it is as I am too unwell to take a step out of my bed.

Eventually, a knock sounds on my door and after my best attempt at a croaky 'Come in', Mum steps into the room with a big bowl of what I presume is plain porridge. I try and sit myself up with with great uncomfort and she places her palm against my forehead, pushing me back down. Her hand is cooling to my head and I frown when she retracts.

"You're still burning," she states and drops a damp towel on my forehead. "Your friends wanted to visit yesterday, but you were out cold."

"What day is it?" I hate how my throat feels like there are thousands of microscopic insects scratching at my voicebox. I attempt to hack it out and my mother pats my back with a strained expression. I don't remember a day where I was this ill.

"Sunday."

"Sund... Work... Yuri, I-"

"Shh. I've already called in to say that you're too sick."

I groan. "That's another skip. Now my boss won't let me off for my exams."

Mum is looking at me worriedly as she helps me sit, tucking cushions behind my back for support. "You know, if school gets too tight, you should just drop your job at Silkson." 

"I don't know," I reply with a sigh from both a tingling headache and my reluctance to surrender my individual income.

My body welcomes the steaming porridge, the tasteless flavour bringing wonders to my tongue as I have not consumed anything since I have fainted. I don't end up eating the whole bowl however, as after a couple of coughs in between spoons, I feel too dizzy to stay awake. As Mum changes the hand towel, I let my eyelids finally fall closed and don't remember how long I stayed in the darkness until I lose conscience. 

-

Tiff ❣

11:09am - Taeyeon!!!!

11:09am - What happened?

11:10am - Hope you're okayyy 😞

Hyoyeon 

11:10am - YOOooOOOOoooOOOoo

11:11am - hOOOOooolla!

11:51am - hoLla? 

Tiff ❣

12:57pm - Tae how are you feeeelin???

4:29pm - We're all worrying sick here 😞😞😞😞😞😞

6:44pm - Are you awake yet? Mama Tae only said you were sick, nothing more right?

6:44pm - 😞😞😞

6:45pm - 😞

Hyoyeon

3:15pm - your mum's not letting us in lol

Tiff ❣

3:20pm - We've left chocolates at the doorstep.

3:20pm - Get better soon Tae! xx

Kai

4:13am - r u dead

Two days later I am staring into the bathroom mirror, fixing the side button of my skirt and tousling my wavy hair. I still haven't fully recovered from the flu but after spending most of yesterday in bed and occasionally attempting to walk outside for fresh air, I felt too anxious on the school work I've missed out for the day and couldn't wait to return and catch up. Especially when the exams are closing in.

"Are you sure you're okay?" my mum asks for the last time, eyeing me as I down a glass of water. 

"Yeah, I've taken two Panadol tablets, I should be fine."

"Make sure you do everything slowly, and stay warm for goodness sake, it's not just the nights that get cold."

"Yes Mum." 

She makes a face at my ready obedience and slides me a thermos of warm honey and lemon tea; helpful for the sore throat, and also my newly-made best friend. 

"If you feel worse you have to come back home, alright? Health over grades, remember."

"Yes Mum," I grin as I slide my way to the door. 

"Take care of yourself!" she manages to yell before I shut the door. 

School is thankfully a short ten minute walk from home, and I slip in earphones to temporarily forget the kneading at the back of my head. I quietly exhale as Baek A Yeon's "Shouldn't Have" sounds. The morning is quiet with the air not as cold as it is in the evening. My neighbouring houses are mainly one-storey painted in various colours of red, brown and white. Front yards are stretched out in green patches of different height, some with sprouting batches of colour, others in uniform red roses and yellow tulips, the rest in planted trees and shrubs. As I am about to turn the corner, I feel a poke on my shoulder and I stop my music, turning around to see Daehyun staring in surprise.

"Hey Daehyun," I smile, remembering his help last Friday. 

"Hey, are you okay? I think I missed you in school yesterday."

"Ah, yeah I'm okay, just down with the cold. I didn't come to school."

His face relaxes with my assurance, and he slips his hands in his jacket. "Just down with the cold?"

I chuckle. "Now, yes. I had it bad over the weekend, speaking of which, thank you for being there when I... totally lost it. I probably would have scared someone if they had just found me lying on the floor unconscious."

"I'm sure you would have. You certainly scared me, collapsing out of the blue. You know, if you don't feel well, you shouldn't try and force yourself through it. You should've gone home." 

"That's the thing," I frown, "I didn't feel sick until that moment. Weird." 

Daehyun stays silent for a moment, before a late hum in response. "As long as you're okay now I guess." 

"How come you're heading to school in that?" I stare at the sports jacket and runners, slightly confused. 

"Not going to school yet, just out for a jog. I'm just finishing up now, I will need to shower before roll call."

My eyes bulge out. "Shower as well?" I check my phone. "You have five minutes Daehyun." 

"Until roll call starts. But I have twelve until roll call ends." He winks as I roll my eyes. 

"Alright, see you around in school." 

Daehyun waves with a laugh as I place my earphones back in and resume the walk to school. Teachers usually don't like it when students come into the classroom halfway through the roll, but whether Daehyun's homeroom teacher is used to tardiness or not, I'm not sure. 

I slip into my seat next to Hani just as the bell sounds, and the latter looks up from her phone. "Taeyeon! How are you, are you feeling okay?" She cusps her palm around my forehead as she rushes out her greeting, and I timidly try and reassure her. "Did you have a horrible fever? Is there a serious issue? Someone just started jabbering about you fainting in the streets and almost got run over by a car."

At this, I hitch a breath in shock. "What?!" 

Hani pulls her hand away, oblivious to my mouth's gape, rubbing her thumb across her other fingers as if to test the heat I've transferred. "Hmm, you're still a bit hot. Silly, you should have stayed home another day. Your body still needs to recuperate to its maximum strength."

"Sorry, can we go back to the part where someone said I almost died from a car collision?" 

Hani smacks her lips, blinking as if the rumour had no effect on me. "What about it? It was the most popular theory going around, other than the common speculations of you just being ill; which you were. And still are. I still don't get it, why did you say you wouldn't stay at home?"

"I didn't say that," I answer with almost a groan, feeling the itch of a headache. "I just don't want to miss out on any more content with school."

Hani pats my knee in concern. "I hope you feel better. You can use my notes in History."

"It's okay," I smile gratefully, "Tao's passing me his." 

"Tao?" Hani stares into space for a moment before recognition flashes across her features. "Oh, high-pitched girly Tao?"

I giggle, remembering the side of him he showed me at our night out. "Yes."

As the bell sounds for class, Hani gives me a final pat on the shoulder and I head for my Chemistry classroom, suddenly realising a few students passing by staring at me, then telling their friends that I don't have any scars or bruises or a leg brace to indicate that I was hit by a car, and that I had probably fallen sick instead. When I am near the classroom, Kai jumps on me from behind, giving me his daily scare as per usual, and taunts me about all the work I've missed out on as he's sure I'm worried sick about it, ironically. His face then falls and gives my a soft tap on the head, chiding that I should be keeping myself warm and need to take better care of myself.

I scrunch my face. "You sound like my mum."

He scoffs and spins away from me dramatically, stomping in the classroom in his childish manner. I laugh lightly and follow him in, taking our seats at the back of the classroom. 

"Taeyeon!" A screech sounds on the other side of the hallway after my first class ends and students have begun filing out of the laboratory. I turn to the voice, already knowing it belongs to Tiffany as she bumps into students in making her way towards me. 

"Tiff, hey wh-"

Tiffany crashes into me, wrapping her arms around my body and I manage to catch my textbooks before they drop onto the ground. 

"Are you okay! How could you only send me one text back, how could you just faint on us like that!"

"Is it nothing serious? There are crazy things being said around here." Hyoyeon pops around Tiffany as the latter unwraps herself from me, leaving her arm around my back protectively. 

"No, I was just ill. Thanks for your concern guys."

"Don't scare us like that." Tiffany gently pinches my cheek and rests her head against my shoulder. "Okay, it's done, we're officially going to have a date today. Just us three girls, no boys." 

I laugh. "Well, it's only you two who have boys to keep off, and besides, I'm still a bit sick, so I think I should go home tonight."

Tiffany pouts, curling her arms around my right one. "Aw, okay, you better recover for tomorrow, because we're definitely going to try out this cafe Sehun and I passed by. It's super cute, it's pink and purple inside, and it has a mini waterfall inside! It may be a bit pricey though, but it's okay, I got it."

Hyoyeon and I frown in unison. "No, you don't have to cover for us-"

Tiffany conceals her ear. "La la la can see your mouths moving but can't hear a thing! Tomorrow after school, no excuses girls!" And with that, she throws us both her eye smile and skips away, perhaps to her Biology class if I remember correctly.

Hyoyeon and I stare at each other with a dumbfound look, before she shrugs and stretches her waist. "Well, if she insists so adamantly, I really don't have a big issue with it."

I sigh a little exhaustedly. "We should get to Literacy before Ms. Kang has her nails on us," I say as the hallway is almost near to empty. 

Hyoyeon nods and grabs my books from my hold without a word, ignoring my complaints about being fine on my own and leaves me chasing after her in cordial exasperation.