"I ordered a pizza," Kylie said, flopping down on my bed.

"You're such a fatty," I teased, turning on my TV.

"So where was your other half today?" she asked, flipping the channel to TBS.

"He wasn't feeling well. My mom took him some chicken noodle soup."

"You're so lucky," she sighed. "Your parents love your boyfriend."

"It gets a little weird sometimes," I admitted. "But Bryce's mom is always out-of-town, and his dad skipped out on him, so my parents just kind of adopted him."

"How's his therapy going?"

"He hates it."

She laughed. "Sounds like Bryce." She sat up on my bed. "As long as he's good to go for Friday, everyone knows that's their rival game day."

"Pizza just got delivered," my mom said, opening my bedroom door. "I can only guess that Kylie's over."

"Thanks Momma Allen," Kylie said, taking the pizza box from her. She popped it open and immediately devoured a piece.

"How's Bryce?" I asked, taking a piece of pizza for myself before Kylie ate it all.

"He was sleeping when I went over there. His mom said that he'd been sleeping pretty much all day."

"His mom's home?"

"She flew in this morning." Her phone went off. "Alright, well I'll stop hovering. Just holler if you need me."

"Isn't his car still here?" Kylie asked, turning up the volume on my TV.

"Yeah, he'll get it eventually." I turned down the TV a little. "So how're you and Landon?"

"He drives me crazy, but I love him."

"How does he drive you crazy?"

"He gets so jealous," she complained. "I mean, if I'm talking to another guy, he flips his shit."

"Trust is important in a relationship."

"Says the girl in the perfect relationship."

I laughed. "Bryce and I aren't perfect."

"You guys are called the Golden Couple for a reason."

"We are not called the Golden Couple."

"You guys are in the yearbook for being the Golden Couple!"

I laughed. "We've only been together for two years. He's adorable, I'll give him that, but we definitely aren't perfect."

My phone started blaring Endlessly by The Cab, Bryce's ringtone.

"Speaking of your other half," Kylie teased.

"Morning sleepy head," I said, answering my phone.

"Hey," he answered, groggily. "Is my car still there?"

"Sure is."

"I'm just going to get it tomorrow, okay?"

"Not a problem. How're you feeling?"

"Exhausted," he answered. "I've literally been sleeping all day."

"How long has it been since you slept?" I asked.

"A good week and a half probably."

"Well one good thing about being under the weather is it makes your body tired."

"Oh yeah," Bryce said, sarcastically, "let's become addicted to getting sick."

"I don't think that's possible."

He paused for a moment, and I could hear him yawn. "I'm going back to bed. I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye." The line clicked dead.

"See?" I asked, throwing my phone back down on my desk. "Not perfect."

"What do you mean? He's bringing you breakfast!"

"Didn't you hear his sarcasm?"

"About getting addicted to being sick?"

"I didn't even mean it that way."

"He's cranky."

"I'll say."

She turned up the TV again, and we finished off the pizza, laughing and gossiping.

"Are you staying for dinner dear?" mom asked Kylie, coming into my room.

"No, that's alright," Kylie said, standing up. "I should really head home."

"Well you're welcome over for dinner any time," mom promised.

I followed Kylie downstairs, waving goodbye as she left.

"Why are there five plates?" I asked, taking my seat at the table.

"Bryce and his mom are coming over for dinner," mom said, cheerfully. "Isn't that exciting?"

"You think everything is exciting." I grabbed a diet coke out of the refrigerator. "When did Bryce's mom get back into town?"

"This morning," she answered. "She was worried about him."

Yeah, so worried that she left less than 24 hours after Kayla called her, asking her to come home to check on him.

"Does Bryce feel up to coming over?" I asked, switching subjects.

"Well he's coming, so I'd guess so."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Mom went to answer the door, and I took my seat at the table, unsure of what mood to expect from Bryce.

I felt a kiss on my cheek, and Bryce plopped down next to me. He flashed me a tired smile.

"How's the headache?" I asked, rubbing my fingers over his temples.

"It's gone," he said, accepting a coke from his mom.

"Maybe they were just from lack of sleep."

"Maybe." He smiled at me. "How was school?"

"I had at least seven baseball jocks ask me where you were."

"Why do you call them baseball jocks?"

"Because they're big headed and annoying."

"Ouch, those are my friends."

"Oops, my bad."

He laughed, accepting a plate of food from my mom. "I get it babe. You don't have to like my friends."

"And so," Ms. Harrison was saying, "I came home and found him on his bedroom floor with a blanket over him."

"Was that your doing Sophie?" mom asked, laughing.

"He wouldn't get up off the floor," I said, nudging Bryce. "So I just put a blanket over him to make him a little more comfortable."

Bryce laughed, taking a bite of my mom's lasagna. "I woke up so confused."

"You're welcome," I teased, taking a bite of my mom's lasagna as well.

Dad passed around the garlic bread, and I couldn't help but notice Bryce didn't take one.

"Well thank you guys for taking care of him while I was gone," Ms. Harrison said, with a smile.

"Any time," my mom answered. "He's a joy to have around."

I connected eyes with Bryce and we both burst into laughter.

"Did Bryce tell you his sister is flying in next weekend?" Ms. Harrison asked.

"No!" I said, giving him a glare.

"Hey Sophie," Bryce said, with a smile, "my sister is flying in next weekend."

"No way!"

"How long is she staying?" mom asked.

"Just through the weekend," Bryce informed her. "She wants my mom's advice on stuff for the wedding."

"That's coming up soon isn't it?" mom mused. "We'll have to find you a dress soon Sophie."

"I only want to go to one place while we're in New York," I informed Bryce, finishing off my lasagna.

"Where's that?"

"The Central Park Zoo!"

He rolled his eyes. "Only you."

We all finished up, and my dad offered to take Bryce and I's plates to the kitchen. Bryce's food was almost untouched.

"We brought dessert," Ms. Harrison announced. "Red velvet cupcakes."

"Yum!" I said, kissing Bryce on the cheek.

"I knew you'd like them," he said, standing up. "Want to come with me out to the car to get them?"

I nodded, following him outside. As we reached his mom's car, hand-in-hand, he turned around and surprise kissed me, long and hard. I felt my knees go weak.

"I really do love you," he said, pulling away.

"I really do love you too," I said, a bit confused.

"I know I've been a piece of work these past few days," he said, taking a box of red velvet cupcakes out of the backseat of his mom's car. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," I said, as he took my hand again. "You've had really bad headaches."

"Well they're over now," he said, confidently. "I'm pretty sure I slept enough today to last me an entire lifetime."

I gave him a quick kiss on the lips as we reached my front door. "I'm sure that's the last of them. Now come on, I'm dying for a red velvet cupcake."

~*~

"What about this dress?" Kylie asked me, flashing me a white and light blue dress.

"That's cute. Add it to the pile."

"So do you have a part in the wedding?" Kylie asked me.

"No," I answered, leafing through a new rack of dresses. "I'm just an observer."

"And Bryce?"

"He's one of the groomsmen," I said, with a smile. "His tux is adorable."

"When's the wedding?"

"Two months."

"This is so exciting! You get to fly out to New York and everything."

"I know," I sang, with a smile. "My parents were thrilled when Bryce invited me."

"My parents would die," Kylie complained. "They'd never let me go."

"They love Bryce. It baffles me."

"So are you going to the game Friday night?"

"Of course," I answered, with a smile. "It's Bryce is starting pitcher. And it's against their biggest rival."

I found a dress in the back of the rack. It was a t-shirt dress. It was blue, and came with a brown belt. It had gold buttons down the front.

"You can't wear that to a wedding," Kylie argued, as I threw it into the pile.

"I just want to try it on," I defended. "No harm in that."

"So Bryce looked better today," Kylie commented, as we took my pile of dresses into the fitting rooms.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been looking awfully tired and miserable lately."

"You noticed?"

I stepped into a fitting room, taking the first dress to try on.

"I think everyone noticed."

As I was trying on my third dress, my phone went off, Bryce's ringtone.

"Answer it!" I called to Kylie from the fitting room. "Tell him I'm trying on dresses for the wedding?"

"Hello?" Kylie answered my phone, cheerfully. "No, this is Kylie. Sophie's trying on dresses for the wedding."

I spun around in the t-shirt dress, instantly in love. It came down to my mid-thigh. It wasn't see-through, and had just the perfect amount of coverage.

"I think you're going to want to talk to him," Kylie called out to me.

I stepped out of the fitting room, and Kylie's jaw dropped.

"Hello?" I asked, as I spun around in the full-length mirror.

"Hey Sophie," Clayton's voice said, a friend of Bryce's.

"What's up?" I asked, flashing a thumbs-up and then a thumbs-down at Kylie.

She gave me two thumbs-up in return, a giant smile on her face.

"I've got Bryce practically passed out in my backseat."

"What's wrong?" I asked, my smile dropping.

"He was complaining of a bad headache and blurry vision during practice, so he left early. I found him out by his car throwing up."

"How is he now?" I asked, stepping back into the fitting room to change.

"He's not talking much, just kind of lying across my backseat."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, no more than ten minutes," I promised, shimmying out of my dress with one hand.

"Well I can just drive him to your place."

"That sounds good. I'll meet you there."

"What do we do with his car?"

"Just leave it. It'll get locked in tonight."

"Alright, see you in a few."

I hung up, changing back into the clothes I'd came in.

"Going home?" Kylie asked.

"Want to come over for dinner?"

"Tempting, but I'm going out with Landon."

"Ooh, date night," I teased, leaving the pile of dresses in the fitting room.

"Buy the t-shirt dress," she ordered. "It was adorbs on you."

"I don't have time."

"I'll stay and pay."

"I'd love you forever!"

She laughed as I handed her the cash to pay for the dress.

"I'll drop it by your house later."

"Thanks. Love you!"

"Get home."

I hurried out to my car, heading straight home. Clayton was just pulling in as I got there.

"I tried giving him some Advil," Clayton said, meeting me in my driveway. "But he won't take it."

"He won't take any pain medications."

"It's not addictive."

"He likes to play it safe." I opened the backseat door, and Clayton hoisted Bryce out of his car.

"Thanks man," Bryce muttered.

"Call me later and let me know you got home okay," Clayton said.

Bryce nodded, his fingers pressed to his temples, and Clayton left.

I guided Bryce inside and up to my room, avoiding my parents. I flipped off my lights and slid Bryce's sunglasses off for him.

"Another headache?" I asked, as he curled up on the floor. "You can lie in my bed babe."

"I don't understand," he groaned. "I slept all day yesterday."

"Are you craving right now?"

"No."

I put a blanket over him and a pillow under his head. "Let's talk about this later." I left him in my room, heading downstairs.

"Did you find a dress?" mom asked.

"Yeah, Kylie's dropping it by a little later."

"Bryce's mom called, said he was supposed to be home a little while ago. Any idea where he could be?"

"He's upstairs."

"Now Sophie, you know we like to know when you have boys in the house."

"We just got here a few minutes ago. Bryce wasn't feeling well so I let him lay down in my room."

"He's still not feeling well?"

I shook my head. "His therapist says it's withdrawal symptoms, but he's not even craving. And he's been ten months sober."

"I don't know honey," mom said. "Maybe he'd like to stay for dinner?"

"I don't think so."

"Well your father's picking up Chinese." She held up her hand before I could ask. "And yes, I got you those Asian noodles that you love oh so much."

"Thanks mom."

She nodded. "On a side note, did you like my lasagna last night?"

I nodded. "It tasted great, as usual."

"Bryce didn't seem to like it much."

I thought about telling her about how I'd noticed he hadn't been eating lately, but decided against it. "He probably just wasn't feeling well."

"Poor baby. I'll call Regina and let her know he's here so she doesn't worry."

So what did you guys think about Bryce's mom coming back into town? What about Bryce getting sick after practice? What about Bryce's attitude in general?

So think about me tomorrow guys. While you running wild & free on a fun Saturday morning, I'll be sitting through a mandatory CPR class all morning for my job... Woo.

Teaser: Clayton gives Sophie a piece of his mind. And Bryce continues to struggle with his headaches.