Bell looked like a porcelain doll laying in her antique twin bed. Her hair was in two perfect French braids and she wore the pink sparkly headband her father gave her. Neither masked her wax-paper like complexion. Before Izzy left she helped Bell into her favorite nightgown, the one covered in tiny pink rosebuds. She had been in the company of Tommy Thompson for several long hours.

"Mr. Thompson I believe I'm well enough for you to go and crawl back under your rock." Weakly, she pulled up her pink, patchwork quilt to cover her nose. Tommy didn't wash often.

"Nope," said Tommy as he tossed a tennis ball repeatedly in the air. I promised Izzy I'd stay right here until your momma gets home. You wanna play catch or something?" Tommy wore tight jeans and an old NY Mets jacket. His black Chucks were a timeless touch.

"I can barely swallow Tommy... I can't play anything, unless you'd like to play a round of who can drool the best?" Bell dripped with sarcasm.

"Sure thing!" Tommy said enthusiastically. "I'll go first!" He began to drool a long impressive drool, then he slurped it back into his mouth.

Bell yelled out a pathetic scream, "Ewwwwww... Tommy would you be so kind as to pull the covers completely over my head so I don't have to look at you?" He obliged and Bell spoke a muffled, "Thank you." Painfully she removed the blanket from her head and lied, "Look Tommy why don't you run along. I think I hear my mother walking up the steps."

"Really?" Tommy was terrified of Ella. Realizing he was being tricked he tussled her hair, "You can't fool me Belly!"

"Don't call me Belly! You've been calling me Belly since we were in kindergarten. What grade are we in now Tommy?" She expected a sensible answer.

"None." He began bouncing the tennis ball off the ceiling.

"Stop it! You will annoy the Washington's." Under her breath, she added, "Like you are annoying me right now." She questioned, "What do you mean none school?"

"None is none, as in no grade... I was in ninth grade and now I'm in zero grade. The government closed all schools indef... indef... without a date to reopen. It was posted everywhere. I'm surprised you haven't seen the flyer." Sensitivity was never Tommy's strong suit. "Oh yeah you can't walk... Something about the government revamping the school system... whatever that means." Tommy bounced the fussy green ball on the wooden floor over and over again. Bam, bam, bam... Moments later the crazy woman downstairs thumped a broom stick three times on her ceiling as a warning.

" The word you were desperately searching for is; indefinitely. And revamp means to start completely over nit wit. So you're telling me there are no more schools anywhere--in the entire country?"

"Yup this is the best day ever huh? Well other than, you're dying and all." Thinking for the first time today, he asked, "Hey can I give you my liver or brainstem or something?"

"No thank you Tommy. I'm sure you still are in need of your brain's stem," Bell chided and was about to say something rude or over his head, instead she looked intently at his face. He was classically handsome. He had the long streaky blond hair of a surfer and a dazzling smile. She looked deeper. Surprised, she noticed something better than his looks--sincerity. "He may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer," she thought, "but he is cute--very cute." Bell blushed and then Tommy turned his eyelids inside out and she wished she had the strength to throw something at him. Her romantic fantasy blurred as Ella's sharp footsteps click-clacked across the living room floor.

"Izzy! Izzy where are you?" Ella called out as she hung up her white nurse's coat in the hall closet. "Izzy come here this instant."

"Uh oh..." Bell's eyes pleaded with Tommy.

"The witch--I mean Mrs. Quest is home..." Tommy knew he was in for a verbal browbeating. "It was nice knowing ya Belly. I'm outta here!" He tried to pry open the bedroom window but it wouldn't budge. He thought about hiding under Bell's bed but his fear of imaginary monsters was stronger than his fear of Mrs. Quest so he faced the scary music.

The "scary music" entered the room. "Mr. Thompson, what on this dreary planet are you doing here?" Ella demanded an answer.

Scared stiff he muttered, "I... I... Uh..." Tommy looked desperately at Bell for assistance.

"Mother," Bell thought up a lie, "I asked him here to give me an update on the school system." Bell the master at changing the subject added, "Tommy tells me the New Regime has put a halt on all public learning institutions."

Eyeing Tommy up and down Ella asked suspiciously, "Mr. Thompson told you that did he?"

Tommy bravely spoke up, "Yes ma'am. There's no more learnin' for the time being."

"Pity, for your sake, Mr. Thompson. Now if you're through delivering your news I'll kindly ask you to leave." Ella opened the door wider so Tommy would not misunderstand her "kindness."

"Yes ma'am. Bye Belly--I mean Bell." Tommy bolted for the door.

"Mother did you have to be so rude? He was only trying to help in Izzy's absence." Bell sucked in her breath and wished she could swallow her last three words as easily as Tommy swallowed pebbles.

"In Izzy absence? Where is she?" Ella began tidying.

Bell lied, "Out running I'd imagine."

Ella tugged roughly at the sparkly ribbon and stuffed it into the pocket of her apron. Then began taking the braids out of Bell's messy hair. "I distinctly told her to stay with you."

"Well when Tommy stopped by for a visit I told her to take a break. She'd been cooped up with me all day. Everyone knows twin triumphs mother."

"Daughter I'm not in the mood for another intellectual deliberation. I've spent all day tending to the dying and--" She paused the unbraiding.

"--And now you've come home and have to tend to one more and an ornery soul at that."

Ella pulled too hard on Bell's braid. "Yes ornery indeed! Your illness may be the death of me!"

As Ella tugged on her braids Bell replied, "Mother don't you know arguing with you is what has kept me going all these months? It's my only exercise you know..." Bell was being sweet.

Ella knew it and this time it was her turn to change the subject. "Are you hungry Bella?"

"No mother, believe it or not, Tommy made me a sandwich."

Ella shook out Bell's covers and keenly showed her daughter how much she knew of Tommy Thompson. "A pebble sandwich no doubt."

"It was delicious," Bell teased.

-End of Chapter 13-

Author's note: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please vote, comment, follow and add The Wasting  to your library. If you've got a book you'd like me to check out—COMMENT here! I'd be delighted.