“Yes, sir. Come on, Hays. Poor thing,” she added with a heavy dose of pity.
With a little groan she hoped was convincing enough, Hayleigh let Sadie help her up from her desk. Holding her stomach, she followed Sadie out of the classroom. When the door shut behind them, she straightened and dropped her hand to her side.
“No, you have to keep pretending in case someone sees us in the hall.”
“Oh, right.” Hunching over slightly, she grabbed her stomach again.
“Perfect,” Sadie whispered.
They somehow made it past all the other classrooms and out of the Littles’ wing without being caught, which Hayleigh considered something of a miracle. But the main part of the Ranch was far more crowded, and they’d barely taken two steps before someone called their names.
Erika, Master Derek’s assistant, frowned at them when they turned. “What are you two doing? You’re supposed to be in class.”
Sadie wrapped a protective arm around Hayleigh’s shoulders. “Hayleigh is sick. I’m taking her to the nurse.”
Instantly, Erika’s demeanor changed, and her suspicious stare melted into concern. “Oh, sweetie. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Panic tightened Hayleigh’s throat, robbing her of her ability to speak actual words, so she slapped a hand over her mouth and grunted. Erika’s eyes went wide, and she took a large step back.
“Oh, gosh, I better get her to the bathroom.” Sadie’s voice held the perfect hint of panic. “Bye-eee!”
The pair practically ran down the hall, around the corner to where the public restrooms were. Which also happened to be right across from the kitchens. Sadie ushered Hayleigh into the restroom and shoved her into a stall. “Wait here. I should only be about ten minutes.”
Hayleigh locked the stall behind Sadie before dropping onto the toilet seat. They were going to get in so much trouble.
It felt like a lot longer than ten minutes before Sadie came back. Hayleigh jumped when someone knocked on her stall, then relaxed when she recognized the hard Mary Jane shoes beneath the metal door.
“Did you do it?” she asked when she opened the stall door.
Grinning widely, Sadie nodded. “All done! Now, let’s get you to the nurse.”
“What?” Hayleigh felt the color drain from her face. “I’m not going to the nurse!”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “You have to go; it’s our alibi!”
“Can’t we just say I started feeling better so we came back?”
“No! Professor Rogers will know something is up if we do that.” Looping her arm around Hayleigh’s waist, Sadie guided her back out of the bathroom. “I’ll be right there with you. It’s not so bad.”
The logical, grownup part of Hayleigh’s brain knew the nurse wasn’t the least bit scary. But the Little part of her was just sure the nurse was going to stick her with a giant needle, andthatpart of her wanted to run and hide. Unfortunately, Sadie’s firm grip prevented her from fleeing.
“Fine,” Hayleigh conceded with a scowl. “But you better not leave me.”
“Of course.”
And that simple answer was why Hayleigh had such a hard time telling Sadie ‘No’. She could be a brat, with her pranks and her sass, but she was Hayleigh’s best friend at the Ranch. No matter what, Hayleigh knew she could count on Sadie for pretty much anything.
They made their way to the infirmary, and true to her word, Sadie stayed by Hayleigh’s side as the nurse checked her blood pressure, took her temperature (the normal, grown up way, thank God), and checked Hayleigh over.
“How are you feeling now, sweetie?” the nurse asked, scribbling notes onto a clipboard.
“I feel much better, ma’am.”
“Well, I’m going to give you a pass to excuse you from class the rest of the day, just in case.” She ripped off a small, blue piece of paper and handed it to Hayleigh.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Make sure to come see me if you start to feel poorly again.”