Fever Read Online Free PDF Page A

barely slept and by five, I'd given up. My dreams had been stuffed full of worries, my mind racing from one weird scenario to another. Nerves were doing my stomach in, making me feel nauseated, and I felt immature and stupid for being such a wreck. I'd already done a year in college for crying out loud; what the hell was my problem?
    I guess I was just nervous about screwing up. What if I got lost? What if I missed a class? What if...what if...what if.
    “Arrggggh! Stop it, Ella! You're gonna drive yourself insane,” I whispered into the darkness.
    Flinging back the covers, I checked my watch again.
    5:28 a.m.
    I couldn't lay in bed for one more second. Turning on my lamp, I squinted against the sudden brightness and shuffled about the room. I heard Morgan creep in sometime around ten last night but didn't get up to say hi. I didn't want to talk, and Morgan always siphoned stuff out of me. She had the uncanny ability to get the truth out of people. She should be training to be an interrogator, not spending her days studying some vague business degree that gave her plenty of options and no real direction.
    Pulling on my sweats, I grabbed my fluffy, yellow towel and my toiletries. This early, I should definitely miss the shower rush.
    I was right.
    A smile stretched my lips wide as I flicked on the lights and walked past empty stall after empty stall. I stopped at the very end one, arranging my stuff and feeling better by the second. I loved showers; they always calmed me. It was my own private time away from the world. It was weird not having a locked door, and it was weird to think that someone might walk in at any moment, but for now, I felt safe.
    Flicking on the shower, I let the water heat while I undressed, a tune already working its way from my voice box. I only ever sang in private, and the shower head was my ultimate microphone. I had toyed with the idea of singing in public once; not for the spotlight or anything, just for the opportunity to sing. I really did love it, but I couldn't imagine ever having the guts to go through with it. Singing in front of an audience? Kill me now! I'd be so petrified.
    Besides, every note I sang was peppered with an eerie feeling of melancholy. It wasn't enough for me to stop singing, but it was enough for me to never want to show it to a crowd. No, I sang for me and me alone. Anyway, the kind of music that really set my soul on fire was hardly considered cool. Jody and Morgan were the only ones who knew about my love affair with jazz music, and if I had any say in it, they’d be the only ones who ever did.
    A memory skittered through my brain and I winced.

    “What are you doing?” David appeared behind me, pressing his hand against the wall and boxing me in as I read the Pasadena High Jazz Club audition notice. They were looking for a couple of backup singers.
    I shrugged, trying to ignore his derogatory tone. “I was just looking.”
    “Jazz Club?” David chuckled. “How would you stand it? I hate that kind of music. It's decades old.”
    “I know, but music can be timeless.”
    “Not this music.”
    I glanced around in time to see his face. Pressing my lips together, I tried not to let his words rile me. As if the annoying techno beats he always blasted in his car would ever stand the test of time.
    “You're not seriously thinking of auditioning, are you? I didn't even know you could sing.”
    “I don't, really. I just muck around with Jody sometimes.” I shook my head, stepping back from the school bulletin board, inspired with a quick lie. “Actually, I was thinking of Jody, not me. You know how amazing her voice is. She'll sing anything.”
    “Yeah.” David rolled his eyes. “I know.”
    “Hey.” I lightly tugged his shirt. “She's good.”
    “Oh yeah, she's amazing. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean.”
    “I know.” I forced a grin.
    “But, don't you think she's involved in enough stuff? I mean, now that she's over her wild rampage, she's actually busy