[rickybowensfever]

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[rickybowensfever]

currently watching the sex lives of college girls season 2 and the fact there's no whump in this series is so disappointing! might have to write some sickfics inspired by it.

[rickybowensfever]

anyone have any migraine fics they enjoy? looking to write one and want some inspo

[rickybowensfever]

Absolutely love your latest the summer I turned pretty stories I hope you get to posts more stories soon 😊

Aw, thank you! I *should* have one more TSITP story this weekend for Sicktember. Glad you’re enjoying. Thanks for reading! 

[rickybowensfever]

borrowed hoodie - sicktember 2024

Hello! I was struck with a sinus infection last week. I get chronic sinus infections and oh my god they are the WORST.

Anyway, I got some inspo last night to write this for the "Borrowed Hoodie" prompt for Sicktember 2024! I'm not going to have too many Sicktember fics left bc I got sick :( but I'm hoping to spark some dopamine and get at least another out for you.

I have been thinking about Susannah's role when her boys get sick and since she has cancer, obviously they'd want her far away from any illnesses. But this is fiction so let's just pretend that she can't get sick from them bc she's a Mom and her immune system isn't as bad as I make Conrad's mwahaha lol I always put Laurel in these situations bc she's more nurturing and has a stronger bond w/ Conrad. But, I'd like to add Beck in and show off her maternal side.

This fic is inspired/set after the episode "Summer Heat" and I took out some scenes that happen in that episode.

LMK what you think & happy reading!

Sicktember 2024 Prompts @sicktember

8. Borrowed Hoodie  

Alt. 

4. Flushed Cheeks

AO3 Link

BELLY POV

Belly woke up wearing Conrad’s hoodie and she was on cloud nine. 

She smiled wide, showing all of her pearly whites. Lying in her warm bed, she hugged herself, sniffing the hoodie that smelled of him; salty and sweet like the ocean. She didn’t want the moment to last, but she had to head over to the country club for dance rehearsal for the Ball. 

Last night was The Fourth of July. At the end of the night, she shared a special moment with Conrad as they both watched the fireworks shooting in the night sky over the ocean. It was breezy which made her jump in place as a chill came over her. Conrad stood by her wearing a zip-up hoodie and when he heard her yelp, he didn’t hesitate to offer her his hoodie. He took it off revealing his gray t-shirt. Belly’s stomach fluttered with butterflies as he placed the jacket over her, holding it out for her to put her arms into the sleeves. She couldn’t stop smiling, her teeth began to hurt. 

Belly turned over and grabbed her phone, unlocking it and composing a text to Conrad. 

Good morning :) 

She smiled a big, toothy grin. Nothing could bring her euphoric mood down. 

— 

After showering and changing into a dress, she headed over to the club. Of course, she wasn’t leaving the house without the hoodie. The light blue zip-up hoodie with white strings was now her security blanket. She left it unzipped as it was baggy on her, making her hands disappear and coming down to her thighs. 

Belly walked into the hall where all of the debutante girls mingled waiting for rehearsal to start. Nicole grabbed Belly as soon as she saw her, then looked her up and down. “Is that Conrad’s hoodie?” Nicole asked, furrowing her brows in suspicion. 

Belly’s stomach dropped. She was so giddy this morning and her head was in the clouds that she didn’t even think about seeing Nicole. Belly paused, fumbling a response, “Oh my God! Yesterday was so wild, I must’ve taken his by mistake. I didn’t even notice!” her stomach turned with anxiety, she nervously laughed, lying through her teeth. She shrugged her shoulders and took the hoodie off, placing it down off to the side on a couch by the wall.  

After rehearsal, Belly ran over to her car with the hoodie lying over her arm. She threw it in the backseat and got into the driver’s seat. She pulled out her phone to view her new messages, hoping to have one from Conrad. Her notification bar didn’t reveal any new messages, only a few notifications from her Instagram followers and of friends going live. Her stomach sank as she re-read her last message to Conrad with the “Delivered” text underneath. She rolled her eyes and turned on the car, hitting play on the radio to shuffle a song on her Spotify playlist. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove home, hoping Conrad would be there. 

— 

When she got home, the house was quiet. Susannah walked in from the front of the house and greeted her, “Good morning, my love” she said, smiling wide. 

Belly returned the smile. “Morning! Hey, Susannah? Have you seen Conrad?” she asked, anxiety fluttered in her stomach as she awaited the answer. 

Susannah frowned and her shoulders slumped. “He’s in bed with a nasty headache. Let him sleep” she explained. “I’m painting some portraits if you’d like to join me” the blonde haired woman said with a smirk, glancing toward the back door. 

Belly fake smiled at her. At least she knew Conrad wasn’t ignoring her, but she was hoping to spend the day with him. Belly gripped the hoodie in her hands and declined, “I’m okay” she replied laughing. 

Suddenly, Jeremiah came in from the back door in his usual chipper mood holding a beach towel over his arm and a backpack on his back. “Hey Bells! I’m going to the beach, want to join?” he asked. 

Belly immediately nodded her head, not even thinking twice about it. “Yes! Let me go get changed” she said assessing her outfit that was not suitable for the beach. 

Belly walked through the hallway toward her room but stopped once she got to Conrad’s door. One side of her conscience was telling her to open the door and tend to him but the other had Susannah’s voice playing in her head. Let him sleep. Belly hesitated, assessing her options, hoping for a sign that never came. 

The hall was quiet. She groaned and marched toward her room. 

—- 

CONRAD POV

Conrad woke up that morning with a splitting headache and the chills. No matter how much alcohol they had the day before, he knew this was not a hangover. He groaned, pulling his arm out from under the warm covers and placed his palm on his forehead. His hands were cold, preventing him from getting an accurate read on if he was running a fever or not. 

He pulled the covers out from under him and looked around the room for his zip-up hoodie. He scanned the room twice, and realized it wasn’t on the chair where he usually put it. He sighed, waiting a couple of seconds, pulling his aching body off of the bed and walked out of the room. 

Conrad entered the kitchen in search of some Advil and water. Susannah sat at the dining table typing on her phone, but stopped when she heard footsteps. 

She immediately frowned when she saw her oldest son’s pale complexion and rosy cheeks. “Aw, honey. You don’t look too good” she said, placing her phone on the table and getting up. 

Conrad put his hand out to stop her, creating distance between them. “I’m fineee” he croaked, opening the cabinet and grabbing a bottle of Advil which he unscrewed and poured out two tablets on the counter. 

“It’s just a bad headache, really” he said, composing himself not to worry her, taking a glass of water, chasing it with the medicine. 

“Mom, I’m fine. It’s really just a headache” he yawned, “I’m going to sleep it off” he shrugged, putting the medicine back in the cabinet and shutting it. 

Susannah sighed, knowing from his rosy cheeks that he wasn’t telling the truth. “Alright, if you say so. I’ll be just by the pool, if you need anything” she replied, giving him a thin-lipped smile before he disappeared up to his room. 

—- 

Luckily thanks to modern medicine, he was able to get some sleep. But when he woke hours later to the sun shining in through his blinds, Conrad felt 10x worse and the chills from earlier re-emerged for an encore. It was absolutely unbearable. His body was heavy and achy but fortunately, his headache was gone. 

After lying in bed awake for what felt like twenty minutes, Conrad mustered up the energy to get out of bed, knowing he needed to take more pain relievers. One thing about Connie is he hated feeling like a burden, so of course he always downplayed his symptoms when he was sick. Therefore, walking back into the kitchen, he silently hoped the coast would be clear. 

But his wishes were crushed when he and Susannah walked in at the same time. “Any better?” she said, her voice in a high pitch. 

“A little” Conrad muttered, going back to the cabinet where they last ran into each other. 

“Honey, why don’t you lie on the couch and I’ll take care of you?” she suggested, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. 

Conrad nodded, declining her request. “I’m okay, really,” he answered in a low voice. He really didn’t need anyone to fuss over him. Let alone, he’d feel guilty if he got his mother sick. 

Susannah crossed her arms, putting her foot down. “Con. You’re shivering, I really don’t mind” she said, noticing her son shivering in place, goosebumps forming on his arms. 

Conrad silently walked over to the couch in defeat. His brain was foggy and with his lack of energy, he was simply too tired to keep protesting. Susannah smiled, glad that he wouldn’t fight her on this anymore. 

Conrad curled up with a blanket on the couch and closed his heavy eyes. Suddenly, he was being woken by a gentle nudge. He opened his glassy blue eyes to see his frail mother sitting by the edge of the couch with a forehead thermometer in her hand. She gently leaned over to feel his forehead, despite feeling the heat radiating off of him from where she sat.

Susannah frowned at her son as she felt his boiling hot forehead, “Oof, you’re burning up, babe” she looked down, turning on the thermometer. She placed the thermometer up to his forehead and waited momentarily for it to beep. 

Susannah’s eyebrows raised and her eyes grew big as she read the alarming temperature. “101.4” she recited, in a broken voice, “I don’t know how you got this sick” she declared, slowly getting up from the couch. 

Conrad batted his eyelashes. He didn’t even realize he was that sick. He truly had himself convinced that he did just have a headache and mild symptoms that would soon disappear, not persist. 

As the chills continued, Conrad felt himself striving to get warm. He pulled the light blanket to the side and got up, walking toward a basket where they stored their blankets. 

Susannah immediately nipped that in the bud. “What’re you doing, honey?” she asked, making him freeze in place. 

He turned toward her and replied, “Getting a blanket” he answered slowly. 

“I’ll get that and I found your hoodie in Belly’s room when I was dropping off her laundry” she said looking over at the piles of laundry on the dining room table that she was folding before he came down, the hoodie lying next to them. 

Conrad nodded and slowly walked back to the couch. Susannah put down her supplies; a wet rag, a glass of water, and a dose of pain reliever. She walked over to the basket and grabbed a light blanket. When she closed the wicker basket, she placed the blanket on the arm of the couch. Then, walked to the dining room to grab his zip-up hoodie. 

When she got back to the couch, she handed over the hoodie. Conrad sat up and she helped him get each arm through. He zipped it up and lay his head back on the pillow, pulling the blankets up toward his chin. 

Susannah frowned at him, turning toward the coffee table and grabbed the medicine. Conrad sighed when he realized he had to sit up again. He complied and took the medicine with the glass of water, then lay his head on the pillow again.

He closed his heavy, tired eyes as he simply felt the fatigue settling in. The cold rag hit his steaming hot forehead and he sighed in relief. 

“Get some rest” Susannah whispered, patting the mountain of blankets. Those were the last words he heard before drifting off to sleep. 

BELLY POV

When Belly returned from the beach, she was in better spirits. Thanks to Jere, he always knew how to cheer her up. It was like he could sense her sorrow even if she put on a brave face and a fake smile. 

The two walked into the house laughing but were soon reprimanded for their volume. “Ssh!” Susannah held up her index finger to her closed lips, looking at the two teens with wide eyes. “Connie’s sleeping on the couch. He’s not feeling too hot” she whispered. 

Jeremiah put his hands up in defeat. “Sorry” the two whispered. 

When Belly got back to her room to shower from the beach, her heart stopped. She could’ve swore she left the hoodie on her unmade bed. But now her bed was made and there was a pile of clean clothes folded on top of her comforter. She frantically scanned the room looking for the hoodie. She looked under the bed, under the comforter, and in her closet but it was nowhere to be found. 

“Hmpf!” she expressed in frustration, whoever came into her room while she was out must’ve taken the hoodie. She left her beach towel and belongings on the floor of her bedroom and stormed down the stairs to find the hoodie. 

When she got to the border of the living room and the kitchen, she froze. Out the window, Susannah was lounging by the pool reading a book. Besides Conrad sleeping on the couch, the coast was clear.  She walked closer to the couch, slowly trying to be as quiet as she could be so as not to wake him. Her heart melted as she saw him; snoring softly, his cheeks flushed with a light pink tint. Then, her eyes lit up as she saw the light blue and white string of the hoodie peeking out under the blankets. 

She smiled, her lips turned up in a crescent moon, glad to know the hoodie was back with its rightful owner, even if it did sting a little to know her time with it was up.

[rickybowensfever]

yall i'm super sick with a sinus infection rn so fics are going to be super delayed. i feel like it might be over for me w/ sicktember but i do have one coming for the 27th.

[rickybowensfever]

I am Bashar Al-Habil

This is my new account. My old account has been banned

Please help spread my mother-in-law because is very slow 🙏🙏

Hello, 👋

I need your support and help. I have been displaced several times and we suffer from malnutrition and diseases. Our tent was burned.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-family-evacuate-from-gazah

Please donate and share for me 🙏💔

Sharing. Hoping you and your family can get to safety.

[rickybowensfever]

Dear Friends, ♥️🌹

I hope you're doing well 🙏. My family in Gaza 🇵🇸 is going through incredibly difficult times 💔, and we need your support 🌵. I'm sharing our story and some photos 🎗️📸, and I would be so grateful if you could share this message to help us reach those who can assist 🥀.

We’re trying to relocate Ibrahim’s family to safety 😞, and any help would mean the world to us 🍉.

Can you please reblog my post on my account? 🥺🙏

Thank you so much for your kindness and support ❤️.

Just reblogged. Please donate and uplift!

[ibrahimfamaly]

Help me escape the war and reach safety 🇵🇸🇵🇸

My name is Ibrahim, and I am 15 years old 🧒. I spent my childhood in northern Gaza, where I used to go to school every day, dreaming of a future full of achievements 🏫. But suddenly, everything changed. My home 🏡, where I lived with my family, was bombed, and we were left with nothing. We were living through difficult days, but I never imagined the situation would get this bad. 😞🌹🌹

Donate to Help Ibrahim's family escape the Gaza war, organized by Safaa Yasser

Hello I am Ibrahim, 18 years old, I seek your help and assistance to save … Safaa Yasser needs your support for Help Ibrahim's family e

After the bombing destroyed our home, we had no choice but to flee to the south. We are now living in a tent ⛺ inside an old school 🏫 along with hundreds of other families. This tent has become our new home, but it doesn’t feel like one. There are no walls to protect us from the heat of the day or the cold of the night. During the day, the sun ☀️ is so scorching that I feel like my skin is burning, and at night, the cold 🥶 is unbearable. Sometimes, I cry because of how cold it is, covering myself with whatever I can, but it's no use.📢🗣️

The school where I now live has become a place that holds all our pain. I no longer go to school as I used to. Standing in long lines for water 💦 has become a part of my daily life.

I stand in line for hours just to get some water for my family. I feel exhausted, but I try to endure it for their sake. My mother looks at me with eyes full of sorrow, and I can't help but feel helpless. I wish I could do more, but I’m just a child. ❤️❤️

I dream of returning to my old life, where I used to go to school and play with my friends. I dreamed of becoming something great in the future, but now I feel like these dreams are slipping further away from me every day. The war has taken everything from us: our home, our safety, and even our dreams. 🇵🇸🇵🇸

I live in this place, not knowing when we will be able to escape this nightmare. I wish I could scream at the top of my lungs, but no one hears. We are here in the shadows, in a world filled with destruction and sorrow. All I ask for now is for this war to end, and for us to find a way out. We just want to live a normal life, far from fear and destruction. 💔🇵🇸💔

A part of our suffering.😞🙏🙏

I ask for your help with anything that could ease the burden on me and my family. We have been greatly affected by the war and are now living in extremely difficult conditions inside a tent after losing our home. We struggle daily to secure our basic needs and face significant challenges. Any help, no matter how small, would make a huge difference in our lives and give us hope to keep going. Please help us if you can hear my voice. We just want safety; we want to live again. 🙏🙏

Donate to Help Ibrahim's family escape the Gaza war, organized by Safaa Yasser

Hello I am Ibrahim, 18 years old, I seek your help and assistance to save … Safaa Yasser needs your support for Help Ibrahim's family e

[ibrahimfamaly]

[rickybowensfever]

✨procrastination✨

am I procrastinating finishing my Jeremiah fic for Sicktember? Yes.

so say hello to my new theme

[rickybowensfever]

I opened a Ko-Fi!

Hi, happy Friday! I've been wanting to make a Ko-Fi for my writing, if you ever wanted to leave me a tip because you enjoy my fics.

This is not mandatory. I just thought I'd set it up for folks who are interested in sending me financial support. 🧡

If you missed it, I uploaded a Ricky Bowen fic yesterday for Sicktember. Read it here!

Support Alex on Ko-fi! ❤️. ko-fi.com/rickybowensfever1

Support Alex On Ko-fi. Ko-fi lets you support the people and causes you love with small donations

[sicktember]

AO3 LINK | Tumblr Link

Fandom: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Prompts:

4.“Great. I Got a Cold for My Birthday”

10. The Sniffles

Summary: Ricky Bowen wakes up on his birthday with a cold but he tries to hide it all day. It’s opening night for the documentary and Shallow Lake’s production of Frozen. How will his list ever get completed? A cold isn’t going to stop him…

[whumperofworlds]

*sighs* I hate having to do this. But I'm at my wits end.

So. As many of you know, I disappeared last month without warning. That's due to me being hospitalized after a mental break due to my mom and her friends' harassment, both online and offline.

My father and I are planning on moving out, but since I was hospitalized, we're struggling not only with current bills, but also medical bills.

So. I made a GoFundMe for this.

So please, whump friends! Help us! And please spread the word if you can! If you can't donate, that's okay!

https://gofund.me/6ed2e76c

[aurin-avenir]

Happy September, editors and fellow writers!

Let’s enjoy the one month when everyone should treat us with a little extra kindness!

[rickybowensfever]

"Great. A Cold on My Birthday" (Ricky Bowen) - Sicktember 2024

IT'S HERE!!!! And it's over 2k words. So for my fellow Ricky lovers...you're welcome.

Here is sweet, sneezy Ricky on his birthday. Poor Ricky! Also sorry E.J. but you *can* be a gullible. We still love you. 😍

Sicktember 2024

"Great. I Got a Cold for My Birthday"

The Sniffles

AO3 LINK @sicktember

*SET AT CAMP SHALLOW LAKE*

“LET IT GO” S3, EP8 of HSMTMTS (REIMAGINED)

Ricky Bowen woke up on his 18th birthday feeling congested as hell but he was not going to let a little cold stop him.

 He sat up in bed, his nose tickled and he let out a wet sneeze. “Aah-tschieww!!”

“Gesundheit” Carlos said, looking up at his sneezy friend.  Ricky muttered a thank you, pulling the covers off of him and swung his legs over his bunk to face his friend. 

“Great. I got a cold for my birthday” Ricky announced with disappointment in his hoarse and nasally voice.

Carlos scrunched his face at him, “Maybe you should go to the nurse,” he suggested. Ricky’s eyes bulged, jumping down from the bunk. He sniffled, “No way, dude! It’s opening night. E.J. will kill me if I’m–” Ricky paused, unable to say the word. 

“Sick” Carlos added, finishing his friend's sentence. “No, no, no. It’s just a cold. I’m perfectly fine” he said feeling another tickle in his nose, “Aah-tschieww!!” he leaned into his elbow, catching the sneeze.  

“Bless you. Right…Maybe a hot shower will help?” Carlos suggested. “But make it quick, we have to get over to The Barn for the final run-through.”

“Good thinking!” Ricky replied. As Carlos gathered his Olaf costume, he rooted around his bag with first-aid supplies including a packet of tissues and Vicks Vapor Rub. 

Then a familiar brooding voice chimed in, “You might be able to get around E.J. But Val will smell you from a mile away. She’s like a hawk” Jet added looking at the two boys, wearing all black as usual. Ricky shuddered, forgetting about his other roommate. 

“What…do you mean?” Ricky answered, slowly. Jet was right. E.J. could be gullible. So he shouldn’t have a hard time hiding this from him, but if Val was on high alert, he was doomed. The show would be ruined as well as his birthday. 

“Val is a super sleuth. She can smell a sickness before it’s even coming” he said, his voice low and mysterious as if he were telling a ghost story, “A few summers ago, when some of the cast for The Music Man got food poisoning, she knew the minute it happened. Last year, she sent home a girl with pink eye during auditions for Annie. You can’t get anything past her” Jet said, shrugging his shoulders. 

The mysterious boy walked toward the front door and wished his roommate “good luck” as he disappeared out of the yurt. 

Carlos walked over to his curly-haired friend as he gathered his shower essentials out of his duffle bag. He tapped him on the shoulder, startling the boy. Ricky jumped in place and turned around to face his friend. 

When he looked down at the gifts, Ricky grinned.

“Happy Birthday, Ricky” Carlos said, handing him the sick supplies.

 “Thanks, Carlos,” he croaked, his voice hoarse, giving him a side hug. 

The two parted ways, Carlos to The Barn for rehearsal and Ricky to the showers. He grabbed his towel, clean clothes, and toiletries, hoping and praying that no one saw him. 

Ricky tried to hide himself from any friend he saw which wasn’t as easy as he thought it’d be. As he walked, he hid behind trees and bushes, trying to hide himself from his fellow Wildcats. 

As he walked closer to the showers, he saw Ashlyn walking right toward him. The fortunate part of being at camp was the trees. They made great hiding spots. As he stood behind a tree waiting for Ashlyn to pass him, he started to sniffle. “Nooo”, he groaned at the thought of sneezing again. How was he going to make it through the day unscathed when he was drowning in mucus and his nose wouldn’t cooperate. 

Ricky groaned loudly. “Oh, Ricky! There you are” Ashlyn said, looking at her friend with a puzzled look as he stood by the tree pinching his nose. 

“Happy Birthday!” she exclaimed giving him a big toothy grin. 

He tried to hold in the sneeze which was successful at first. He sighed of relief, “Ahh” feeling the sneeze pass. Unfortunately, the sneeze crept back up without warning. 

“Hnn'gtt!!” Ricky caught the sneeze in his elbow, pulling out one of Carlos’ tissues. 

He sniffled, “Thanks, Ash. Allergies, right?” he said laughing nervously, trying to play off his symptoms casually. 

Ashlyn was quiet for a moment, noticing his pink nose. Maybe he should be playing Sven tonight… 

Ashlyn was healthy as a horse. “Nope, not me!” she answered, patting him on the back. “See you later!” she said, walking off toward the girl’s yurts.

Ricky sighed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Today was going to be difficult and his chest was starting to hurt. 

Carlos was right, a hot shower did help. His congestion had subsided for now which was going to help in convincing everyone he was perfectly fine. He wore his Kristoff costume which consisted of a dark pom-pom hat, a long sleeveless tunic with a long sleeve dark gray thermal shirt underneath paired with black pants and winter boots. Despite it being 92°F outside in sunny California, Ricky shockingly felt warm and cozy. 

He cleared his throat, puffed his chest out, and fixed his posture, then walked into The Barn with a brave face on. Everyone was rearranging furniture, transforming the small space into a suitable arrangement for friends and parents to come watch their children perform their role on stage. Luckily since everyone was preoccupied, the attention would be off of him for the time being.

Ricky walked over to Gina who sat on the edge of the stage holding a piece of paper, mumbling to herself. 

“Because she’s my sister!” she enunciated.

Ricky furrowed his eyebrow. “Hey G,” he said, standing next to her with a big grin on his face.

Gina put the paper down beside her on the stage. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Ricky, suspiciously. He was acting strange, she thought. Ricky was a chipper guy but to her, it seemed today, he was playing up his positive vibe.

“Hi” she said hesitantly, furrowing her brow at him.

“Ready for the big night, Anna?” he said playfully elbowing her in the side. Gina laughed, cracking a big toothy grin at him.

Moments later, E.J. stood by the stage shouting to get the room’s attention. Ricky held his ears at the sound as it felt like the boy was screaming in his ear. “I don’t think that was loud enough” the curly haired boy teased, plugging his ears which were beginning to ache.

His stomach dropped, anxiety fluttering in his chest as Val came and stood beside the director. Ricky got up and walked to the back of the clutter of people, to hide himself from Val as much as he possibly could. As everyone began to move and get to their places, Ricky couldn’t help but feel on edge.

Finally, it was Ricky’s turn to rehearse for "Kristoff’s Lullaby", his solo. He cleared his throat and crossed his fingers, hoping that his body would cooperate for the duration of the song. He grabbed his acoustic guitar, strummed the strings by the sound hole, and began to sing.

♪ What is this hollow kind of helplessness I'm feeling? ♪

♪This type of terror is new ♪

♪And, the fact that I can hardly breathe is now revealing ♪

When the chorus came, that is when all hell broke loose. His voice cracked as he tried to reach the high note, but his scratchy throat wasn’t doing him any favors.

Ricky’s chest tightened as E.J. started to bark at him, “Ricky, this is not what we rehearsed! You’re not supposed to sound like there’s a frog in your throat. This is Frozen” the taller boy flailed his arms in the air in disappointment.

Ricky frowned, holding his throat and stood up. “Why don’t we take 5?” Val intervened. She stood for a moment staring into Ricky’s eyes. This gave him goosebumps. He shuddered and turned his back toward her.

As he and his castmates were backstage taking a breather, Val worked on calming E.J. down. Ricky sighed loudly, relived to be out of the spotlight. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Gina with her long-braided hair in Anna’s winter costume.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” she asked furrowing her brow. “Yeah, yeah. It’s just allergies” he said clearing his throat and wincing at the discomfort. He tried to brush it off with a grin but seeing Gina frown, he knew he was doomed.

“Ricky, you have to tell somebody” she said cocking an eyebrow at him, placing a hand on her hip and stared him down until he confessed.

Ricky shrugged, “But the show!” he whispered, his voice cracking as he spoke.  “I’m sure you can still do the show. Why don’t we go and ask Val?” Gina suggested. Ricky immediately put his hands up in defense. “No way” he cried, envisioning the worst outcomes.

If what Jet said earlier was true, Ricky would be saying goodbye to his friends and fellow campers. Ricky started to feel sad as he thought about packing his bags and going back to Salt Lake. During his daydreaming, he completely missed Gina pulling him by the arm and over Val and E.J. who sat next to each other on the chairs for tonight’s audience doing breathing exercises.

“Hey guys. Ricky, how’s that cold?” Val asked, smirking at the curly haired boy. Ricky stood dumbfounded. Jet was right.  “How did you—what?” he said frantically, stumbling over his words.

Val stood up and placed a hand on Ricky’s shoulder, “I have eyes everywhere” she told him. Ricky gulped in terror. “It’s just allergies, really!” he tried to reassure her, flailing his arms in the air to prove he was “healthy.”

 His shoulders slumped as she nodded in disagreement.

What came next didn’t help Ricky’s case. A big ole’ sneeze escaped from his nasal passages.

“Haa'ekkSHIEW!!” Val stood in front of him holding out a tissue which he grabbed, blowing his nose hard.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, guys. I’b fide! It’s just by dose, by ears, by throat, by chest” he explained in his nasally voice, as E.J. pulled up a chair for him to sit in.

Val kneeled on the ground making eye contact with him. “Ricky, I know it’s your birthday” she began. The barn erupted in chatter all wishing him a happy birthday. Ricky waved, thanking everyone and looked back at Val. “But you’re clearly not 100%. So, I have a proposition” the barn grew quiet as they awaited the girl’s next words.

“You have to go to the nurse with me, get some medicine and some rest. Then, you can perform tonight. But these are the conditions” she explained. Ricky frowned. His list still wasn’t fully complete. He checked the pizza off yesterday at Camp Prom but he was missing a lottery ticket, still.

Finally, as he thought about it, he was surprised Val wasn’t shipping him off on the next bus home.

“Fide” he muttered. “The show bust go od. Ab I right guys?” he announced to crowd. Everyone erupted into applause mixed with laughter.

Val stood up and gestured Ricky to follow her. He complied holding the packet of tissues in one hand and walking out of the barn doors following her lead.

When he got back to the yurt, hopped up on cold medicine, he raised his arms and yawned. The nurse checked his temperature, it was normal. That was a relief. But his sore throat, congested nose, aching ears, and headache confirmed it was indeed a cold.

“A cold on my birthday. Pssh” he mumbled in frustration as he slipped out of his costume, storing it away for that night and changed into joggers and white shirt and dozed off to sleep.

He woke to Carlos shaking him. “Ricky! Wake up! Curtain call is in 20” he said. Ricky woke up groggy, his throat was hurting, and his head pounded. He pulled himself out of bed slowly and walked over to his bag, grabbing his costume and leaving the yurt quickly with Carlos.

When they got backstage, it was dark and quiet. Ricky thought this was strange as Carlos had informed him about curtain call. This close to curtain call, everyone was usually pretty frantic. But maybe they did things differently at Shallow Lake than at East High?

Ricky shrugged and walked closer looking for a light. He turned on the light and jumped, dropping his costume as everyone surprised him. All of his cast mates and Wildcats including Big Red and Miss Jenn smiled big. “Happy Birthday, Ricky!” they shouted, cheering. The room was filled with balloons, streamers, and there was a cake sitting on a lone table.

Ricky sniffled, standing there in disbelief. All of the sudden commotion had him winded. He began to catch his breath and walked over to everyone giving side hugs and thanking them.

Maybe this wasn’t an awful birthday after all.

[rickybowensfever]

just a disclaimer that today's #sicktember fic will be late, hoping to get it up before 10pm ET. It's still a work in progress. Didn't think my day would be as busy as it is & yesterday I wasn't doing too great mentally.

[rickybowensfever]

Okay, fic is not done. I'm going to bed lol The ADHD is winning today. I have had such bad task paralysis today. My mind is just elsewhere at the moment. I hate it! Either I'm hyperfocused for hours on writing sickfics or it's days like today where my brain does not want to work properly!

I will resume in the morning. I haven't written ricky in a while so i'm a little rusty but i love him nonetheless! hopefully this means you'll get two sicktember posts tomorrow but we'll see where my brain is at.

[rickybowensfever]

just a disclaimer that today's #sicktember fic will be late, hoping to get it up before 10pm ET. It's still a work in progress. Didn't think my day would be as busy as it is & yesterday I wasn't doing too great mentally.