Glassheart

Chapter 24

THE NEXT MORNING(Chloe's POV)
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I woke to the sound of my alarm, but Red was still fast asleep. My stomach churned uneasily, prompting me to dash to the bathroom where I began to vomit. I puked three more times, hoping for relief, but it never came. Peering out the door, I checked to see if Red had awakened, but she was still asleep. After cleaning up in the bathroom, I brushed my teeth to get rid of the unpleasant taste. I approached the bed and gently kissed Red's forehead.

"Morning, love. It's time to get up," I said softly.

"I'm awake, Princess," she replied. A pang of panic shot through me—did she hear me? I hoped desperately that she hadn't. As she opened her eyes and looked at me, the concern in her gaze intensified.

"Are you alright, Princess?" she asked. I forced a smile in response.

"Yeah, I just remembered I need to return a book to a teacher," I said, and Red chuckled lightly.

"Well, you can do that today. Are you finished in the bathroom?" she inquired.

"Not yet, but you're welcome to use it now," I offered.

"No, it's fine. I'll get dressed in here," she said, rising and wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back and kissed her, returning her gesture. I grabbed my clothes and headed back to the bathroom to get ready. My stomach was in knots, but I didn't want Red to hear me throwing up or insist I go to the doctor again—I couldn't deal with that. I flushed the toilet quietly after another wave of nausea hit me, ensuring she wouldn't hear. I hurried to finish getting ready so we could head downstairs more quickly.

"You can go in now, baby," I called out to her as she sat on the bed, in black cargo pants and a red top. I felt my cheeks flush at the sight of her.

"Thanks, Princess. You look adorable," she complimented, glancing at my blue sweatpants and dark navy top.

"Thank you," I replied, approaching her and stepping between her legs. She wrapped her arms around my waist, attempting to kiss me, but I turned my face away playfully.

"Chlo?" Red asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"Yeah?" I replied, hoping to keep up the teasing façade so she wouldn't suspect I was unwell.

"Why did you do that?" she questioned, and I smirked while shrugging nonchalantly. She rolled her eyes and kissed my neck before standing up. I felt a rush of flustered warmth but settled onto the bed. Nausea washed over me again, but I sipped some water, which helped ease the discomfort. Fortunately, Red didn't take long to get ready.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, a spark of excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, I just need to use the bathroom quickly," I replied. Red nodded and allowed me to enter. Once inside, I waited a moment before flushing the toilet again, succumbing to another bout of sickness. When I finished, I rinsed my mouth and popped a mint for freshness.

"I'm ready now," I announced. Red smiled brightly, and we made our way down to the cafeteria.

"Do you want pancakes, baby?" she asked eagerly.

"Actually, I'm not very hungry," I admitted. Concern flickered across her face.

"Are you sure? Do you feel okay?" Red pressed.

"Yeah, I do. I'm just not hungry," I reassured her.

"If you're sure. I'm still getting you something," she said, determination in her voice. I smiled faintly as she joined the line. She picked up cereal for herself and an apple for me.