Miss nobody strikes back

Allergy

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Hanna

I was still feeling down about what my mom said last night. And now I couldn’t even focus on my project in peace. I sighed as I walked into class, my mind swirling with thoughts about my family. Why can’t they just let me live my life? What kind of family do I even have?

As I entered, I overheard Jenny talking on the phone. "Joegiyo! (Excuse me) igoe eolmayeyo? (How much is it?)" Her voice was calm but a little impatient.

"Nwo? (What?) Three thousand dollars? Neomu bissayo. (It's too expensive.) Dae, I'll tell dad. Gamsamida. (Thank you.)" She ended the call, shaking her head.

"Hey, Hanna. Sorry about that. My mom wants me to buy her something, but I’ve already spent all my money," Jenny said with a small shrug.

"It’s okay," I said with a soft smile, though my mind was elsewhere. I was still thinking about how messed up everything felt.

"You look pretty bummed. Want to hang out with me today?" Jenny asked, her cheerful tone lightening my mood a bit. It was a nice offer, and it would be better than being alone.

"I guess so. My mom forbade me from hanging out at Dom’s place, anyway," I replied, shaking my head at the memory of my mom’s harsh words.

"Wait, how did she even find out?" Jenny asked, her brow furrowing.

"Guess," I muttered, already knowing her response.

"That stupid babo (fool)! Ugh, she gets on my nerves," Jenny said with a huff.

"Just let her be," I sighed. I was so tired of constantly fighting battles, both at home and everywhere else.

Class went by as usual, which was a relief. At least I could focus on school and get a break from everything else. When lunchtime finally arrived, Jenny and I headed to the cafeteria together. We went straight to the lunch lady to grab some food. I got spaghetti while Jenny picked up some cake for us to snack on. I smiled, feeling a little better, but just as we were about to leave the line, Claire appeared in front of me.

“Hi, sis,” she said, her voice oddly sweet. Suspicious.

“If this is one of your stupid jokes, save it, Claire,” I said, not in the mood for whatever she was plotting.

She smirked and, out of nowhere, knocked my wallet from my hand, making it fall to the floor. I bent down to pick it up, irritation bubbling inside me. By the time I stood back up, she had already walked away, her expression smug as ever.

Jenny and I sat down at our usual table with Kai and Dominic. The conversation was light, mostly between Jenny and Kai, but it felt nice to have a normal moment. I took a bite of the cake Jenny had gotten for us. I chewed slowly, something about it tasted strange. It was supposed to be chocolate cake, but my stomach did a weird flip after I swallowed.

“Hanna, are you okay?” Jenny asked, noticing the sudden change in my expression.

“What kind of cake is this?” I asked, my voice shaky as I looked at the remaining slice on my plate.

“Chocolate cake, why?” Jenny asked, confused.

I glanced around the cafeteria, my eyes landing on Claire. She was sitting at a table nearby, holding the real chocolate cake I’d originally bought. She must have swapped it. Panic surged through me as the realization hit: this cake had peanuts in it. Peanuts. The one thing I’m severely allergic to.

Suddenly, my stomach twisted in pain. My head became heavy, and dizziness washed over me. It was getting hard to breathe.

"Hanna, what’s happening?" Jenny asked, her face full of concern.

“It hurts,” I whispered, clutching my stomach as the pain intensified. Breathing became harder and harder.

“What hurts?!” Kai asked, his voice laced with panic, but before I could answer, I fell from my seat onto the floor. The world seemed to tilt around me. My skin broke out into hives, red rashes spreading across my arms and face. The itching was unbearable, like a thousand needles poking at my skin.

“Hanna!” Jenny screamed, rushing to my side as both Kai and Dominic knelt beside me.

“What happened? Can you hear me?” Jenny asked, her voice shaking as she looked at me, but I couldn’t focus. Everything was fading in and out.

"It can’t be. I ordered chocolate! I made sure there were no peanuts," Jenny stammered, horrified.

“Jenny, calm down. What’s going on?” Kai asked, trying to keep his cool.

“She’s allergic to peanuts. Oh my god, what have I done?” Jenny’s voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. She looked back at me, but I could barely see her. My vision blurred, the world fading into darkness.

“Claire... she must have swapped it,” I managed to say, my voice weak as I struggled to breathe. Blood trickled from my nose, and I felt my blood pressure dropping fast. My body was shutting down.

I felt someone’s hand on my neck, checking for a pulse. Dominic’s deep voice cut through the chaos. “Her blood pressure is dropping.”

“Hanna, can you hear me?” Dominic’s voice was the last thing I heard before everything went black. The last thing I remembered was the sound of Jenny screaming my name.

Jenny's POV

I was terrified—completely and utterly terrified. Hanna had just started reacting after taking a bite of the cake. I didn’t understand it; I made sure to order chocolate. But now she was on the floor, in pain, covered in hives, her nose bleeding. She could barely breathe.

The last time Hanna had an allergic reaction like this, she was fourteen. The doctor had warned us that if she ever consumed even a small amount of peanuts again, there was a fifty percent chance she could die. And now this was happening.

Dominic had confirmed her blood pressure was dropping, and then she fainted. He carried her, and we rushed her to the school clinic. Dominic laid her carefully on the bed while the nurse examined her, and Kai called the teachers for help.

Miss Gemma arrived at the clinic, her face full of worry. “What happened?” she asked, her voice tense.

“Miss, we need to transfer her to the hospital. She’s in critical condition. This is a severe allergic reaction, and we can’t handle it here,” the school nurse said quickly.

“Yes, please, do whatever you can,” Miss Gemma urged. Without wasting any time, the nurse called 911. Soon, the ambulance arrived to take Hanna away.

I couldn’t hold back my tears. I’d never seen her like this, and it was breaking my heart.

“Jenny, calm down. She’s going to be okay,” Kai said, trying to comfort me, but I could barely hear him over my sobs.

“What happened?” Miss Gemma asked again, needing the full story.

“Hanna’s severely allergic to peanuts. The last time she had a reaction, the doctor told her she could fall into a coma or even die if she ingested any. I don’t know what happened. I ordered the chocolate cake, and…” My voice cracked as the guilt overwhelmed me.

“Wait, Hanna said something about Claire swapping the cake,” Kai added, remembering her last words.

“Yeah, she did. I saw them talking earlier. I thought it was strange, but I didn’t think…” My voice trailed off.

“Don’t worry. I’ll investigate it. For now, just calm down. Everything’s going to be fine,” Miss Gemma assured me, though I wasn’t convinced.

I wiped my eyes, praying Hanna would pull through.

A/N: Hanna has really suffered a lot in this chapter. Please share, read, and vote for my story to see how far Hanna can cope with all these challenges. Thank you all for reading, and please leave your thoughts in the comments.