Hijacked

Chapter Three

The next morning, Mollie pretended to be sick. She hadn't slept much the last few days, so she already looked the part. All she had to do was throw in a few coughs, and Mr. Henk sent her back to bed. Luisa was quick to volunteer as her caretaker, too. The duo hurriedly put their pajamas back on, found a sub-par romantic comedy, and curled up in Mollie's bed wearing sheet masks.

"I want my own cheesy love story one day," Mollie sighed. "With the cringey romantic gestures. And a montage of all our best moments."

"You'll get one," Luisa smiled, adjusting her mask.

"Maybe, in the next fifty years."

"Molls," Luisa frowned, preventing her friend from belittling herself further.

Mollie's eyes were locked on the kissing couple on screen. "How well does Micaela kiss?" Micaela was probably Luisa's perfect type. She was very artsy. Mollie couldn't recall a time when she didn't have paint on her clothes or colored hair. At the moment, the artist was sporting a sea-green bob that Luisa was constantly swooning over.

"She's..." Luisa made a bunch of gestures with her hands and groaned. "I can't believe how good she is. It felt like I had downed two bottles of wine—serious lip intoxication. Honestly, she's probably the best person I've kissed."

Mollie closed her eyes and jammed her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Though she had been the one to ask about her friend's budding relationship, she was beginning to see green.

Around noon, Luisa left to get food from the buffet. Beau, along with the rest of the class, had already left to the Jennie Wade house. Mollie took this opportunity to call her mom. She told herself that she was just being responsible for checking in, but she really just wanted to talk about what was going on. She wanted to tell her mom about how the simplest of tasks felt like they could kill her. She wanted to reveal how badly her stomach hurt during social events, which usually led to violent retching. Most importantly, she wanted confirmation that she shouldn't be suffering the way she was and that she needed help. This was clearly easier said than done. Halfway through the call, Mollie still hadn't mentioned anything. It just didn't feel right.

"I hope you're taking a lot of pictures," Mollie's mom chimed, morning voice echoing through the phone's speaker. A tea kettle ferociously screeched in the background, and the older woman mumbled under her breath. She'd been making tea every morning for as long as Mollie could remember. Mollie could just picture her sitting at the kitchen table, dark tendrils wrapped in a satin scarf, sipping her earl grey. "You haven't been sending me many."

"I will," Mollie tightened her grip on the phone. She was about to tell her mom about the previous night, then decided against it. Her mom sounded happy, and she didn't want to ruin her morning. "I promise."

"I love you, sweetheart," she could almost see her mom's crooked smile. "I'll pick you up tomorrow evening at the school. Don't forget to buy your dad a shirt."

"I won't," Mollie smiled thinking of how happy her dad would be. She signed off, "I love you, too."

"I got you a veggie burger," Luisa skipped into the room. "And sweet potato fries. I had to go back for more, though. I may have eaten half in the elevator."

"Thanks," Mollie gladly took a bite from the savory sandwich.

"You should rest after this," Luisa frowned. "You're actually looking sick."

"Thanks, Lulu," Mollie huffed, knowing Luisa was right. Sleep deprivation was quickly catching up to her. "It's almost like I lay in bed at night trying to stay awake."

"Should we ask one of the chaperones to get you flu medicine?" Luisa sat at the edge of the bed. "If you double the dose, you'll get drowsy. That way, you can at least you get some rest before the free day tomorrow."