Maybe In Another Life

A Staggering Trurth

When the sound of her early alarm woke Jennie up from her slumber, she remembered the mission she had set for herself the night before and rolled over to wake Chu up. When she opened her eyes, however, all Jennie could see were empty sheets.

She sat up and looked around her room. "Chu?" But no response came. Jennie assumed Chu had left even earlier than what she had set her alarm for and she sighed disappointed.

It would have been nice to have woken up together.

Jennie stretched out her arms with a yawn and turned in place to lazily dangle her legs over the edge of her bed. She took a moment to sit there with her thoughts, pondering the memories of the night before, and wishing she could spend the entire day with Chu. But Jennie groaned when she remembered why she couldn't.

School.

Jennie dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling, wishing there was a way for her to stay home.

Wait a second... maybe there was a way!

Jennie gasped when an idea struck her and she quickly got out bed. Quietly, Jennie made her way downstairs and into the kitchen to grab a yogurt, along with some crumbled granola pieces, and rushed back up to her room.

There was still some time before Jennie's parents and brother would wake up, so she took advantage of the opportunity and got herself ready for the performance she was about to give.

Jennie walked to her makeup station and sat down. She took out a foundation that was lighter than her skin tone, and blended a thin layer of it onto her face. Jennie then took out a rose colored blush and used it to darken under her eyes.

Once her disguise was complete, Jennie grabbed the yogurt and granola, and hid the items behind the toilet of the second floor bathroom. She checked her phone to see how much time had passed and realized she still had half an hour left.

So with that, Jennie went back to her room, slipped herself under the covers, and waited.

Jennie knew her mother had a habit of checking in on her every morning before she went downstairs to work. So when her usual knock came from Jennie's door, Jennie switched on her acting skills and began groaning in fictitious pain.

"Jen?" Chaerin called, opening the door to find her daughter hunched over and clutching her stomach. "What's wrong, honey? Are you okay?" She approached her and Jennie shook her head.

"No..." She mumbled, still looking down. "I think..." Jennie lurched forward. "I'm gonna–" Jennie quickly got out of her bed and ran to the bathroom. She knew her mother would follow, so she closed the door behind her and took out the food she had previously hidden.

Jennie mixed the pieces of granola into the yogurt and dumped some of it into the toilet. She could hear her mother approaching, so she scooped the rest of it into her mouth and swiftly discarded the container into the trashcan before kneeling down.

Jennie waited another moment until her mother finally came through the door. "Jennie, are you alright?"

Jennie turned away and "threw up" the yogurt into the bowl, arching her back and crying out sounds of hurling as she did. She emptied her mouth and finished her performance with a groan, slowly turning back around to look at her mother in false exhaustion.