across - NCT NA JAEMIN FF

two

KIM YUN

I wake up in the middle of the night sweating profusely and shaking like crazy. I feel my gut wrench and clumsily run toward the light of the bathroom, stubbing my foot on the door frame. I curse and crouch down to examine it when suddenly I throw up. I barely hoist myself up for the second wave and this time let out in the toilet.

I pant tiredly and grab some tissue. I eye the mess I've made on the floor with disgust and regret, knowing I'm going to have to clean it all up now.

I pinch my nose as I stand up, gripping the sides of bowl tightly for support.

After some difficulty cleaning up the mess, I finally pour the remaining contents down the bowl and flush it. I move to the sink to clean up myself and am shocked by my own reflection.

I glare at the marks on my face and start washing up. Turns out they used a permanent marker and after a good 7 minutes, my face is red and my eyes watery from the amount of pressure I applied to clean it all off.

"I'm going to kill them," I murmur as I exit the bathroom. I continue out of my room, grabbing my phone on the desk.

I walk blindly through the dark, trusting that at this point, my feet know where to take me without sight. I successfully arrive in the kitchen and open the fridge for some water. I pull open the refrigerator to grab one of the 5 pitchers and take multiple huge gulps before allowing myself to breathe.

Besides water, the only contents of my fridge are a carton of milk, some cereal, leftovers, and 2 eggs.

I shut the door and take a seat at the table. While drinking more water from the large container, I unlock my phone and check the time. 1:27. I turn it off and set it down.

My eyes adjust to the darkness of the apartment. Unlike a few hours ago, the house is eerie and silent, making for a lonely atmosphere. The couch that held their bags and the coffee table that was full of school materials show no signs that they were once occupied.

I let out a yawn and get up before I start to think too much, taking my pitcher and phone back to my room with me.

As resentful as I am at my nightmares for the nightly interrupted sleeps, I take comfort in knowing that I'm done for the night.

I arrive at my seat a moment before the teacher enters, trying to catch my breath. Beomgyu eyes me strangely but doesn't have time to interrogate me since class begins.

"Okay, did you bring your water? I told you to yesterday," he demands once the teacher leaves, marking the end of Math.

I fold my arms over my desk and bury my head as the headache I woke up with this morning worsens. Beomgyu sighs loudly beside me.

"Yun, I'm not joking. You should pay more attention to your health. You've been looking worse and worse over the past couple of months," he says worriedly. The recurring thought of telling him resurfaces, but it's gone just as fast as it came.

A hand is placed on my shoulder gently and his fingers graze my neck slightly. I jolt up in shock from the contact, almost falling off my chair. A few heads turn and I lower my own, trying to steady my breathing.

Looking just as shocked as I am, he apologizes. I rub my face to get a better hold of myself and he hands me a bottle of water. "I knew you weren't gonna listen. Just make sure you finish that by the end of the day. And I brought you lunch, so no skipping."

I don't have time to protest when the next teacher arrives for Science.

As the morning continues, I am so grateful for the water, realizing I may actually be dehydrated most of the time, but when lunch time comes, I can't accept his food.