Hey, guys. Short wait, huh? Well, I loved the reviews you gave me on a Good Problem to Have. Thank you all so much. It was very much appreciated.
Now, the next story. This Pairing is CORI! I know, not exactly one of the most popular pairings, but I've recently read a couple of CORI stories written by Waitwhathuh. He/She is a genius, man. I envy his/her writing style. Anyway, when I read those, I just liked the way they flowed, so I decided to write one.
I've been sitting on this plot for a while now, so get ready everyone, because here we go.
Cat's POV
A loud noise causes me to literally jump out of my bed. Mr. Purple went flying. It was my alarm clock. That meant I had to get up for school. Oh, joy. Why can't the school board just have one day dedicated to sleep once a week? I get up out of bed to turn off that stupid thing that woke me up.
"Damn alarm clock… always waking me up. Who does it think it is?" I grumble to myself. I may seem like a happy and bubbly person in the afternoon, which I am… I really am. I am just NOT a morning person, at all. Although I hate to say it, I do have to get ready.
You see, I'm kind of OCD about some things. One of those things is my morning routine. My morning routine is my everything. When I wake up, I go straight for my alarm clock and turn it off. Because, come on people, let's just face it… no one wants to hear that dumb noise any more than they have to.
Second, I turn on my TV to check the weather. It's usually sunny here in Los Angeles, where I live, but it's part of my fore-mentioned morning routine. I HAVE to do it. It originally started out being something I did during the fall, because you never know with the fall. One day it could be eighty degrees and sunny, and then the next day, there was snow on the ground. So it just stuck. The weather, by the way, was perfect: seventy-five and sunny.
Third, I pick out my outfit. You wouldn't believe the type of crap I have in my closet. I have a hundred different pairs of shoes, a ton of little mini-skirts with nice tops and cardigans, and a whole portion of my closet is dedicated to sweatpants… sweet, sweet sweatpants… so comfy. And due to the mild weather, I think I'll go with a pair of sweatpants today. Now I just need to find a tee-shirt.
My eyes quickly find an old cheer shirt of mine from middle school that still fits. That's right. Caterina Valentine was a cheerleader at Havenwood Middle School. Oh, yes. Our nickname was "The Pelicans". Intimidating, right? No, wrong. We were the worst in the county! It was awful!
And then, lastly on my morning schedule, is I have to go downstairs and make breakfast for myself and my big brother Adam. Adam is a bit… slow. I mean, not like, he needs to have someone with him at all times or he'll flip out kind of slow. He's the kind of slow that it takes him a very long time to get things through his head. He has a hard time carrying on a legitimate conversation sometimes, but other than the fact that he does some pretty weird stuff around the house, he's really quite normal. He does have his good days and bad days, though. Some days, he'll seem like there's absolutely nothing wrong with him. Others, however… it seems like a lot is wrong.
Adam is already down stairs. I kind of figured because his bedroom door was open and no one was in there.
I walk lightly on the steps with my shoes and socks in hand. Adam quickly turns around and waives at me.
"Good morning, Cat. How did you sleep?" He asks me.
"I didn't sleep too badly." I answer. "What about you, Adam? How did you sleep?"
"Well," He pauses for a minute, "I had a weird dream last night."
I think I may regret asking him what the dream was about. I always do. But I can't just leave him hanging on his thought, so… "Oh, really? What was it about?" Here we go.
"I dreamed that me, you, Mom, and Dad were in a swimming pool full of snow. No one was cold or anything. Then I saw some yellow snow by my feet, so I went down to taste it." He pauses. "Everyone was telling me to stop eating it. I don't know why, though."
"Well, Adam… let me explain something to you really quick. That dream you had… wasn't a dream. There was no swimming pool. That swimming pool you were thinking of is called a toilet. And the yellow snow is called urine, Adam. You drank urine. That's why we were telling you to stop." I shudder at the thought of him drinking pee.
"Oh… so… I drank pee?" He asks.
"Yes, you did."
"Do they sell it in stores?" I just roll my eyes at that. "Kitty Cat? Are you going to answer me?" He yells at me.
In an attempt to change the subject, I ask him what he wants for breakfast. It works every time. And just like always, he says he wants an omelet filled with cheese and sausage, with Season Salt sprinkled on top. He came up with the recipe all by himself. And I'm not going to lie… it actually tastes really good. I don't know how he came up with something like it.
When I finish making it, he grabs a fork and digs into the omelet. I grab a fork too, and take a bite of it. He looks up at me like I just took a dollar from him.
"Did I say you could take a bite out of MY omelet?" He asks. I know he's just messing with me.
"I made it." I say, mouth full of food, "So I deserve a piece of it. I'm just going to make me some cereal. What should I have today? Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Lucky Charms?" I ask.
"Ummm… what did you have yesterday?"
"I had Fruity Pebbles yesterday." I bite my lip, trying to decide. "You know… yeah… I think I'm going to have Lucky Charms." I get the box out of the cabinet and pull out a bowl to put it in, along with the carton of milk that's half empty in the refrigerator.
"You go girl! You eat those Lucky Charms!" Adam says, pumping a fist in the air.
"YEAH!" I scream.
Sitting down at the table, I quickly start wolfing down my cereal, because my ride to school will be here soon and I still need to pack up my stuff. A horn honks.
"Damn, Adam, Tori's here and I need to pack up my stuff. If you want to eat the rest of my cereal, you can, okay?" I say.
He holds up the signal for okay and I quickly run upstairs and throw a bunch of stuff in my bag. I grab my makeup pouch and run for the door.
Tori is sitting outside in her red Honda Civic waiting for my slow ass to get into the car and go to school with her. I'm so making us late. It's not even funny. She's going to be so pissed off. I quickly throw my bag in her trunk and get in the Passenger's seat beside her.
"Sorry about that, Tori. I was kind of running behind, I guess." I sigh.
"Oh, it's okay, Cat. I was actually a little early. It's seven- twenty and I'm usually here by seven-thirty. So don't worry about it. We're ahead of schedule." She smiles at me and I smile back.
"So, how's Adam doing?" She asks.
"Well, this morning he told me that he had a dream- which, by the way, was completely real- that our family was in a swimming pool full of snow. He saw some yellow snow and he ate it." I say. She furrows her brow, quite confused. "But wait, that's not the best part. The kicker is that he wasn't in a pool. And he didn't try yellow snow. He was in the bathroom, drinking pee out of the toilet." She gags and I shudder.
"Well… that is really gross. But he can't help it, right?" She asks.
"No. I just think it's getting a little worse. He's slipping a lot more. It's getting to the point where I have to correct him or he'll just keep making up stuff. I mean, he's not a compulsive liar or anything. He just doesn't know what he's talking about half of the time. It's kind of like he's dreaming all the time." I say.
"So it's really getting that bad, huh?"
"Yeah, it's getting pretty bad. But he has his good days and bad days."
We're both quiet for the next few minutes of the ride to school. I guess all the talk about Adam kind of bummed her out. Hey, it would wear me out too if he wasn't my brother. But I was put here to take care of him. So that's what I'm going to do for as long as I live at home.
Tori turns onto the street where Hollywood Arts is and drives for a while. She pulls into the parking lot and parks her car in a parking place relatively close to the entrance.
"You ready for the day? Do you need anything before we go in?" She asks. I shake my head no and she smiles.
Getting out of the car, I suddenly realize that my stomach hurts… like seriously bad. I practically double over in pain and wince as I cross the street. Tori looks back at me, concern written all over her face. She walks beside me with an arm draped across my back.
"Cat, are you feeling okay?" She asks as we enter the building.
"I'll be okay. It's probably just cramps. It's my time of the month anyway. Don't worry about me, Tori. Go ahead and go to your next class. I'll see you after school, okay?" I try to play off the pain as well as I can, but it's to no avail. Although she doesn't protest what I'm saying, it's clear that she isn't a huge fan of what's going on right now. She definitely doubts me.
"Okay, Cat." She says, obviously skeptical. "Feel better." She hugs me and walks away.
I walk over to my locker to get some stuff for the day. For anyone who doesn't know what my locker looks like, I always put my used gum on the door. Every now and then I'll clean it when it gets too full. Some compare it to Sinjin Van Cleef's locker. I can see the similarities between them, but Sinjin puts like… different types of broken down meats on his door. I just think gum is the cleaner of the two.
My combination to my lock on my locker is 1418. I can easily remember that combination because I came to this school when I was fourteen and I'll be leaving it next year. So, yes, I'm seventeen, if you haven't figured it out yet.
God, my stomach hurts. It's getting really crampy. It's starting to make me slightly nauseas. But that's not even the fun part. The fun part is that now I'm starting to get a headache. It's a horrible headache, too.
On my way to Mr. Hurt's Honors Biology class, my headache intensifies. Tears are filling my eyes, the pain is so bad. I enter Mr. Hurt's door and sit down next to Andre, tears still in my eyes. He glances over at me for a second, and then looks away, apparently not noticing the tears in my eyes.
"Hey, what's up…" Andre stops when he looks at me again. He finally noticed the tears in my eyes. "What's wrong, Little Red? Are you feeling alright?" He asks. Kind of a dumb question, given there are tears in my eyes and I'm clutching my stomach!
"No, Andre. I feel just fine. I'm just crying and clutching my stomach for no freaking reason. Of course I'm not feeling alright!" I snap.
"Jeez, sorry, Cat. I was just trying to see what was wrong." He says, slightly upset.
"Andre… I'm sorry. I just really don't feel good today. I don't feel like being here. I don't feel like learning, eating, talking… nothing. All I want to do is sleep. I just really want to go home. But I can't, so I guess I'll just push through." I finish.
"It's okay, Cat. I understand. Just think about it this way: every minute you sit in here, the less amount of time you have until you can go to sleep." He smiles.
"Okay, everyone!" Mr. Hurt yells. "Please put your phones away and take out your notes on Photosynthesis. I know we've already gone over it this year, but I just want to refresh your memories for the Mid-term exams coming up this week. So I'm going to just ask you some questions based on your notes. If you studied, you should know this stuff. So here we go." He says.
"Just what I need: learning." I mumble to myself.
"What was that, Miss Valentine?" Mr. Hurt asks.
"Nothing, Mr. Hurt. I just said that this is just what I need, because I haven't been studying like I should be. This will help me." I smile my best smile.
"Well, good. Start studying on your own time a little more, Cat." He says. I nod. "Here we go. Andre, what is the basic chemical formula for photosynthesis?" He asks.
Andre looks up at the ceiling trying to remember. "I believe it's Co2 + H2O = C6H12O6, right?"
"That's correct. People, when Photosynthesis occurs when a plant cell take in the sun's energy. Now, can someone tell me what happens when the plant harvests that energy?" He asks.
No hands go up. Of course, my hands are still gripping my stomach.
"No one? Okay, when the sun harvests that energy it produces food for itself. It's the only thing on the planet that can make food for itself. No other species can do that, folks. The 'food' that is produced is called glucose. That's a sugar. It's also the formula Mr. Harris mentioned earlier. The formula is C6H12O6. Plants also automatically produce Oxygen. It's actually a waste product released by the plant. Thank God they do because we'd be screwed if they didn't." He laughs. "Then, when we take in the Oxygen and breathe out, we release Carbon Dioxide."
God, this class is so boring. My pounding headache has now turned into a migraine. It's getting to become unbearable.
The class is moving pretty quickly by now and Mr. Hurt just doesn't stop talking. I mean, he's a nice enough guy, but the class he teaches is just so uninteresting. That's why I'm very thankful when the bell rings. I jump out of my seat and run out the door without even saying goodbye to Andre. Luckily I see him next period so I can apologize. I just had to get out. Of that damn classroom. I was getting hot. It's what I imagine a hot flash feels like. I was getting more and more nauseous by the minute and my headache was about to make me cry my little brown eyes out.
I run to my locker to take a couple of Tylenol I keep in there for situations like these, hoping that it will sooth the headache for at least a little while. After throwing my Biology book into my locker, I slam the door in frustration with the pain.
After that, I walk to my Songwriting class. That one shouldn't be too hard. Most of my friends will be in there. Jade, Andre, and Tori are in there, so maybe they'll make me feel better. The Tylenol is working a little on the headache, but the cramps and nausea are still there. And the cramps are just getting worse. I stumble into the classroom, plopping down into my chair.
Tori sits down beside me. Andre sits opposite her, and Jade sits on the other side of her. Tori has a concerned look on her face as she looks at my more than likely flush face. I can't say I blame her, though. She puts her hand on my shoulder and wraps her arms around me like she's trying to warm me up in a cold blizzard.
"Andre told me what you told him. About the cramps and the headache and stuff. Why didn't you tell me this in the hallway before school? We could've gone home. I could've made you something to eat or something." She says.
"I don't know, Tori. I just didn't want to be any trouble." I answer honestly. "And I wanted to prove it to myself that I can take pain; that I can push through something. I'm sorry. I should've told you." I lower my head.
"Yeah, you should have. But it's okay, because you're still okay. Just tell me if you want to go home and I'll take you to my place or something, okay?" She asks?
"Have you had anything to eat today?" Jade asks.
"Well…" I pause, "…I had a few bites of cereal this morning, but I had to make Adam's breakfast and get ready to go, so I really didn't have enough time to get anything really good to eat. Wish I had made you stop and get me an Egg McMuffin or something. I think I'll be fine until lunch guys, seriously. I will be, just watch." I say.
"I believe you, Cat. We believe you, right guys?" Tori asks the others.
"Of course." They say.
And that class actually went by faster than the other one. After the songwriting class, we all had lunch in the Asphalt Café. Even I attempted to eat. However, when I actually got the food down, it always made me want to throw up. It was so unpleasant.
"Cat, are you sure you're okay?" Jade asks.
"No. I'm not even close to sure or okay."
"Do you need to go home? Because if you have to, we can go right now. I'll just have my mom write out an excuse note." Tori offers.
"No, I don't need to go home. But I definitely need to go to the bathroom." With that, I jump up and literally run to the doors of the school. "Move out of the honkin' way, people! Chizz'll be going everywhere!" I scream as I run into the school.
I'm racing through the halls now. My stomach is churning. My head is pounding.
When I reach the bathroom, I push the door open and fall to my knees in a stall. I'm straining so hard to get everything out that my eyes are watering. I'm blind right now and I can't see where everything is going. While I'm vomiting, I hear the door open.
"Cat? Cat, are you in here?" Tori's voice echoes in the large bathroom.
"What gave it away? The sound of me gagging or the throw up hitting the water?" I ask sarcastically.
"Both, actually." She laughs. I'm really not in the mood for a laugh. "I think after you get through throwing up I'll take you to the nurse's office to find out just how sick you are. Is that okay?" She asks.
"Uh, yeah." I say, standing up and wiping my mouth. "Let's go."
"Are you sure you're through?"
"Yeah, come on." I say, grabbing her arm. She's practically carrying me to the nurse's office. I hate to put her through this, but she's really making me feel like I'm in good hands. I've got the best friends in the world.
She's now carrying bridal style into the Nurse's office, my head buried into her shoulder. Nurse Cotter looks up at us with a confused expression on her face. I guess she doesn't get a lot of patients in here being carried bridal style. She stands up and takes my temperature. She looks at the small monitor at my temperature and she grimaces. I guess that's not good.
"Yeah, Cat." She says. "Your fever is up to a hundred and two. You probably need to go home. Like, right now. But before you leave, I'd just like to ask you a few questions."
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" I scream. "DON'T TAKE ME AWAY!"
"What are you talking about, Cat? I just wanted to ask you about how you're feeling and how you're taking care of yourself and stuff like that." Nurse Cotter says.
"Oh, okay." I laugh for a moment. "Go ahead."
"Well, knowing you, you probably had candy for breakfast. Did you?" She asks.
"Well, that's two different things, Nurse Cotter." I start. "If you ask me, 'Did you have candy for breakfast' and to me, that would mean that you're asking me if I've had like… sour worms or something. When you ask me if I've had chocolate for breakfast, it could range anywhere from Hershey to Mr. Goodbar. So, could you clarify that question for me?"
"Um, okay, Cat." I can tell that kinda freaked her out, but she needs to be clear about what she's talking about, you know? "I guess what I meant was, did you have an unhealthy breakfast?"
"Well, really, I didn't have much of a breakfast at all. You see, what happened is I poured myself a bowl of Lucky Charms, which really isn't the healthiest of breakfasts, and then Tori showed up to take me to school right after I sat down. So I didn't get a chance to really eat a good breakfast, no." I say.
"Now, are they cramps? Or is it a stomach ache? I just want to make that clear."
"No, they're definitely cramps. It really feels like someone is reaching inside of me, grabbing my insides, and twisting them." I grimace in pain.
"Okay. Um… Cat, I want you to go to a drug store and buy a bottle of Imodium. It relieves a bunch of things like cramps and pressure, gas, bloating, diarrhea, things like that. It's over the counter, it's not very expensive or anything." I nod. "And Tori, have you been around Cat a lot, touched her a lot, things like that?"
"Yeah, let's see. I took her to school, sat by her in class, and carried her here. Why do you ask?" Tori asks. "Could I be getting sick?"
"I don't know." Nurse Cotter says. "But I want you both to go to a Rite Aid or something or a Walgreens. So here's a pass," she's writing something on a pad and hands me a piece a paper, "to get out of school due to sickness. So make sure you have all your stuff together and get outta here. I don't want to get sick." She smiles.
"Thanks, Nurse Cotter. We'll see you when we get better." I say.
"Hey, Cat, you've got to promise me something." She says.
"What's that?" I ask.
"You cannot have any sort of candy or chocolate until you're healthy. I just think you should stick to foods that contain a lot of vitamins." She says.
"AHHHH! NO! I can't promise you that." I whine.
"Cat, you're unhealthy right now. You aren't well. What was the key word in that statement? It's the word 'unhealthy'. What type of foods are chocolate and candy?" She asks.
"Healthy?"
"No, Cat. They aren't even close to being healthy. They have no nutritional value. They're just full of carbohydrates and they aren't even the good kind. So don't eat any of that stuff, okay?" She pleads.
"Fine! I just hope you know that I'm giving up a huge chunk of what I do with my life, which is eat chocolate, just to please you." I say.
"You shouldn't be doing it for me, though. You should be doing it to make yourself healthy. Just get out of here and get some rest guys." She says.
After we packed all of our stuff up, we pull into a Rite Aid just down the street to get some Imodium. Tori and I will be staying at her house for a while. She offered to let me stay there as long as I need to and I gratefully accepted.
"Okay, here's the Imodium. You ready, Cat?" Tori asks. I nod, still in pain.
"Alright. Let me pay for it while you wait in the car. Is that okay?"
I turn on my heel and walk to the car as quickly as I can. Sitting in the passenger's seat, I can't help but just stare blankly out the window. And within five minutes, Tori is in the car.
"Okay. Let's head home." She puts the car in drive and we begin to drive down the road. Luckily, she doesn't live that far away and we're in her driveway in no time.
"Do you want to sleep in our guest room or on the couch?" She asks as we walk in the door.
"Well, actually, I was wondering if I could sleep in your bed with you. I just don't like to be alone while I'm sick."
"Of course, Cat. That's no problem." She smiles, sitting down beside me.
"It's just that no one at home really takes care of me. I mean, Adam tries, but it's Adam. He's… limited, I guess." I say.
"Aw, I'm sorry, Cat. Don't worry. I'll take great care of you." She hugs me. I know I'm in great hands.
So, how did you all like it? I know it seems like a friendship story right now, but you have to let me get it set up. So let me know what you all think and just… yeah. Have a good day, everyone!
