Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.
Title: Switch-A-Roo
Rating: T
Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."
Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.)
I dedicate this fanfiction, along with all my others, to God. May all glory be to Him.
I can barely remember what's been happening this past week. First it was Sunday and now it's Friday. How did that happen? I don't even think I remember what we've been learning in school. Something about tea parties in history. Did people throw tea parties in history a lot? I haven't even been paying attention to what Matthew has been telling me. Does he even know whether I'm listening or not? Gym has been rather hard, even though Antonio claims we've been doing easy things. I open the door to the library. Maybe I can tell Matthew that I get it already and leave within half an hour...
I sit down in the chair, but not after stumbling a little. I'm only a little bit dizzy, but maybe that's because of the extra suicides I was forced to run.
"Are you okay?" Matthew asks. "You almost tripped."
I shake my head, but soon stop as the room threatens to spin. "I-I'm fine." I'm kind of hungry. When did I last eat...? A hand grabs my arm. Was I falling?
"Are you sure you're okay? When did you last eat?"
"That's what I'm trying to remember. Last thing I remember eating was...cinnamon rolls, I think." I try to think harder. Where did I eat those cinnamon rolls? Um...oh, right. "The ones your mom made."
"Why haven't you been eating?" Is it me or does he sound kind of worried? "Tell me, please."
I shake my head in response, but almost fall again.
"Please, look at me and tell me what's going on, Gilbert." Softer, he adds, "I worry about you." He coughs. "B-But I worry about all of my friends!"
I don't want to meet his eyes, but I force myself to. "My dad...isn't with us..." I manage to choke out. I don't want to cry! I've been crying for the past week already, and I'd hate to cry in school! Do boys even cry around other boys?
"I'm so sorry."
"No, you're not. Everybody says that, but in reality they're not sorry! They just want you to think that!" I snap. I shouldn't have tried to stand up that quickly. The room's spinning again. Just as I'm about to fall, Matthew catches me again.
"Come on." His voice is still soft, but he sounds strict. Like a parent telling off their two-year-old. "We're going to the cafeteria, and you're going to eat something, okay?"
I can't even shake my head anymore, so I'm forced to agree. I can't tell if I'm leaning on Matthew, or if I'm walking on my own. The edges of my vision is black, and I'm still dizzy. All I have to focus on is walking and breathing. Step, breathe, step, breathe, step, breathe, stumble, fall. Ouch! Matthew helps me up again.
I sit and wait for Matthew to come back. I'm clutching the end of the table in the cafeteria to prevent myself from falling backwards.
"Eat that." A banana is set in front of me.
"I don't wanna eat," I mumble. "I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat something. Please eat it. For me?" Matthew pleads.
I peel the banana and take a bite. "Okay, full now."
"Eat all of it."
"I don't want to."
"For me?"
"Stop saying that! It makes me feel guilty." I keep taking bites of the banana until it's all gone. "Happy?"
"Do you feel better?" he asks.
I almost shake my head, but now I realize any slight movement makes me dizzy. I put my freezing hand to my head. It's warm, but the rest of me is just so cold. I feel sick.
"I wanna go home," I say.
"I'm walking you. Don't try to argue, Gilbert. You can't even walk without help. You need to go to a doctor." He looks at me. Pretty purple... "That's final."
Where are his eyes going? They're all swirly...oh, no. Purple swirls. Not good, not good! I'm falling again. Someone's calling my name. I feel like I'm dying. I can't die! I'm too awesome to die! I look down at myself, but I can't see anything. This feels terrible. I've always wanted to fly, but this doesn't feel like I thought it would. It feels scary and frightening. I'm holding something. What is it? I hug it tightly.
Bright light...white...I think I'm coming back. Ow, ow, ow! There's something sharp in my arm. I can see now...I'm in a hospital room. Was it that bad? Nobody is in here with me. My backpack is on the chair next to the bed. A nurse walks in.
"Oh, wonderful. You're awake," she says in a warm voice. "You have a very good boyfriend. He said he carried you here."
"He's not my boyfriend," I say flatly.
She ignores my statement and checks the IV (aka, the 'Sharp Pointy Thing of Doom that's Stuck in my Arm'). "You haven't been eating properly. Can you tell me why?"
"My father died." I can't lie to nurses. They'll ask my parents if I don't tell them, so there really is no way to lie.
"I'm sorry about that. May I have your mother's phone number? I need to contact her to tell her you're here. She might get worried."
I recite the number to the nurse, and she scribbles it on her clipboard. She asks me if I need anything, then tells me to just press the little button on the side if I need somebody. Then, I'm all alone again. I hope Matthew didn't find out about me. If he did, would he keep it a secret? Who would find out after him?
Ugh, I'm getting bored! Who knew hospitals could be so boring? There's nothing to do. I pick up my cell phone from the little side table. Maybe I could text somebody...Oh! Feliks! I almost forgot about him! I should tell him what's happening. Only about thirty seconds later, I receive a reply.
OMG! Like, I'll be right there!
I check the time. It's around six o'clock, so I must have been out for around two or three hours. I wonder...does fainting count as sleeping? I mean, you're unconcious so it would count, right? Maybe I'll ask the nurse next time she comes in.
The door opens, and my super awesome best friend flounces in.
"Like, I'm here! Hold the, like, applause!" Feliks announces. He tosses something onto my lap. "Like, enjoy!"
I look at the object. It's a Kit-Kat! AKA, the awesome-est candy in the world! As I have so awesomely put it, they are 'chocolate-covered heaven wafers'. It's the truth!
"I'm just wondering...how come you can get here faster than my mom and brother can?" I ask.
"I was already, like, around here. I was, like, at the mall. That's why I, like, got you a Kit-Kat! They were, like, giving them out."
"You mean this isn't the little run-down hospital by the shoe factory?" I ask to clarify.
He shakes his head. "Nope!"
Just then, my mom walks in. She looks angry but concerned.
"Why didn't you tell me you were so upset, honey?" she asks gently. "I could've helped you."
"You were too busy trying to find a new job. I didn't want to add to your stress." I hope that didn't sound as mean as it sounds.
"Just don't starve yourself. That's not good."
"I know."
"Then why did you do it?"
"I wasn't trying to! You tell me to only eat when I'm hungry, and I wasn't hungry." I nibble on my Kit-Kat.
"Just tell me if you're ever feeling like that again, okay? Mom brushes a few strands of hair from my face and kisses my forehead. "I'll be back later, okay?"
I nod, and she leaves the room.
"I think she's angry at me," I sigh. "She only treats me extremely nicely when she's angry at me."
"Like, she's not angry, silly! She's just, like, disappointed," Feliks tells me. "But, like, I agree with her. Like, please don't not, like, eat."
"I already said I'm not trying to."
"I know. I would have, like, totally done the same, like, thing." He pats my arm. "It's, like, totally not your fault!"
"I'm too awesome for this to be my fault," I laugh.
An old, cranky nurse walks in.
"If you're not family, get out," she says monotonously.
Feliks almost gets up to leave before I grab his arm. "He's my brother."
The nurse raises an eyebrow at me.
"This is my brother," I repeat. "As in, we are related."
"Like, Mom totally couldn't stay so, like, I volunteered to, like, stay with her." Thank God Feliks gets the message and his playing along.
"Ok...I'm sure Brenda explained the button to you?" At my confused look, she adds, "You know, the other nurse?"
"Oh, yeah. Right. She did."
The nurse rolls her eyes and leaves.
"Like, what a crabby old lady," Feliks mutters.
We continue talking for a bit. Feliks tells me that he'll go get me things from home, and I list off the things I want. He laughs and tells me that it seems like I'm packing for a three-week-long vacation. I see through the little crack in the blinds that it's already dark out by the time I get tired.
"G'night...brother," I yawn.
He rolls his eyes. "Like, 'night, sister!"
I breathe in outside air on Sunday morning.
"Finally!" I exclaim. "I thought I'd never be released from that prison!"
"You were only in there for a day and a half," West says. At the sight of me skipping around in the patch of grass next to where the car is parked, he adds, "Weirdo."
I hug the skinny tree in the middle of the patch. "Hello, tree! I know you must have missed the awesome me!"
My mom shakes her head. "It must be the medicine. Come on, Gilda! Get in the car."
"I'll visit again someday!" I promise the tree, hopping into the backseat of the car. "She was so nice." I'm referring to the tree (which I have named Leafy) in that statement.
"Are you sure this is Gilda?" West asks.
"Hey! I'm sure that Mom knows who her daughter is! Right, Mom?"
"Well," Mom 'hesitates'.
I break out in hysterical laughter. I'm just so glad to be out of there! I should try to never land myself in a hospital again. Speaking of which, those people gave me an 'eating schedule'. Apparently, I'm supposed to eat when that thing says so. I guess it's somewhat of a good idea, but after being in that hellhole once, I don't think I want to do it again.
Eventually we pull up in the driveway. I sling my backpack on my shoulder, wondering why I didn't ask Feliks to get it home for me. At least I was able to shove all of the junk I asked him to bring in there so it's easier to carry. I fling the backpack on the bed and change out of the clothes I was wearing, finding out that someone had taken off the binding for my chest. Ew, I hope it was a girl who did it.
It's a bright and sunny morning, so I decide to open the window. Light floods the room immediately, and I realize how dark it was in here. Well, one corner is painted black only because that's where I do some of my awesome plotting. It's the corner where I thought up about this awesome switching idea.
Oh, darn. Now I have to do homework...stupid not eating for making me make Matthew worry. Now I've got absolutely no clue what this stuff is about.
...
It can wait until later, right? What should I do today...? Maybe I could go play outside like a little kid. I remember when Feliks and I used to go to the park all the time. It was so much fun! We'd tell people that we were siblings and then proceed to freak them out. Well, I freaked people out. Feliks just laughed.
Hey...I have a tire swing? No way! I would have noticed! I run out to the front yard, cackling strangely. How come I've never noticed this thing before? I start to swing. This is fun!
"Kesesesese~!" I squeal as it goes higher and higher. "Kesese~!"
"Gilda, come inside. It's time for you to eat," Mom calls to me.
I reluctantly stop myself by scuffing my shoes against the ground. I swear, I'm a pro at this. Back in elementary school, I always took turns with Feliks on the swings. I sit at the table with a stupid grin on my face.
Placed in front of me is a plate full of colorful fruits. Oh, look! A banana! I love bananas! They're yellow and make smiley faces! Mom used to tell me that if someone gave you a banana, it means they care deeply about you. Hey, didn't someone get me a banana?
I'm so happy to be at school today! I'm even happy to be stuck in this room with Mrs. Krumse! Wait...I feel like I'm forgetting something...Homework! Right. I take out my Math book and begin the remaining fifteen problems. Let's see...value of n is 47. Area of a circle is 24 centimeters circled. Easy! Well, I guessed most, but you know!
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Matthew tells me.
I look at him and beam. "Huh? Oh, thanks! I guess the hospital wasn't too bad because I got candy from old people! Old people are so awesome! They always smell nice and give you candy that they always have. Have you ever wondered where they buy those candies? I've always wondered that. What about the way they smell? How do they get themselves to smell like that? With old people powers or something? And why-" I cut myself off. "I'm blabbing, aren't I?"
He chuckles. "You're very talkative this morning."
"I blame it on the cereal Mom made me eat," I tell him. "It was all sugary and stuff. Oh! I discovered I have a swing in my front yard! It's fun 'cause I was all like 'Kesesesese~!', and it was all like WHOOSH! I made a friend at the hospital! Her name's Leafy, and she's a tree. I told her I'd visit, but I'm hoping it won't be for a long time. She needs to grow so I can climb her. Also, I don't want to be stuck in the hospital again!"
The bell rings, and Matthew smiles warmly and apologetically as his brother drags him away. My cheeks heat up and I swear I just died.
"So you love him?" Francis asks. "It's obvious zat you love Matthew, non?"
"Wh-what?" I sputter.
"It's pretty hard to miss, mi amigo," Antonio agrees with Francis.
"I-I'm not in love with him!" I try to defend myself.
"I know, mon ami. We didn't zink you did at first, but now we do."
"Then why were you bugging me?"
"Ohonhonhon~!" Francis laughs his annoying laugh. "We just wanted you to get across the bridge without you having to run. Good luck, lover boy!"
As they take their seats in history, it leaves me to think...Am I in love with Matthew? No...no, I can't be. Even if I was, I don't think he'd like me back. And he'd find out that I'm a girl! I'm not in love with Matthew. He is not adorable. I don't melt when he smiles at me. I don't fight the urge to squee when I find out he cares about the awesome me. And I am positively not in love with him at all.
Am I?
Author's Note: Sorry, it's later than the last chapters were. -.-" Fanfiction wasn't letting me log in, so I had to un-download Safari (I don't use a Mac. I have a Windows), and re-download Internet Explorer as my browser. Then, I had to rewrite that last part because Fanfictionw as being stupid. All in all, I think it was pretty good. I decided that Gilda needs to be happy for a bit. Who knows how long it'll last?
-XiXi Scarlett