chapter thirty-eight

                                    

                                          
*Posted October 15th, 2020.
                          
Alexander Hamilton
                          
When I woke up it was still dark outside and my back hurt terribly.
                          
I sat up shortly after I'd woken up and was suddenly hit with a pounding headache and nausea.
                          
I stood up and slowly walked to the bathroom. I kneeled in front of the toilet for a few minutes until it finally hit me. There were few things in this world that I hated more than vomiting.
                          
Once I was done, I flushed the toilet and brushed my teeth. I felt disgusting.
                          
I decided to take some Tylenol as well, got a glass of water, then returned to bed.
                          
I took my phone and decided to scroll while laying down. A muscle in my back felt so awful. I definitely regretted the backflip attempt.
                          
I didn't remember everything from last night but I definitely remembered that.
                          
John began to stir in his sleep. I played with his hair. He hummed, "Why are you awake so early?" He mumbled. His eyes were still closed. He looked like he could fall back asleep at any moment.
                          
"I had to puke. But I feel better now." I answered.
                          
"How's your back?" John asked. He looked so cute when he was tired.
                          
"It hurts pretty bad." I replied honestly.
                          
"I'll massage it later, just try to sleep." John said. He feel asleep shortly thereafter.
                          
I didn't really want to sleep if I was being honest. I didn't even know if I could fall back asleep. I still felt pretty nauseous, though I knew I wasn't going to throw up again, the Tylenol hadn't kicked in yet because my head was still pounding and my back still fucking hurt.
                          
It was around four-thirty in the morning, the sun would rise in about an hour.
                          
I was on my phone for a little while before deciding to get up to watch the sunrise on the balcony. I put on a sweatshirt but stayed in my boxers.
                          
I made sure to grab an ice pack on my way there.
                          
I sat down on one of the chairs, putting the icepack behind me.
                          
The sky was still blue, but it was beginning to become lighter.
                          
About fifteen minutes had passed when John came outside to sit next to me. He looked like he just rolled out of bed.
                          
"Are you okay?" John asked tiredly.
                          
"Yeah, just have a headache." I replied, "How are you feeling?"
                          
"Okay." John said with a shrug, "I'm super tired. Still feeling emotional about nothing."
                          
I took his hand in mine and kissed the back of it, "You don't need a reason to be emotional. Sometimes it just hits you."
                          
John sighed, "I guess you're right. It just sucks, my whole family situation I mean. I just want to see my brothers and sisters."
                          
"I understand." I replied, "I miss my brother and mom all the time."
                          
He nodded, then after a moment of comfortable silence he said, "Was your mom nice?"
                          
I nodded, "She was the nicest person to ever exist. I guess I'm a little biased, but she was great."
                          
I felt tears begin to prick at the corner of my eyes. I wiped them away.
                          
"How about your mom?" I asked, still looking at the sky.
                          
"She was stern with us when she needed to be, but she was so kind and understanding." John said, his voice shaky. He began to softly cry as he continued, "I miss when our family was normal. I feel like she would have been supportive when I came out and helped my dad understand. My dad is just so empty and sad now."