ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｔｗｅｎｔｙ－ｔｗｏ

Mikey knew the moment he woke up that his day would be the worst day ever. He was not in a good mood and he felt extremely nauseous, something he hated feeling since he hated throwing up. But, he continued getting ready for his job at six in the morning with Aiden stirring in his bed across the room.

Aiden grumbled into the darkness, "shut up, Mikey, you're being loud."

"Fuck off," Mikey answered and closed the door to his bedroom. He walked down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to overcome the nausea. Then, he continued on his way and sat at the table, dropping his head so it was pressed against the cold wood.

He could feel his stomach grumbling for food, but he didn't want to eat just to puke it up at work, or five minutes later. So, he stuck with a small cup of water and saltine crackers. He brushed his teeth before heading out and his stomach curled once he was in the freezing temperature.

Mikey made it to his job and clocked in, glaring at the back of his manager's head. She didn't have him doing small tasks for the whole day, so he was happy for that. But, she did have him training a new worker in the same department as he was. It was the worst thing ever; the newbie had a million and one questions for Mikey, he was too touchy, and there was never a silent moment between them.

Around lunch Mikey forced himself to eat a ham sandwich from the small kiosk in the building he worked in, and sat near the bathroom just in case. It was a smart choice too, because he ran into it not even halfway through and he was sick in the stall. He groaned, feeling only slightly better, but now his limbs were shaking and his mind was running like crazy from throwing up at work. He knew he shouldn't continue to work, but he threw away that thought, flushed and washed out his mouth. His sandwich was tossed in the trash and he stationed himself near the bathroom for the rest of his lunch break, nothing happening.

All was well until a random, overwhelming, nauseous feeling washed over him and he rushed to the nearest bathroom with his trainee behind him. The new worker asked timidly, "are you okay, Mikey? Do you want me to tell Miranda about this?"

With a sigh, Mikey repeated the process from lunch and shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

The twenty-year-old grunted and groaned as he saw the newbie rush out of the bathroom and in the direction of Miranda's office. He mumbled to himself, "Jesus Christ," and walked out of the bathroom. He found himself face to face with his manager and he knew exactly what was coming.

"Go home Michael. I don't need you spreading your sickness around."

Mikey sent a strong glare to the newbie, but obeyed his superior. He collected his items and walked out of the building. On the way to his car he phoned Jasper as a way to rant. The college student answered with a groggy voice and Mikey scoffed at that.

"Are you just waking up, Jasper?" He hummed and Mikey complained, "jeez, you are so lazy."

Jasper murmured into the phone with a hoarse voice, "shut up."

They were quiet while Mikey started his car and Jasper realized what time it was. He questioned, "aren't you supposed to be working right now?"

"My manager sent me home because I puked." He continued to mutter complaints as he drove home.

Interrupting his friend, Jasper offered, "maybe that was a good idea? It's winter and people are susceptible to getting sick, Mikey. I wouldn't want a worker of mine being there when he puked either. No offense."

"That's because you're a goody-two-shoes, Jasper."

Something changed in Jasper and he asked roughly, "what's your problem? I'm just telling you what I think. It's not my fault you woke up with a bug, so keep your attitude for yourself, asshole."

Mikey parked his car and set his pounding head on the steering wheel. He was not in the best mood and he was just taking it out on Jasper. He wasn't in his right mind and Mikey knew that, but it didn't stop him from snapping at everyone.

"I'm not the asshole here—"

"Yes you are," Jasper quickly stated and Mikey could the annoyance in his voice. "You're being ridiculous over a small situation you can't help. Not everything has to be in your control, Michael. Not everyone will listen to you. Get used to it."

"I don't care if people don't listen to me, I dont care. Fucking hell, I don't even care about you." He knew that was a lie, but some reason it came tumbling out, and he couldn't fix it. Jasper sucked in a breath and Mikey could imagine the expression—eyes full of hurt, then him covering it up like it was nothing.

"Fuck you, Michael."

With that he hung up and Mikey walked into the house with his shoulders dragging him down. His grandmother could tell something was wrong, but he pushed her away and mumbled about being sick. The twenty-year-old trudged to his room and dropped on his bed with his eyes closed. He didn't even change from his work clothes, just lying on the bed in his button down and nice pants.

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Ahhhhh. Sorry???? But I'm bored (and tired since my friend's cat woke me up too early [its 8:32am rn]) so here's another update. Hope you all like!!

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