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Elise latched on to the cool porcelain of the toilet, hurling once more into the bowl. Her throat ached with a burning sensation that attacked her throat from the inside out. With shaky hands, she wiped her mouth with a crumpled up piece of toilet paper before rubbing her watery eyes. She remained on the bathroom floor, bracing herself in case there was more.
Chris was sitting behind her, holding her hair back from slipping into her face for when she puked. He felt a slight sense of guilt creeping up on his conscience for running out on his girlfriend and Eva to help Elise, but he couldn't stop himself. He was worried.
Slowly, Elise lowered herself to sit flat on the bathroom floor, her bare legs curling underneath her. She sighed, running her hands through her brown hair as a still silence enveloped around them. She shifted uncomfortably, letting her hazel eyes clash with his. "Sorry about this."
Chris shook his head, sitting up and moving closer to her. "No, no. It's fine, really. I just want to make sure you're okay."
Elise cocked her head to the side, a smirk playing lazily at her lips. "Careful, Christoffer. I might start to think that you actually care."
He didn't respond, but instead shyly glanced at her with a small smile gracing his features. His brown eyes seemed to glimmer with adoration as he gazed into hers.
After staring for too long, Chris awkwardly coughed and averted his eyes away from her. "So, uh, did you have too much to drink or something?"
Elise's smile faltered and she cast down her eyes into her lap. "No, I don't really drink."
Chris nodded unsurely, his dark eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "So, why did you puke?"
She kept her eyes on anything but him, playing with her fingers anxiously. "I don't really know."
Unconvinced, Chris scooted closer to her, their legs touching and his hand meeting the small of her back. She tensed up at the sudden contact, but quickly tried to relax. He eyed her carefully, noticing the light flush of her cheeks and the way she nervously toyed with her fingers. Truth be told, he had been keeping close watch on her for longer than he'd ever admit, but it was for a very good reason. He couldn't imagine just how many times he'd seen Elise deprive herself of food, as well as the few times he'd watch her devour something small as though it were her first meal in ages. His eyes met hers once more, and he could've sworn that he detected a flicker of freight.
"Elise," he muttered softly, "are you okay? I've seen you at the vending machine a few times; when you'd just stand there and stare at it. Sometimes you'd take out money, but you would never actually buy anything. And when I gave you that apple a few days ago, you ate it reluctantly"
"Not to mention when, at the party, you scarfed down a ton of chips like you hadn't been eating for a long time ," he continued, his eyes searching her crestfallen face for answers. "Now, you're puking and I know it's not because of alcohol. What's going on, Elise?"
She stayed silent, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to remain nonchalant. She forced herself to look him in the eyes. "I'm fine. Nothing is wrong with me."
Elise shivered slightly when he began to run his finger up and down her back, a burning heat travelling up her neck to redden on her face. She felt her heart beat quicken, swallowing hard as her stomach began to churn as he gently caressed her back. Her mind went hazy as she attempted to process the emotions pulsing through her. She felt warm with Chris; a certain sense of comfort with him. She thought back to all of their little, seemingly insignificant moments together; from his teasing and their banter in class, the time he sincerely offered her his lunch, and even now as he shamelessly held back her hair as she hurled into the toilet. Had Chris changed? She wondered if he were still the same old "Penetrator Chris", who only talked to girls for one thing, and one thing only; sex. A good time.
Suddenly, Elise felt a surge of anger course through her veins. She turned to look at him, her lips pulled into a scowl. "Is this what you did with Eva?"
Chris pulled away, his forehead creasing in confusion as he gazed at her uncertainly. "What do you mean?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Comfort her, put your arm around her, tell her exactly what she wants to hear — all just to hook up with her."
His eyes widened and his mouth slacked in bewilderment. He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck nervously, and he bit his lip absentmindedly. "That's not my intention, Elise."
She scoffed. "Are you sure? Because about fifteen minutes ago, you were shoving your tongue down Eva's throat."
Chris huffed, running his hand through his hair. "Well, it's not my intention with you."
Elise tilted her head to the side in confusion, indicating that he should elaborate. Chris shifted awkwardly, keeping his eyes on his lap. "I'm not trying to hook up with you. Believe it or not, I'm kind of . . . concerned about whatever's going on with you."
Elise felt an uncontrollable heat creep up to her face, the fluttering in her stomach intensifying at his claim. She felt her heart beat quicken once again, and her head went fuzzy as she stared in his brown eyes.
Elise shook her head, attempting to block out the frequent feelings of adoration for him. Her mind went hazy as she tried to determine whether he was lying or not. She knew his reputation amongst the girls, and how he's constantly hooking up with anything that breathes. Shaking her head, Elise told herself that she wasn't any different than the others.
"Wow," she said, her voice dull and lacking any emotion, "you really had me fooled for a bit."
Chris knitted his eyebrows together, shuffling closer to her and putting his arm around her in attempt to convince her. "No, Elise, I swear it's not what you think."
The brunette shook his arm off of her shoulders as she jumped up to her feet. Chris followed her lead, scurrying to stand up and move towards her. Elise yanked the door open, turning around to look at him one last time. "Stay away from me."
She felt her heart drop when his face fell, his expression showing clear distress and disappointment. But, he didn't try to stop her.
