Snapdragons

Claire sat in her room, her desk littered with books, notes, and, of course, the petals she had been coughing up. She couldn't focus. Her thoughts were only on one girl, a girl who she absolutely could not stand but somehow also... found mesmerizing?

Ever since she realized these feelings, she unintentionally started to focus on the good things about Zip. Like her laughter that Claire used to dread now, was music to her ears. The way her tail wagged when she was up to no good (which was all the time), and the way her eyes would sparkle whenever she was teasing her. It was infuriating, yet... intoxicating? Like a drug that you know is bad for you, but you just can't get enough of it.

But she had to stop thinking about Zip. She had to push those thoughts away. She couldn't let these feelings control her, especially when they were so... so wrong. The very thought of it made her stomach twist. But as soon as she tried to refocus on her homework, her throat tightened again as the pesky flowers demanded their escape.

Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes widening as she felt the now familiar sensation of petals pushing up her throat. She swallowed hard, trying to keep them down, but it was no use. With a gag, she coughed up....

It wasn't just a petal this time; it was a whole flower. A pretty, full-bloomed flower... It was almost as pretty as Zip- gah! She had to stop thinking about her. Claire's eyes watered as her throat felt sore after that...she had to figure out what was going on! But she can't tell anyone? Would a book or the Internet even have an answer for this?

With a sigh, she pushed her books aside. Her studies were important, but she couldn't focus like this. She had to figure out what was going on. It was definitely linked to Zip, but how? And why?

Flopping down on her bed, she picked up her phone with a sigh. Her hand hovering over the search bar for a moment before typing "coughing up bloody petals". The screen loaded for a few minutes before Claire got her answer...

Hanahaki disease.... a rare condition where an individual would literally cough up flowers as a manifestation of unrequited love. The symptoms grew worse if not treated or even become fatal.

Well, that was worrying, but it said "if not treated" so there was a cure, right? But what was it? She scrolled down more until she saw a section that said treatment. She sighed in relief, but as she read it...WHAT!?!?

This had to be some sick joke. Claire stared at her phone in disbelief as she read the words 'Hanahaki disease's cure was to confess your feelings to the person you're in love with'. This couldn't be real. But here she was, growing flowers in her own lungs. She didn't even know how! It was like the universe was playing a twisted game with her, making her fall for the worst person she'd met! At least that's what she wanted to believe. And now this?

Confessing to Zip was the last thing Claire wanted to do. She felt trapped, blooming a bouquet of flowers that were probably gonna kill her, and the only way for it to stop was to confess to the person she despised the most, but that's the thing she couldn't either way. This whole disease was a curse of unrequited love, which meant Zip had to feel the same way she did for the curse to break, but that was just not happening. Zip hated her, just like how Claire hated Zip.

Claire scrolled down, desperately trying to find another way. Her eyes widened when she saw the alternative treatment for Hanahaki disease. It was another difficult one, but at least it didn't involve confessing her feelings to Zip. The idea was simple, yet difficult at the same time: She had to no longer have feelings for the person causing the symptoms, and the symptoms would subside and eventually disappear. But how was she supposed to stop loving Zip? She barely understood why she felt this way in the first place.

Why did emotions have to be such a mess? Claire thought to herself, feeling lost and frustrated. The alternative treatment was some sort of hope, but also a challenge she wasn't sure she could beat. She was going to have to learn to tolerate Zip. That meant she had to ignore every insult and tease, every smirk and flirty glance. It was going to be a battle, but it was one she had to win if she didn't want to become a flower bush.