Phil's Kid

Ch-87-Sandwich-?

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I showed Karter where my secret base-hoise was in Minecraft. It wasn't that much of a secret considering almost everyone knows where it is. Karter gasped when they entered my base. "Like it?" I asked. Karter noded their head keeping their eyes on the screen. "Wow..." They whispered. At least I think they whispered. "It's cool." Karter said quietly. "Thank you." Karter turned their head to me and looked me in the eyes. "For everything." There wasn't a smile on Karter's face, they were serious. It was probably the most serious I've seen Karter before.

Karter talked to me... "No problem." I nodded my head, while debating in my head, I just decided to go for it. I leaned down to the height that Karter was in my chair and pulled them in. I wrapped my arms around them in a tight hug. Karter hugged back tightly. A few tears pricked my eyes. "I'll always be here for you, I promise." "Thank you..."

"Kids! Lunch is ready!"

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I walked down the stairs first with Karter behind me. When I walked Into the dining room I froze. Ms. Ken was still here. She was sitting at the head of the table with an empty plate in front of her. She was looking down at her phone and didn't notice us.

I reached my left arm out to stop Karter from coming down the last step. The way their breath hitched Karter probably saw her too. I looked at my mom who entered the dining room and she looked at me and Karter with soft eyes. 'Can we eat upstairs?' I mouthed pointing to the stairs behind me. Mom softly shook her head that places two more empty plates on the table. Probably for me and Karter.

I took Karter's hand and sat down at the table next to Ms. Ken, Karter sat down next to me. Dad came out of the kitchen holding a plate of sandwiches. Then sat across from me. Mom came back out with some cups and milk. Then she sat down next to dad across from Karter.

Ms. Ken looked up from her phone and scanned her eyes across the table when they landed on Karter she smiled at them. "How are you, Karter?" She asked in a sweet tone. "They're fine." I replied for Karter. I reached my arm across the table to grab a sandwich and break the stare she had on Karter. I picked up a sandwich with some lunch meat and cheese on it then sat back in my chair placing the sandwich on my plate. "Let's eat." Mom said smiling. Dad looked at her with a raised eyebrow but then looked away and grabbed his sandwich. Mom also grabbed a sandwich, and so did Ms. Ken, Karter was the only one who hasn't grabbed a sandwich yet. They were starting at the sandwiches.

"This side is meat." Mom said pointing to one side of the plate. "And this side is peanut butter and jelly." Mom said pointing to the other half on the plate. Karter nodded their head and grabbed a sandwich with meat on it then placed it on their plate.

"So..." Ms. Ken said. "Do you want to come back to my house with me today? That's alright if you don't want me to adopt you yet, I can just take care of you." Ms. Ken was smiling at Karter. Karter didn't respond, they didn't even seem like they heard what she said. Karter was just staring down at their sandwich. With the look in Karter's eyes, I knew they heard her. I grabbed Karter's hand under the table and lightly squeezed it. They lightly squeezed back.

There was a cough across me. I looked up at mom and dad. Dad was taking a bite out of his sandwich and mom had her first to her mouth signaling that she must have coughed.

"Ms. Ken, your the nurse at the school right?" Mom asked smiling at Ms. Ken. Mom asked sweetly but she didn't sea to sweat about it. "I am." Ms. Ken nodded her head. "Then may I ask why you weren't at the school today?" Mom's smile dropped. Oh, she does have a point. The table fell into an awkward silence as everyone loomed at Ms. Ken waiting for her answer.

"I was worried when Karter didn't come to school today, and no one called in saying they we're going to be absent today." Ms. Ken started. "So I went to their house and saw police officers there. I asked what happened and they told me." She glances at Karter. "I'm glad your safe." Sue looked away and back at my mom. "Anyway, they told me who took Karter home. I remembered your name." She gestured to dad. "Being Alex's dad so I then went to your house, and here I am." Ms. Ken finished by taking a bite of her sandwich. It was silent for a bit while she ate.

"Let me get this straight." Mom spoke up. "You went to go check on Karter because they didn't have an excuse to not be at school, and you didn't come here to check on why Alex didn't have a reason for not being at school?" Karter gave my hand a light squeeze again, so I lightly squeezed back. Our hands were still interlocked under the table.

"I-um." Ms. Ken drank some milk in her cup before speaking again. "I knew something was up with Karter at home... They came to my office a few times with unexplainable injury..." When Ms. Ken trailed of mom spoke up. "And you didn't think to report anything?" Ms. Ken quickly replied. "I was a new nurse, who would believe me?" "Maybe the scars on Karter's back?" I felt Karter's hand flinch. I rubbed my thumb across the back of their hand.

"What was I supposed to do? Take pictured without consent?" "Call the police." "There parents could easily make up an excuse." "And you think that gives you an excuse to do nothing?" Mom's chair quickly slid back when she stood up placing her hands on the table. "I am a nurse, I can take care of Karter at my house." Ms. Ken said also standing up. "And you think we can't treat to basic injuries?" "There's nothing basic about those injuries." "That's why hospitals exist. Your just like the last nurse."

I could feel Karter's hand start to lightly shake in mine. I used my hand that wasn't holding there's to run their back. I was also slightly panicking. We caused trouble for them. How was I supposed to react? Stay at the table to hear it? Leave with Karter? I couldn't stand up. My legs felt a little shaky.

"Ma'am, Karter had a reason not to be in school today, Alex doesn't." Ms. Ken spikes glaring at mom. "Is that a threat?" Mom asked glaring back. "I think that's enough." I heard dad speak up. He placed one hand on mom's shoulder and one on Ms. Ken. He looked at Ms. Ken with a glare. "I think it's time you leave."

I looked over at Karter, they were staring down at our intertwined hands, and they seemed to have some trouble breathing. I looked over at mom, she was glaring at Ms. Ken, but when she looked over at us in the corner of her eyes, her gaze seemed to soften a bit. I then looked over at dad. He kept looking between Ms. Ken, mom, and where me and Karter we're sat.

What did I look like? I'm not sure. I felt some sweat running down my forehead. I just noticed that my breathing seemed off, it made my chest kind of hurt. Plus I still had my binder on, which wasn't helping my breathing problem that seemed to grow.

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12:05 am
Eh it's Saturday.
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