Compassion- Lookism

T w e n t y T w o

Irene and Daniel walked out of the house to be stopped by Duke. Irene and Daniel looked over to see a small stand selling food. The old woman smiled at them with a genuine smile.

"Our Dukey has so many friends. You two should eat something." She smiled. Irene guessed that was his grandma by the looks of it. Irene glanced over at Duke and saw his upset eyes and sad look.

She remembered what was written on the chalkboard. They must've eaten so much and done all of this. Irene saw the old grandma just as her mother. Working hard to pay for Duke. She knew exactly what this was all like.

It was too familiar to their own lives.

"Grandma, you should stay at home...you're sick." Duke said sadly as she coughed a couple times.

"Grandma, we already ate. Thanks for thinking of us, even though you have a business to run." Daniel smiled. Irene nodded and bowed to the woman thankfully. She was happy Daniel saw it too.

Duke looked surprised that they would do that. He was expecting another thing to happen like Vin Jin with Daniel, but Daniel and Irene seemed to understand and think of Duke and his grandma first.

"Sorry, we've gotta hurry home. I gotta go to work." Irene bowed to Duke and his grandma once more and started to turn.

"You're an amazing songwriter, Duke." She complimented and waved with Daniel at her side.
Duke smiled with a giant flood of heat washing over his body and sending chills up and down his body.

Irene and Daniel walked home in the cool sunset. Irene was beaming with the brightest smile Daniel's seen her have since her birthday when she got Vasco's present.

"It was so cool getting to record a song—or i guess we're still in the process, huh?" She beamed.

"Yeah, Duke is really cool." Daniel said. Irene nodded.

"He's so nice and he's really thoughtful." Irene smiled and checked her buzzing phone.

"Yeah, he is...do you like him?" Daniel asked as she unlocked the door. Irene furrowed her eyebrows and slapped him upside the head.

"Don't say stupid things." She mumbled and immediately regretted it. She inhaled through her teeth and latched onto her wrist painfully and spun in a circle for a moment.

Logan's bruise was a lot worse than she remembered. It was now throbbing at every touch and rotate of her hand. It was physically terrible. She could barely do anything with her hand now and she had to wear long sleeves to hide the bruising.

Irene and Daniel quickly changed. Irene wore their uniforms with a white skirt and a baby blue lose fitting sweater and switched her jewelry out to small 'fake' diamond earrings.

They walked to the store at dusk as all the streetlights were turning on. Irene ran her hands through her hair and sighed as they went back to working.

Irene really didn't feel up to stocking the shelves with only one hand, but she didn't want Daniel to have to be doing it if it hurt her back. She stretched her hand out to be able to fit a few chip bags in her hand instead of getting two. She was struggling with her arm and took a peak. Now some of the bruising looked navy like and the purple and blue were deepening in color. There was almost a perfect hand print wrapping around her arm completely. The bruising looked like something out of a horror gore movie.

"Irene! My voice doesnt hurt!" Daniel exclaimed and came around the corner of the snack aisle to see Irene pulling her loose sleeve down to her hand. He only saw it from her hand, so he didnt see anything, but she was acting suspicious.