Problem Kid

Chapter 71

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When we get home, Summer rushes up to me and engulfs me in kisses. The paramedics advised me to rest in bed or on the sofa for a while and to keep myself wrapped up to help fix my body temperature so that's what I do, I head into the living room and collapse onto the sofa. Sam enters after me, dragging my duvet along behind him and wrapping me up.

"Here's your phone, I'll get you a warm drink. What would you like? You're also overdue a meal and a few snacks but we can do fortasips for today if that makes it easier. This isn't a failure, it might just be more helpful for now. How does that sound?" I nod.

"Can I have a tea with one sugar please. And yeah, that sounds good. I'll do one now and another in a bit and then one before bed if that's ok? I just want to chill," I'm exhausted. Sam nods and heads into the kitchen as Summer cuddles up next to me. I let her lick my hand as I shiver under my duvet. I turn on my phone and delete all of the missed calls and texts. I don't want to see them and I'm sure Jimmy knows from Sam what's going on now anyway. I sigh and scroll through tiktok until Sam returns with my tea and my fortasip. I drink the tea first, as quickly as I can without burning my mouth. I'm freezing, I need something to warm me up. I'm done within 5 minutes and place the cup on the table before reluctantly opening my fortasip.

"What do you want to watch?" Sam asks me. I shrug.

"I'm not sure, anything," I yawn. I watch the TV with tired eyes as Sam puts on The Nightmare Before Christmas, a favourite of mine. Once I've finished my fortasip and we are about a quarter of the way through the movie, I snuggle up in my blanket with my head against Sam's arm and my hand gently stroking Summer's head. I decide to give up fighting it and just let myself slip into a nice peaceful nap as Jack Skellington sings in the background.

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"I'm glad she's okay now at least... I should've come home though," I wake up in my own bed, buried under layers of blankets. I still feel chilly but I'm warmer than I was. Sam and Jimmy are whispering outside my door and I decide to stay quiet and listen.

"It's ok, I had it handled. We do need to start trusting her more though. I think us being so restrictive on her is making things worse. She needs to be treated like the adult she is," Sam has a point...

"But it's not safe, what if she does something? I can't afford to lose her, Sam. I can't." Jimmy sounds scared and I instantly feel guilty for what I've done to him over the years.

"We won't let that happen. It's not going to happen, okay? We'll be careful. But keeping her locked away will only make things worse," Sam is actually be reasonable, wow.

"Just... Just be careful," Jimmy sighs in defeat. I hear him walk away up the stairs, closing the bathroom door. And a moment later, Sam walks upstairs too, calling out to Jimmy that he'll be in his room if he needs him. I sigh, laying on my back and staring up at the ceiling. My stomach rumbles. With another sigh, I sit up slowly and begin my transition to standing. Once I'm up, I quietly make my way into the kitchen. I get out a plate from the cupboard and open the fridge, instantly beginning to fill it. I don't care about calories, I don't care about numbers. Right now I just need food.

Scotch eggs, sandwich meat, fruit, raw vegetables, chocolate bars, a large carton of milkshake, any snack or food I can eat raw I take. In the end my plate is full and I have multiple packages of food in my arms. I rush back to the bedroom and lock my door behind me. I can hear the bath running upstairs as I make my way through the hall. Perfect. I collapse onto the bed and instantly begin to eat, stuffing my face with as much food as I can at once.

I am so. Fucking. Hungry.

I don't stop until everything is gone. As I force in the last few bites, I heave. It's taken 15 minutes for me to finish half a fridge worth of food but I don't care, I rush back into the kitchen and open the freezer. A whole 2 litre tub of ice cream, unopened. Cookie dough bites, two bags. Three ice cream sandwiches. Back in my room I devours those, drinking the last of the melted ice cream in the bottom of the tub. Suddenly, I hear Jimmy coming downstairs and I freeze. It's when he knocks on the door I jump into action and quickly shove all of the empty wrappers and cartons under the bed, shouting out to Jimmy as I do so.