Blood Stained Sweaters

Dax

I sit up groggily, smacking my hand around blindly for my alarm. My hand finally finds the button and I press it, welcoming the silence. I'm about to lay back down, but I remember I'm going to pick Molly up. I hop out of bed and dash into my bathroom. Brush teeth.
Fix hair, if possible. No, that doesn't look right.
Fix hair again.
That's probably the best I'm gonna do. I make my way to my closet and pull out my jeans and short sleeve shirt, but immediately grab a hoodie to go along with it. I pull down the sleeves and grab my black backpack. I hurriedly dash down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"I'm heading out Mom." I say as she turns around and smiles.
"Okay. Dax, honey, do you want a muffin?" She refers to the blueberry muffins cooling on the oven.
"Two, actually. I'm picking up someone." Her eyes widen as I grab two muffins and wrap them in paper towels. I hope she likes blueberries.
"Is it a girl?"
"Gotta go Mom." I laugh as I dash out the door and hop into my car. The ride to Molly's house doesn't take long, maybe twenty minutes, and I pull into her driveway swiftly. I see the light on by the front door, and one on upstairs. I assume and hope that it's her, because I'm in deep shit if that's her dad. I see a tall figure step outside and make it's way to the car. I'm guessing that would be her dad. Why couldn't it be her mom? I roll down my window and take off my sunglasses, playing with my lip ring to remove nerves and distract me.
"I'm guessing you're Dax." He glares at my lip ring for a moment, but then gives me a half smile.
"Yes, sir. Um, I'm here to pick up Molly." I say shakily. He's rather intimidating.
"Well I assumed so, seeing as you're not here to pick me up. Lighten up, kid. If you have anyone to be afraid of, it's her." He makes a rumble deep in his chest, which I'm guessing is a laugh, and sticks his hand through my window. I almost flinch, but I compose myself and grasp it firmly. He seems impressed, and opens my door. I look at him, confused, and he chuckles. "Next time, check when a girl wakes up. She'll be up in ten minutes. Come inside. I think I have enough breakfast for two." He smiles and leads me inside. I'm shocked he wasn't put off by my lip. Most parents are. I walk in to the smell of maple syrup and bacon, but beyond that I smell the scent of...I don't know, it's flowery. It's a pleasant smell. "You like bacon?" Molly's dad asks, pointing to the plate he has in front of him.
"What about Molly?" I ask him. He rolls his eyes.
"She prefers getting food on the way to school." He shrugs. "I normally eat alone. So I'm glad for the company." He smiles at me. This guy is great. He scoops me up some bacon and two pancakes, then hands me the syrup. "Sit down at the table in there." He points to a room connected to the kitchen, which I assume is the dining room. There's a wood floor, and a wood table to match. Whoever decorated had a sense of style. Four burgundy place mats sit on the sides of the rectangular table, and a tan and burgundy candle sits in the middle. There are cute little pictures of bowls of fruit on the walls, wrapped in dark oak frames. I take a seat on the long side of the table closest to the door and set my plate on the placemat. Molly's dad enters a moment later and sits at the head of the table. We eat our food slowly, engaging in small talk. His wife is on a business trip, I learned. The man loves fishing, lucky for me, and we talk about different techniques and tools we use, and he tells a few funny stories. One involves Molly falling off of the boat. We laugh for a moment, then a tired voice pops up behind us.
"Hey Dad, hey Dax." Molly yawns. She's wearing a dark blue tank top and black spandex shorts, with a zip up hoodie draping lazily over her. It's obviously too big, because it's drooping below her tan shoulders. It's really just on her arms. Her brown hair is a little messy, but not too bad.
"Wait, Dax?" Her eyes widen and she makes a high pitched noise as she dashes out of the room and up the stairs. I chuckle, feeling the sound vibrate in my chest. Her dad laughs quietly for a moment and shakes his head, before going back to eating. I finish a few moments before he does and sit awkwardly, unsure of what to do with my plate. He looks at me after he's finished and smiles.
"They go in the sink." He smirks as I get up.
"You want me to take yours?" I ask, always the polite one. He seems surprised, but gives me warm smile.
"No thanks kid, but thank you for offering." He stands up and walks to the kitchen with me. We dump our dishes in the sink and go to sit in the living room. There are dark leather couches, a tv, and some pictures hanging around the room neatly. A few small potted plants sit in the windows. Ferns, it looks like. I check my watch. Time is going by a lot slower than it seems. Just as I sit down, Molly bounds down the stairs wearing some jean shorts and a light blue sweater. Her hair is tossed into a side braid and she has a necklace with a silver heart on it. I smile as she slips on her Vans and pulls me through the house.
"Bye Dad!" She yells as we leave. I run along behind her and give a small wave to her father before being yanked out the door by my hoodie. We hop in my car and I pull out of the driveway.
"I know you like to stop and get food, but my mom made muffins this morning. You want one?" I ask, knowing she hasn't eaten yet. She shakes her head slowly.
"I'm not feeling well enough to eat," she says, "I'm nauseous." I look at her. I get a weird feeling, but dismiss it.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. We better get to school." She toys with a string hanging off of the sleeve of her sweater. I nod and drive quietly down the road.
"Molly, are you okay?" I ask as I pull up to the school.
"I'm fine." She smiles, but it reach her eyes. She starts to open her door, but I grab her arm. She looks back to me with wide eyes and her eyes drag themselves to my hand on her elbow. I let go and chew gently on my lip ring.
"I'm here, okay?" She doesn't say anything else. She gets out and practically runs across the parking lot.