You're So Fragile

Chapter 12

     It starts to get dark so I decide to take a shower. The fresh burns are still a bit sensitive to the hot water but it doesn't bother me. When I get out, I change into his old Slipknot shirt and a faded pair of leggings and some clean socks. I brush my hair out and towel dry it. I notice my bangs are growing a little long so I trim them with a pair of scissors I found in a drawer. Then suddenly, I hear the faint sound of a door closing. It came from downstairs.

     "Grace, get down here." I hear Carter shout from downstairs. I head down to see what he wants.

     "What?" I ask.

     "I brought dinner." He explains. I didn't even know he left.

     "You left the house without me?" I question.

     "Yeah, you were showering and I only had about half an hour until the burger joint closed." It's unlike him to leave without me. That's why he rarely leaves the house. He never leaves me here alone. He looks at me and notices that I have his old shirt on. For a moment. it seemed as though he was scanning my body. I could be mistaken. He's clever; He knows I never finish my food so to substitute for that lost nutrition, he buys high calorie junk food.

     "I'm not really hungry." I explain. He doesn't look at me, he just rummages through the bag and puts the food on the table.

     "You have to eat something." He states blankly. "Come on, sit down." I reluctantly sit down. I take a small bite of the burger, and a few minutes later, eat a few fries. By the time he's almost done with his food, mine looks barely touched. He notices. "Grace, eat some more." He says like he's talking to a child who doesn't eat their vegetables.

     "I don't want to. I told you, I'm not hungry." He sighs out of frustration.

     "Alright, you don't want to eat food. I'll tell you what," He reaches for a drink from the restaurant, "if you drink this milkshake, and I mean really drink it, I'll give you two cigarettes."

     Tempting. "What flavor is it?"

     "Strawberry."

     I give him a quizzical look but I can see he's being serious. "Alright." I compromise. I haven't had a milk shake in years. It tastes beautifully sweet. In a way, I feel like a kid again. More in the sense that I haven't enjoyed anything like this since I was a kid. I remember my mom and dad had got into this huge fight one night before school and my dad felt so bad for me that he picked me up from school and bought me a caramel sundae from this ice cream shop nearby. He had a chocolate ice cream cone. That's probably my fondest memory of him. Pop. Carter had grabbed a beer from the fridge while I was reminiscing. The sound of it opening brought me back to earth. I suddenly felt a lighter attitude towards Carter at the moment. I even ate a few more fries. He finished all of his food and was drinking the last of his beer when I finished the milkshake. 

     "I'm done." I notify him.

     "How'd you like it?" He asks while taking the cup from me and disposing of the rest of the food and trash.

     "It was good." I say sincerely.

      "Well, I'm glad you liked it.. Here." He hands me two cigarettes and lights it for me.Then he sits back down. He lights his own and I can't help but think I'm getting used to this routine. After a few drags, I stand up and start to walk away.

     "Whoa, where are you going?" He asks urgently.

     "To my room." I say obviously.

     "No, you're gonna smoke those right here in front of me." He still hasn't mentioned the burns he saw last night.