All the small people

Chapter 3

I felt a small hand poking me awake in the morning.

My head was pounding and I cracked open one sticky eye to see my little brother Wylie standing there by my bedside.

"Hey bud," I said through the pain, sitting up and reaching blindly for the paracetamol I kept in my bedside drawer. "What's up?"

"Hungry," he said in between mumbles. He was a shy kid and not very vocal, often just opting to sit in silence rather than go out and play or be boisterous like many other boys his age.

"Is Dad not awake yet?" I asked stupidly. Of course he wasn't and when he did finally wake up he'd be nursing a hangover for the rest of the day.

He shook his little head and rubbed his eyes.

"Come on then," I said and got up, shrugging on a jumper before guiding him down the stairs. I cringed as fluff and dirt got caught under my feet. I tried to keep the two-storey flat clean where I could but it was a challenge with the amount of people living in it.

I peeked into Charlie's room as we passed by but he wasn't in there.

The fridge was almost empty aside from the sour smell of some gone off lettuce, Dad's beers and some questionable looking ketchup in the shelf.

A sigh left me and I went to the cupboards to try and find something I could give Wylie to eat.

I eventually came across some rice crackers and a pot of strawberry jam.

"Sorry bud, I'll try and get dad to get us some food later, Kay?" I plated him up a couple large crackers and dolloped some jam onto the side for him to use how he pleased.

He looked at the crackers and put on a brave face. "Okay." He nibbled around the edges of his pathetic breakfast.

I heard the rumbling snores coming from the lounge and it set my hairs on end. I wanted to ram my fist into his jaw, the fucker.

Larney came into the kitchen in her pyjamas, carrying her school bag with a granola bar hanging out of her mouth. She had a stash of them hidden under her bed.

"Morning. Can you ask dad to go food shopping later, please?" Charlie usually had a handle on getting us food here and there but obviously with the Holly situation, he kind of had his hands full currently.

She set her bag down with a huff. "Why do I have to ask him?"

I gave her a look. "Because you're the favourite. And he's leaving again in a couple days so we need food."

"Why can't Charlie go?"

I chewed on my lip. "Charlie isn't feeling too good right now so he can't go."

She made a face as she chewed her oat bar. "What's wrong with him?"

I weighed on telling her since she had a right to know considering Holly was supposedly pregnant with her niece or nephew too, but she was a bit of a tattle tale and I knew Charlie probably didn't want dad finding out just yet.

"He'll tell you when he's ready I'm sure."

"That's a bit of a cryptic answer." She got out her maths workbook, putting it on the table and got out her pencils and readied one to the page. She gave pause for a second before she looked up at Wylie who was still eating, swinging his little legs back and forth. "Can you go eat somewhere else, Wylie? You're distracting me from my work."

Wylie swallowed the cracker in his mouth, his mouth turning down into a frown. "Here first."

Larney rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm older. So shove off."