A Viking, Willa, Josiah And His Lamb In A Truck | ✔

In Which She Does Melodrama

The Viking avoided my woeful face during breakfast, slouched over the dining table and gobbled the saltless scrambled eggs with the fork. I slurped my chocolate milkshake loudly, trying to grab his attention. From the slight flare of his nostrils, I knew that I was irking him.

"I can't stay here any longer," I declared, placing the carton with a dramatic thump on the table.

He shrugged. "Then don't."

"I have nowhere else to go!"

"That's your problem." He pointed the fork at me. I impulsively reached across the table and snatched it from his large hands, having a sudden urge to stab him in those similar eyes. "I'm not keen on having you here either. You killed one of my chickens."

"It bloody attacked me!" A brilliant, conniving plan struck me and I contained my anger. "That chicken . . . That poor, poor chicken died right in front of my eyes . . . " I made my lower lip shake like I was nibbling something to appear that I was traumatised. "The gruesome way in which . . . Oh, God! It came in my nightmare last night!"

"You didn't sleep last night."

I ignored him, trying to produce some sympathetic tears, but failing because of dehydration. "You wouldn't know . . . I'm frightened just by hearing the chickens outside . . . I need to get away from this . . . I need to go to the beach . . . Jarred said that there's one nearby, the South Coast---"

"No," he obstinately cut me off. "You can't bully me as you do to your mother."

"Bully you? You're the one who has been bullying me!" I yelled, discarding the plan within seconds. "I'm a fifteen-year-old child whose mother gave up on her! She hasn't even called me in these past days! Not fucking once! That's how little she cares of me!"

He said, crossing his arms, "There's no network here."

"W-Well . . . Uh . . . " I struggled to find an argument which further sparked the tempestuous fury in me. "Exactly, then! She left me in the middle of nowhere with no network so she doesn't have to bother checking up on me! Her only daughter! It fucking hurts to feel so fucking unloved!"

My voice had become coarse, tears surfacing in my eyes and I credited my commendable acting skills for that. Yet, I didn't feel so good. It felt like drinking too much soda, then dealing with a bloated stomach.

I swallowed uneasily, taking a short sip of the chocolate milk and noticed that the Viking had gone terribly quiet.

He took back the fork, chewing the eggs. "Alright. Pack your things. We'll head tomorrow."

I couldn't help but squeal in delight, banging on the table and accidentally dropping my drink. The sweet milk dripped from the table. Instantly, I looked at the irritated Viking with imploring, apologetic eyes. "You gave your word, you can't take it back."

"It was the worst decision of my life."