Page 85 of Steeling Her
“I need to stop watching that stupid movie alone!” She laughs nervously. My mom is unpacking for me, and we both go over to help her. We’re unpacking my clothes and putting them into the laundry basket while my dad and brothers raid our refrigerator. Chris especially, he eats nonstop. It’s all he thinks about.
“So, how are you feeling?” Danielle asks me. She’s sending me side glances to check if I’m okay. I could feel her eyes on me from time to time as we pull my clothes out of my bag.
“I’m fine.” I shrug my shoulders. I pick up my black shirt and place it inside my drawers over near my door.
“I just thought you were really tired . . . because we couldn’t see you for the past few days. I thought you got worse.” She stops folding my clothes to look at me. It’s then I realize, she knows. She knows about what happened between me and Nick. He must’ve told her.
“You know, don’t you?” My mom stops unpacking momentarily and then begins again. She’s listening too. “You saw the picture.” I bring my eyes back to my roommate, who is cautiously approaching the subject matter. It’s a touchy one—one that I’ve tried to ignore and forget.
“Yeah . . .” She sighs patting my clothes on my bed. She starts to fidget with the hem line. “Carter, I know it looks bad, but—”
“But nothing, Danielle. He was caught. It looks bad because it is bad. She’s on top of him half naked, and he is too.” She steps back from my outburst because it’s still fresh. It keeps happening to me, over and over, and there’s only so much I can take. I’m a sensitive person, but people seem to overlook that and think they can walk all over me. It’s not fair. Guy after guy, it’s the same story but with a different person. I’m tired of it. It stings every damn time.
“I know,” she whispers with her head down. I then immediately feel guilty for getting angry with her.
“I’m sorry . . . Danielle, I didn’t mean to get angry with you. It’s just, it’s hard. Every time I get close to a guy, they end up using me for their career, and it hurts. I don’t want to be toyed around with. I’m a person . . . with feelings. But they think it’s alright to step on me to get to my dad or brothers, like I’m just a hurdle to jump over.” I stare down at my frail hands. They have red marks and bruises from the drips that were once in me.
“Carter, sweetheart, I think you need to hear him out first before you jump to any conclusions. You also need to rest and not stress over this. Maybe you should have a girl’s night with Haley and Danielle. Relax and fall asleep. The doctor said you can take the next two days off to get your body clock back to normal. Do you want me to run you a bath?” The mention of the word bath perked my ears up, and I nod rapidly back at my mom. She laughs at me acting like such a kid again. I love hot baths. Anything hot, really, but hot baths take gold for me.
She walks out, leaving Danielle and I to fold away the clothes that I didn’t wear. I can hear the water running next door and Chris comes rushing in.
“Ugh, I’d love a bath right now!” He runs over to my bed and bounces on it. For my older brother, he’s such a child. Danielle grins over at him, giggling into her hand. He rolls over onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. “Remember when Austin tried to drown me in the one back home? Little bastard.” I laugh at the story. I was too young to remember, but I’ve heard it so many times that I feel like I do remember it sometimes.
“That’s because you stole my swimming trucks for the beach that day! My favourite ones too!” Austin comes back inside with a sandwich in hand, munching away on it.
“Where did you get that?” Chris’ voice raises into a borderline squeal. He points to the sandwich that Austin is dramatically eating just to piss him off.
“I made it,” my oldest brother mumbles back with his eyes closed, signalling that it’s a good sandwich. He moans to really tease Chris.
“Where’s mine?” Chris sits back with his hands behind his head. He’s basically telling Austin to go and make him one but Austin won’t budge.
“Waiting to be made by your own damn hands,” Austin replies smugly.
“Can you make me one?” Chris has hopeful eyes because he looks like he’s comfy. He’s not going to move from my bed anytime soon, not with the way he’s lying. He barely fits on my bed because he’s so tall. That boy never stopped growing, he just kept going.
Austin snorts. “Nope.” He bites into his sandwich and moaning with the taste.
“At least give me a bite?” Chris then decides to sit up, waiting for our brother to come over and give him a small bite. Knowing Chris, it’s not going to be small by any means.
“Fuck no, your big mouth will eat the whole thing in one bite! Chris, I’m not stupid!” Austin stares down at him.
“I beg to differ,” Chris mumbles and lies back down, but Austin scowls at him. Danielle laughs but turns away from them so they can’t see her. “Mom! Will you make your favorite child a sandwich!” Chris yells out the door.
“Sure.” She comes in and pokes her head inside over her eldest’s shoulder. “What would you like in it, Carter?” she asks me and we all lose it, laughing so hard at her evident dig. We all know my mom has no favorites between us, but Chris has always declared he’s been hers.
“That hurts, Mom!” Chris feigns being in pain and puts his hand over his heart, but it’s on the wrong side of his chest.
“Your heart’s on the other side, Chris” Austin laughs at him. Chris was never a smart cookie.Bless him.“Idiot!” Austin eats the rest of his sandwich.
“At least he has his looks,” my mom mumbles and Chris winks at her, knowing she’s right.
“And I can play football!” he pridefully yells back at her as she waves him off leaving to make him a sandwich. Just like that, I feel more at home now. But I know it won’t last long. They’re leaving in two days time, and everything will go back to normal. Plus the awkwardness of seeing Nick is inevitable.
Chapter Nineteen
Forbidden Fruit
Nick
