Blame The Weeds (gxg)

21

If my heart was a puzzle, it was missing a piece. It had fallen out like it no longer belonged there and would never fit again. Did someone have the proper piece? Did it even exist? All I knew was its absence was infinite.

"Here, girls. Careful not to spill." Gabrielle set the breakfast platter of cinnamon toast and orange juice on the side table. "Kareena, are you sure there's nothing else you'd like?" I stared at Rue's window. The curtains were yellow like everything else in the room.

"Thanks, mom," Rue said.

"Yes, alright." Gabrielle hesitated before leaving.

"You should eat something," Rue said gently, handing me a plate with a piece of toast. When I didn't move, she poked my side. But that didn't work either. So Rue sat quietly and ate her breakfast, never leaving my side. I dreaded the second she'd leave for soccer practice.

As the sun rose, glowing light streamed through the curtains like fairy dust—the opposite of my nightmares. My fitful sleep had been clouded with lakes, abductions, pain, and green eyes. Rue chatted to fill the silence, talking about my father's irritating habit of sighing after every meal. It drew a grin from me.

"Don't you have practice at eight?" I said eventually.

"Worst case scenario, they don't notice I'm gone. Best case scenario, they miss me." She offered me a smile. "I'd rather stay here and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And eat ice cream. If you want."

My eyes watered. "Okay."

~

"Kareena, you have to stop twitching. This braid is going to suck." Rue huffed, yanking my head back. I was crossed-legged on the floor with a blanket and a tub of bubble-gum ice cream. "Mom's coming back soon. I want—" She ripped my curls apart "—to get this done." I shoved another bite of frozen blue-pink ice cream into my mouth.

"I wanted to go," I whispered.

"To Blockbuster?"

"No, Rue!" I cried, eating another spoonful. "To college!" I swiped at my nose. "Maybe I would've been, like, good at it or something. I could've—"

Rue's phone rang again.

"Who the hell keeps calling?!" I said, promptly breaking into sobs. Rue cursed and crawled over to her dresser to pick up the phone. I sat with one braid like an idiot.

"Hello? No, sorry, Nico. I'm swamped today...Yeah, tomorrow too...Actually, this whole week's bad...Okay...Right...Sorry again. Bye." She set the phone back to its receiver and came back, silent.

"You lied," I croaked, mixing the pink and blue in my container. "You're not busy."

"Nico asked me out," she admitted. "During photography class. He wants to take me to the new arcade downtown."

I huffed. "Arcade."

"He's nice enough," Rue mused, restarting my second braid. "But I saw him smack a girl's butt the other day. All his friends do it."

"I'll end them," I said. "Say the word. It's what big sisters do." Rue's fingers halted on my hair. I tried to move my head but it was locked in place with her hands. "Rue?"

"Yeah?"

"What's—Are you crying?"

"No?"

"Rue!" I tried to turn but she wouldn't let me. "Rue, hey!"

"I'm fine," she said, sniffling.

"I'll end them all," I said again. "Everything is horrible, gruesome, mean, violent—"