Luke

Chapter 24

It was morning. Jay sounded as if she was downstairs; I heard the clanking of bowls and rustling of cereal bags from the base of the stairs. I sat up, my head pulsating in pain. I remembered nothing from the day before, other than the pain in the morning time. I didn’t feel nauseous anymore, thankfully. A barbiturate bottle rested on the side table. Swiftly, I opened the cap and downed one, dry swallowing before getting up and heading downstairs.

I saw Jay’s head poke around the corner, then back into the kitchen. “Hey. How’re you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” I responded, taking a left to go to the bathroom before joining Jay in the kitchen. Two bowls rested on the counter, along with a couple boxes of cereal.

“I didn’t know which kind you wanted, so I took out all options. And I’m forcing you to have some, so don’t say none. We’re not leaving until you eat something.”

“Leaving for what?” I sat down. “I’ll take Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”

She opened the box, pouring out the cereal into the bowl. It looked like she made the bowl herself--probably because she did--and handed it to me on the bar. “To school, you nit-wit.”

“What day is it?”

“Wednesday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

She took out milk from the fridge and poured it into my bowl, a drop spilling out and splashing onto the bar top. She brought over her bowl and stood on the opposite side of the bar, taking a large bite of food. I raised the metallic spoon to my mouth, taking a bite. I never ate breakfast. Occasionally I would stop by Clint’s store to get a coffee and maybe a muffin or something really small, but never actual breakfast. It made me sick the rest of the day. But I didn’t want to make Jay angry, so I finished the bowl and brought it to her sink.

“Thank you,” she smiled, getting up and putting her bowl into the sink after me.

“Mhm,” I responded back, heading upstairs. My clothes were in a pile on the window-bed waiting for me to put them on. Jay went to the closet and grabbed a sweater off the rack, then travelled to her dresser for pants. I slid on my sweater and pulled on my jeans, waiting for Jay to apply her make-up.

“You honestly don’t need any,” I mentioned.

“Need any what?”

“Make-up.”

“Ha. That’s a funny joke.”

“You honestly don’t. You’re pretty without any.”

I saw her face light up quickly, which was something I never see her do. She never blushes or shows any sign of embarrassment. It was weird, but also kind of cute. She quickly applied the rest of her makeup and grabbed her backpack, plucking the pack of cigarettes off her bed before going downstairs. I followed behind, picking my backpack up off the couch and exiting her home, starting our walk to school.