Dead Girl Walking ― Aaron Minyard

13. 'tis the damn season

we could call it even
you could call me babe for the weekend
― taylor swift

[trigger warnings: brief mentions of rape]

♦

MARA WOKE TO ANDREW physically dragging Kevin out of bed.

Mara opened her eyes, glancing over just in time to watch Kevin tip over the edge of the bed and hit the floor with a very startled "Fuck!" taking the sheets with him.

Andrew looked at Mara without sympathy. "Good morning."

Mara mumbled something foul back, annoyed. She sat up slowly. "What time is it?"

"Time to get the fuck up," he said, mostly directing that at Kevin. "We're getting food, come on."

"I hate you," Kevin said quietly.

"Yeah, get in line," Andrew said. "Any special requests, East?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "Fruit."

"Boring," Andrew drawled. "Are you going to stand anytime soon, Kevin?"

Kevin grudgingly pulled himself up. "Can I shower first?"

"Nope, just get dressed," Andrew said.

Kevin sighed heavily, trudging over to the dresser and grabbing fresh clothes. He headed out into the hall to change in the bathroom, and Andrew followed him out, saluting Mara as he closed the door.

Mara sighed, getting out of bed. She tugged the hair tie out of her mess of hair, combing through it with a grimace. Once she heard the car start outside, she grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom, turning on the shower. She unwrapped her hand, frowning at the cuts. They weren't bleeding anymore, but they still hurt, which was annoying.

She took her time under the hot water, washing her hair and body to get the smell and feeling of nightclub-air and sweat off of her. Once she was done, she got dressed and towel-dried her hair as best as she could, leaving the rest to airdry.

She retreated back to Kevin's room to find her shoes (the boots Nicky picked out were surprisingly comfortable, though she would never tell him that), and nearly ran into Aaron as she walked back out into the hall.

"Shit," he said, voice raspy with sleep. Mara tried not to think about how strangely pleasant it sounded to her ears. "Sorry."

"No problem," Mara mumbled.

He looked down then promptly forced his gaze back up, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Jesus, are you even wearing pants?"

Mara raised an eyebrow, lifting the hem of Kevin's shirt to reveal her shorts. "Get your head out of the gutter, Minyard."

Aaron made a face. "How's your hand?"

Mara wondered if it was genuine concern or just an attempt to shift the conversation. Maybe both. She lifted her hand and examined her hand. "It's fine."

"Did you put Neosporin on it?"

Mara squinted at him. "No, I didn't put fucking Neosporin on it."

Aaron sighed. "Come on."

"It's not a big deal," Mara said.

"Just come on," he insisted, ducking into the bathroom to grab a first-aid kit that Mara figured had seen quite a bit of use. He pointed her toward the living room and she rolled her eyes, going.

As Aaron applied Neosporin and re-wrapped her knuckles, he said, "You do realize you don't have to grin and bare shit anymore, right?"

"I don't grin," Mara muttered.