French Rose

Chapter 24

Christina King.

These are one of the very few shocking moments of my life.

I'd experienced something like this once and then, the damage was already done before anyone got the chance to tell me I wasn't supposed to touch the food. It was one of the snowy days back at home and my mom declared a prank war. Now, that wasn't the first time it was happening. It usually occurred frequently at home, maybe once in two months or whenever they both argued about a very unnecessary topic. I don't know how, but it would result in a prank war and those are the times when you had to watch literally every thing before you touch or step on it. Bathroom, kitchen, yard, no where is excluded. I never paid much attention to it and besides staying away from them throughout the whole period, nothing affected me till one very day.

I sat to enjoy a bowl of mac and cheese. Not knowing it wasn't meant for me but for my dad, I pulled out a fork and yes, you guessed it right, it exploded.

That was the only time it ever happened and it never crossed my mind that something like that could happen anywhere besides my house. I appreciated that he told me before I had pieces of meat flying around and staining my dress but the real question is, why would anyone do this?

"What about the others?" I whispered back, seeing my dad was already munching on his meal. "Wouldn't you warn them too?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with their food. It's just yours"

"Wait, was this planned?"

"Maybe. Oh, and try to not move too much else the chair would break and don't take the juice, it has hot sauce in it"

"And all of this, just for me?"

"I promise you Harley orchestrated the whole thing"

I was frozen in a position, worried the chair beneath me would give out if I made one more move. I was hungry, my stomach was literally growling at that point and I needed something to eat. It happened to be that day out of all days that I was at the peak of hunger.

Harley was a sweet kid, or so I thought. Looks truly can be deceiving. Who would think she was the mastermind behind everything? I didn't understand why I was the one getting this. It was our first time meeting, I'd never seen this girl before then and that was my welcome. Exploding steak, hot sauce drink and a chair that was on the verge of breaking.

She reminded me of Penelope, aunt Natalie's daughter. She looked like the sweetest being on the planet and this little girl got literally everything she wanted. We were very few that knew her for who she actually was and let me tell you, she would prank you with every single opportunity she got. It was almost impossible to expose her and every single time I tried, my mom would tell me to grow up. At the end of the day, everything would be my fault so I just learned to stop trying and stay away from her.

"Hey Kyle" I started "What_'

The next thing I heard was a big pop, like the sound of a baloon and for a split second, I thought my food exploded on it's own. My eyes were sealed shut and I braced myself for the impact. I felt the liquid touch my skin but it was only on my arm and the side of my face. The realisation set in a few seconds after, I figured out it didn't come from my plate but the one next to me.

I slowly tore my eyes open and saw the food in front of Kyle had exploded. Bits of meat were scattered on the table and his face was covered in it. He was frozen in one position, the utensils still in this hands and his eyes closed. That was just the beginning cause right after that happened, a long creak followed and the chair beneath his gave out.

I couldn't imagine how I would feel if that was me.

On the bright side, I could finally eat my steak.