He'd done it before. And of course, he regretted it each time. He could only imagine the look on the face of his parents if they known what he had done. The would be heartbroken, they didn't deserve that. He didn't want to hurt them.
He knew it was wrong.
But...no one was gonna know. I mean, Dolores' room was soundproof for her sake. And it's not like his parents were home. As long as he kept one of tia Julietta's arepa's on hand, it's not like he could get caught.
Thus why he was in his room with a razor blade and two arepa's on his vanity. He pushed the blade onto his forearm until he saw a prick of blood appear. He dragged the blade down his arm. And then he did it again.
And again.
And again.
Again.
Again.
"Camilo!" Antonio called as he opened the door.
"Shit!" Camilo whisper-shouted as the blade slipped from his bloody hands. He quickly grabbed an arepa to hide all the cuts that resided on his forearms. And, yes. It did get rid of the cuts!
Unfortunately, it didn't get rid of the blood that was the result of said cuts.
It wouldn't matter if it did anyway. Antonio saw the whole thing.
"Why are you in my room?" Camilo said, slight anger and embarrassment lacing his voice.
"I-I just wanted to show you this panther chameleon I found." He held his hands out to show the chameleon that lied within them. "You...said they were your favorite." That last part came out as a sad mumble.
"What were you doing?"
A dreaded question.
"Did you do that to yourself?"
An even more dreaded question.
Antonio stared at the razor blade that had fallen onto the floor. While Camilo avoided looking at him. Instead grabbing a nearby handkerchief to try and get some of the blood off his arms and hands. It didn't really work.
"No?" He said, he didn't say it knowing Antonio would but it, it was more grasping at a slimmer of hope that he would. And of course, he didn't.
"Yes." He said with a sigh.
"Why?" Antonio sounded almost distressed when he asked.
It was almost enough to make Camilo cry. This was exactly what he afraid of. He didn't want to hurt his family.
"You wouldn't understand Antonio, just-"
"But I don't think you should be hurting t yourself, I don't want you to be in pain."
Before was almost enough to make him cry. This was enough.
"Antonio, it's just something I do when I'm stressed okay?" He tugged on the ends of his poncho.
Antonio ran up to Camilo and gave him a hug.
"Well, I don't want you to be stressed!" He said. "Next time you feel like that just...you can come into my room and hang out with me! You said you loved it in there." He smiled as he looked up at Camilo.
Camilo looked down at his little brother, tears still falling down his face.
"T-thanks Antonio. That's...a really sweet offer."
"You have to promise." Antonio said with a more serious tone.
"...Promise."
A promise he intended to break.
