Behind a Broken Mirror

Chapter 7

I walk down the hallway, seeing Karl in the kitchen already. He sets two plates on the counter. His eyes are hesitant, like he doesn't want to.

I smile at him, sitting down. I'm still in his hoodie. It doesn't smell good anymore, it smells like sweat. I think I had a nightmare or something.

"Thanks, this looks good." I say, and take a bite.

Karl smiles shakily, still seeming hesitant. My mind digs for an answer, and then it clicks. I almost drop my fork, but I manage to keep the grip on it.

Karl is depressed. He starves himself, which explains why his clothes look big on him, and why his kitchen looked untouched. I doubt he leaves his room, which is why the living room looked untouched as well.

I stare up at him as he takes a shaky bite. For a moment, it looks like he might spit it out, but he doesn't. A small smile tugs at my lips, but I force it away.

"Karl?" I whisper, and his head snaps up.

We stare for a moment, and his eyes go wide as he freezes. He knows that I figured it out. In a rushed movement, Karl takes a step back, shaking. I reach my hand out, palm laying flat, facing up.

"It's okay, Karl. Don't worry. I'm here." I say gently, and he takes a step forward, taking my hand in his.

"You're the first to notice." He whispers, and I nod.

"I know, and even if I'm the only one, I'm right here." I say, and Karl smiles softly.

-Time Skip-

We spent a few hours just talking about everything to help Karl calm down. Eventually he wanted to start setting up stream, so I was left to cleaning the dishes. It was only two though.

Now I'm just standing by the counter on my phone, scrolling through Twitter. There were a bunch of posts about the stream from his friends. One of them was hoping I was okay.

I look down at my stomach, pulling Karl's hoodie up slightly. The new bandages from this morning were clean, which was a good thing. It's hard to look away though, scared of anything going wrong again.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when the doorbell rang. I rush over, opening it. I'm met face-to-face with Koda, and he's smiling. I smile awkwardly, and he hands me a bag.

"Brought you the clothes you asked for." He said, looking down at me.

"Could've used those a while ago, idiot." I grumble, remembering I texted him last night for some clothes and pajamas.

"Whatever, at least you have some for today. See you later." Koda says, walking back to his car.

I shut the door, sighing. Looking for clothes in my bag, I want to yell after him and call him an idiot, but he's already gone.