Liking Eli

Chapter 2: Mensuration? Not a character trait

True to routine, my feet lead me to the kitchen where I stumble upon Brandon. His arms are wrapped around half the treats in the cupboard, and a pack of gummies are caught between his teeth. 

"Hey," I greeted him, removing the sweatshirt Eli gave me from my waist. As I'm twisting my body to take a peek at the vanilla milkshake coating my butt, the sound of a candy wrapper plummeting to the ground scares my gaze upward. Brandon's mouth is wide open in shock. 

Is it that bad?  I guess it's a good thing I had the sweater.

"What the hell happened to you?" Brandon exclaimed.

"I don't want to talk about it." A pout forms on my lips as I try to hold back the tears, but they're brimming in my waterline and heating up my eyes, begging to spill.

I'm finally home. I do not need to be reminded of how pathetic I am for the second time, thank you very much.

"Okay, then..." Brandon eyes me suspiciously before dropping the topic almost as fast as he picked it up. "By the way, can you pick up my gushers?" He chirped, suddenly back in a good mood while I'm basically crying.

I sniffle, still balancing tears on my waterline. "Yeah, sure." I grab the gushers from the kitchen tiles, offering it to him with my free hand. Brandon leans forward to take it between his teeth again. Unfortunately for him, I come to my senses, throwing them in his face. "You know, you're such a jerk!" Where the heck are his brotherly instincts? I come home with white substance on my ass and he doesn't even pry?

"Hey— ow! Those corners are sharp!" There's no doubt in my mind that if his hands weren't tied up with those snacks, there'd be an admonishing finger in my face. I scoff, shaking my head as I storm upstairs.

"Hazel, what was that for?" Brandon called after me, clearly gobsmacked, and most likely all caught up on the audacity I've just displayed, but by then, I'm already on the second floor where it's safe.

"Don't speak to me until you've figured it out!" I yelled, heading into my room and slamming the door. I slide down it, hugging myself as I rest my chin on my knees. How can Brandon pretend not to care? I've had such a terrible day. Granted, it is my fault... But still!

I turn my head to the left to look at the sweater Eli lent me, cheek resting on my forearm. I pick up one of the sleeves, feeling it between my fingers. You know what, forget it. I grab the sweater and walk it over to my desk, carefully placing it over the chair. I'm just gonna go shower.

The water cuts off with a quick turn of the handle and I wring my hair out, which looks like a darker shade of brown than it normally is. My feet greet the cold floor before leaving a wet trail during my long and dangerous venture into the chilly unknown.

I wrap myself with a towel and start blowdrying my hair. By the time I'm finished, my arms and legs are dry as well, courtesy of the bathroom fan. I throw my hair in a bun and start brushing my teeth. As I stare mindlessly in the mirror, my mind starts to rewind to today's earlier events.

Sure, today wasn't one of my best moments, but a lot of good came of it. Like, when Eli looked at me playfully, joking about me spilling the milkshake, when he grabbed my hands as if they were precious, when he laughed and stroked my hair, and... and... I pause mid-brush, my face heating up.

Gosh, I'm so embarrassed.

Once I finish brushing my teeth, I do my skincare and leave the bathroom to lotion and throw on some pyjamas. Before I know it, I'm all ready for bed and standing in front of Eli's sweater with my arms crossed. It's a pity, but I'll have to wash it today and return it to him tomorrow.