Demolition Lovers [ruby da cherry]

Brace

After we got dressed and I kicked Oddy out of my bed, he somehow convinced me to let him stay a bit longer, his biggest argument being the fact that he was hungry. I was almost offended that he was expecting me to feed him, especially after he saw what my real life looks like. I might have to take on a parental role, but I am not a fucking mom.

"Why didn't you get something while you waited for me to get back?" I asked, watching him snoop through the shit on my desk.

"I did. I got chicken right after you left," he said, then opened the skinny drawer underneath the surface.

"At eight in the morning you went to get chicken?"

"I barely slept last night tryna figure shit out. You're lucky I ain't passed out on your bed."

"Very lucky. You snore."

"The fuck? No I don't. Stop playin' and let's jus' figure out lunch," he closed the drawer and came over to me on the bed.

"Whatever you say," I replied, getting up from my bed and pushing Oddy out of the way. "It's noon anyway, I need to give my aunt her medicine."

"Uhhh, you don't have to give it as, like, a suppository, right?" he asked, following me down the stairs.

"Are you stupid?"

"No."

"Right. Anyway, just go and sit on the couch downstairs or something."

I held in my laughter as I passed Nina's room to get to my aunt's, resisting the urge to say some outta pocket shit loud as fuck as I walked by. My aunt's room was across the hall, right near the stairs to the first floor. She never wanted to go outside, even though I asked her countless times, so she and her room stayed on the second floor. Oddy crept close behind me as I put my hand to the doorknob, and I shooed him away.

Rolling his eyes, he turned and went down the stairs. I really didn't need him to pity me, and seeing my heavily disabled aunt was sure to produce that annoying expression that I wanted to strangle him for earlier. Going inside, Aunt Selena gave me a look, and even though she couldn't speak, I knew what she was hinting at. I shook my head and pressed my lips together, getting her into her chair and giving her the meds.

Before I left, she reached out with her pointer and middle fingers, slightly touching my arm.

"Don't worry about me, Auntie. Definitely don't worry about Nina, either," I said, trying to reassure her. She likely heard Nina's banging on the ceiling and loudly crying and cursing more than anything.

She would be good for another few hours, unless she needed to use the bathroom. Nina could take care of that, though. As I walked down the stairs, I heard Oddy having a conversation with someone, laughing and being loud and obnoxious.

"The fuck is goin' on?" I asked, landing in the living room. Then, I saw the culprit; my cousin Angel hadn't gone to school.

"Hey, Shi. your boyfriend's really cool," he said, smiling. I raised my eyebrows and looked at Oddy, hoping he didn't think he was actually my boyfriend.

He got the message and attempted to clear the air. "Oh, nah, uh, we're jus' friends."

"Ohhhhh, I get it. Right, sorry."

"Angel, why didn't you go to school?"

"Hey, y'all are being safe, right? Don't need to end up like Nina-"

"ANGEL. Stop trying to change the subject. Why aren't you in school?"

"Uh..." he looked down at his hands. "I was gonna talk to you about that later, in private."