Another Broken Smile

10- Being There

"Hello Mrs. Lindsay" I greet grinning at the kind woman at the door.

"Hello Ellie, it's been so long since you've come around dear. Come in" she says ushering me inside. I smile politely and walk in the door. The familiar smell of a freshly baked chocolate cake greets me and I take in the warm atmosphere. The house has white walls with one blue wall for accenting which has lots of family photos and such. It adds a nice touch to the homely feeling within the four walls. "Adeline has been up in her room all day, she refuses to come out and skipped school on some silly excuse like her stomach aching or something" says her mom ,seeing right through the lie Adeline told. Her mom knows her too well.Besides, it's impossible for Adeline to lie, especially if its someone who's known her pretty much all her life.

"Come along now" her mom commands pulling me into the kitchen, where I have been over a hundred times. The house has served as a refuge to my lonely nights, fits of sobbing and has always provided me with warmth, laughter and love. The house tugs in a familiar painful memory but I try to push it away.

"Have you been baking?" I ask whiffing at the delicious smell of chocolate surrounding me.

"Yes dear, would you like some?" she asks bringing out a delicious cake with nothing but chocolate sauce on it. I take a bite and can't help but close my eyes in delight.

"It's delicious, like always" I appreciate.

"Thank you darling" she says. "Do me a favor Ellie, take the cake to Adeline upstairs and please talk her out of whatever she is doing. Brooding and sulking isn't going to help, neither is starving" her mom says her brows etched in worry.

"She hasn't eaten?" I shriek.

"She skipped dinner and didn't show up for breakfast either" she says her tone thin as glass.

I set a few pieces of cake on the dishware, pour some green tea and make my way upstairs to her room assuring her mom that things will be better. I push the door slightly with my heel hoping that the door is not locked while trying to balance the tray that I am holding. The door opens ajar and I walk in setting the tray on the little table next to her bed. She seems to be sound asleep but I guess it's time for her to wake from her beauty sleep, she has some explaining to do.

Closing the door, I gently wake her up bringing her back to reality.

"Hey Ellie" she says in a raspy voice. She gets up and moves closer to the headboard snuggling up with her blanket again.

"Hey Ads, how are you?" I ask hoping that she isn't actually ill.

"Worse than before" she answers honestly before interrogating me, "Is school over or did you skip?"

"Umm" I fumble on my words, "I attended the first three periods and then skipped" I tell her.

"You didn't have to do that" she says gently.

"I wanted to" I insist.

"Are you hungry?" I ask pushing the plate of delicious cake to her. She nods eagerly once she catches sight of the mouth-watering piece of heaven and gets up from her bed.

Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot probably from hours of weeping but I try not to interrogate her until she feels at least a bit better. Her hair is a mess due to the fact that she hasn't gotten out of bed the entire day. Adeline's room is a complete and total mess which is quite unlike her, being the neat freak that she is. Candy wrappers are strewn across the bed and books are just piled on her table. Her cupboard is wide ajar and a pile of clothes seem to flow out of them. Her hairbrush and few accessories find home on the window sill, for I don't know what reason. I sigh heavily looking at the disaster zone that is her room.