ALLAGRUGOUS

Chapter Fourteen- The Call

Once I finish my shower, I turn on the fan inside the bathroom to clear the fog and shut off the light. I make my way into my room to finish my shower routine. Walking over to my vanity, I sit down and start brushing my brown, curly hair. I finish up my skincare before removing my towel and putting on my favorite lotion. I head to my closet and grab a big T-shirt and some spandex. I throw them on, trying not to pay attention to the way my hip is stinging.

"Hey, Kal," one of my brothers calls out to me as I make my way down the stairs. I just half-heartedly threw him a smile, making my way to the microwave in the kitchen that is above the oven. I grab my plate, looking at it in disgust. Why did Anthony put so much on my plate? Is he trying to tell me I'm fat without actually having to say it? I walk with my plate in my hand toward the dining room table. Grabbing my phone from the pocket in my shorts, I set a timer for fifteen minutes. I scroll on my phone for the next fifteen minutes, and once the time quietly goes off, I stand up, making my chair lightly scrape across the floor.

I take my paper plate to the trash can, flipping it over so you can't see the food that I didn't eat. I don't want my brothers to catch on to the fact that I didn't eat my dinner. I put my silverware into the sink before going into the fridge and grabbing a diet cherry coke. Opening the drink instantly soothes my scratchy throat. I hope, to God, I'm not starting to get sick. Turning my head, I see all of my brothers huddled up on the couch watching a movie with popcorn and drinks scattered about the living room. James and Anthony are talking in hushed whispers that I can't make out. Noah is zoned into the TV.

"Hey, you want to come watch the movie with us?" Arlo asks.

James and Ant snap their heads towards me when they hear Arlo talking to me. My eyebrows automatically furrow. What were they talking about that made them stop when they noticed me at the entrance of the living room? I focus my gaze back on Arlo and ask, "What are you all watching? If it's another Marvel movie or a stupid sports game, I'm going to my room."

Arlo looks guilty with a sheepish expression on his face, as he nods his head. "We're watching Captain America, the first one," he says.

"We have seen that movie so many times. You do know there are other movies out there you can watch instead of the Marvel ones or ones with just action, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, we know that, but they aren't as good, duh," Ant says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

I give them a little smile and shake my head before heading up to my room. I grab my phone and plug it in to charge. Checking my notifications, I go to my text messages. I click on Lucas because he's been less mad since he found out and he's easier to talk to. Taking a deep breath, I press the call button. I really hope he isn't mad at me. The line keeps ringing, and just as I'm about to hang up, a voice stops me.

"Kalionna?"

"Hey Luca"

"It's Theo."

"Oh, um, hey Theo."

"What's the matter?"

We remain silent for a while. I always struggle with finding the right words. I take a moment to compose myself and attempt to calm down my racing heartbeat. After taking a deep breath, I work up the courage to speak, but he interrupts me.

"Hey Kal! Are you still with me?"

"Yes, I'm here. Just don't know what to say to you."

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you; you didn't deserve that. I could have handled the situation better, and that's my fault. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but you need to know that this is serious and what you are doing to yourself is only going to make everything worse."