If We Survive The Night

Pizza

Jaden

The moment the knock comes, Casey whirls toward the sound. He's only begun to calm down, but now he looks like a deer caught in headlights again.

"Who is it?" I call out, although I have a pretty good idea.

"Pizza," comes the muffled reply.

Casey grabs my arm.

"Have you ordered pizza?" he whispers.

"No."

His eyes widen. "Then it's them! They found me!"

"For fuck's sake." I wrestle my arm out of his grip and step out of the bathroom.

"It's them!" He limps after me. "Don't open! Pizza! It's the oldest trick in the book! They're trying to get you to open the door!"

I pause, my hand on the handle, and glance back at him. Still wearing my old hoodie and his partly wet jeans, not quite putting his weight on his newly bandaged foot, he eyes me tentatively, looking ready to bolt at any moment.

"You don't just... not open to pizza," I say, suddenly feeling giddy for some reason. Maybe the stress of this whole situation is finally getting through to me. I feel a bit guilty for messing with him, but I can't help it. "It's against everything I believe in."

"No," he says.

I shrug and turn to the door. From the corner of my eye, I see him dart into Mom's bedroom. I take a deep breath and pull the door open.

Uncle Royce is standing outside, still in his red and yellow uniform. He nods at me and hands me the pizza box. At the end of his shift, he always gets a free pizza, and I usually get half of it if I'm home to accept it.

He glances into the apartment. "Got anyone in there?"

"Nope," I say, accepting the box.

"Heard you talking."

"To myself."

He gives me a long look. "Fooling around is fine, just make sure you don't knock anyone up. At your age, it's a sure way to screw up your life."

I blink. "What're you talking about?"

He shrugs. "Just make sure you stay protected."

He makes another attempt to look into the living room. Knowing he won't see anyone there, I just watch him, wondering where this came from. He rarely meddles in my business, so this is slightly out of character. He must think I've got a girl in my apartment, and feels the need, in the absence of Mom, to give me the talk. It's kind of cute, actually.

"Thanks for the pizza," I say.

He raises both hands. "The least I can do."

He turns around and heads down the stairs. I shake my head and close the door. It's kind of heartwarming to have someone care about me. Not professing love, or demanding anything in return, just sharing his food and trying to look out for me when he can. Bringing me all those books from the library that he thinks I should read. I wouldn't be all that much into reading if not for him. Maybe that's why I kinda liked to see Casey read on his phone. Made me feel a little less like a weirdo, like, I'm not the only person under fifty who still does that for fun.

Anyway, it's good to have Uncle Royce in my life. Really makes me wish I could pay him back, somehow. Maybe I will, one day. Maybe he'll need a kidney donation or a blood transfusion or something. I'd do that for him. It's not like I have too many people to whom I'd give a kidney. He's pretty much the only one in line.

I take the pizza to the kitchen. It smells good even with the box still closed. I didn't even realize how hungry I was. The day had been long, and the evening totally insane, and I didn't get a bite of those leftovers Hazel had given me. Which reminds me they're still in my backpack. I should at least put them in the fridge, or maybe just eat them now. Perhaps Casey should grab something to eat, too. Food can go a long way in calming someone down. It might even work for someone experiencing the worst night of his life.

I rub my face and head into Mom's room.

As I flip the lights on, the place looks empty. There's nowhere to hide, so I go straight to the closet and open it. A few dresses hang from the racks, the ones that Mom didn't like enough to take with her, or perhaps they didn't fit her anymore. A pair of platform wedges lie in the corner. Winter blankets are folded neatly on two of the shelves, the others glaringly empty. I still don't use her closet for my stuff. I guess I still expect her to come back.

As for Casey, he's not in the closet. I turn around and eye the window suspiciously. It's slightly ajar, the thin curtain fluttering in the night breeze. He couldn't have been scared enough to jump out, could he? Third floor is no joke. On the other hand, he was so worked up about the sudden pizza delivery, he probably wasn't thinking straight. I should have told him right away that it was Uncle Royce at the door.

I begin to cross the room towards the window when I notice that the bed stands at an angle, no longer parallel to the nightstand. I pause, then walk to the side of it, get down on my fours and look underneath it. There're a few dust balls, a shoe box, and a couple of wide-open eyes staring at me.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey," he says.

"You can get out now."

"I'm not sure I can." He sneezes. "I think I'm stuck. Gosh, there's so much dust."

"How did you even manage to squeeze in there? There's no space enough for a cat."

"I was motivated."

I sigh, get up and grab the side of the bed, pulling it slightly up.

"Come on, get out."

Awkwardly, he slides out from underneath it, dust balls clinging to his hoodie and the no longer white bandage on his foot. He sits on the floor and shakes himself a bit, like a dog.

"It was my uncle Royce," I say, feeling a bit guilty about not telling him right away. I guess I was mad at him for dragging me into this, but none of this is his fault. Even me coming back to help him wasn't something he'd asked for. It was my decision. Kind of unfair to vent my frustration on him because of something that I chose to do. "He brought us pizza."

"I know," he says. "Heard you talking." He sneezes again and rubs his nose. "He also wisely warned you against knocking me up."

I snort, surprised that he can still manage something akin to a joke.

"Good thing that's impossible," I say. "Let's go eat."

"I'm not hungry. I feel like I'll never be hungry."

"We'll see about that." I offer him a hand. "Now, get up."

*** If you're enjoying the story, please don't forget to vote! Let me know what you think in the comments section! ***