Someone Hit the Mute Button

Chapter Seven- You Know When It's Real

Chapter Seven- You Know When It's Real

For the next few days, I felt as if my house was never empty. I used to live for those days. The days when mom had to work late and April was busy with something, and I was home all alone. Still, even I couldn't deny that I enjoyed the company.

One such day, it was awful outside. Well, awful for most people. It was pouring, and there wasn't a hint of the sun in any direction. On the far end of my room, I had a set of double windows with a wide windowseat underneath them. I loved to watch it rain, so I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, making my way over there. My feet still hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything unmanageable. I sat down and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them after I had cracked the window a bit. I felt a little bit lightheaded, but that was something I had gotten used to.

For a long while, I just sat there with my chin on my knees and listened. I listened to the rain smacking the pavement and the roof of the house, and I paid special attention to the sound of the rain hitting the window. I stared at the drops, pretending that they were racing each other. I didn't even hear my door open.

"I brought you something, Kiddo" Dustin skipped the hello once more, and I tilted my head to the side in question. Not at the "Kiddo" part, no. He'd been calling me that since he started coming over.

"Hey, Annalise," Gwen greeted with a smile. I waved to her, and Eli stepped around her with a smile to Gwen's. I waved to him as well.

"Actually, I brought you something," Eli signed.

"That's what I figured," I replied.

"Because I have absolutely no clue what you are saying, I'm just going to continue," Dustin said. "Look at you, wasting away into nothing. You disappear when you turn sideways, you know."

I stared at him blankly, now positive that I wouldn't like where this was going.

"I brought you a chocolate Frosty!" He announced with a wide grin, and I smiled. I had just told Eli the other day that chocolate Frosty's were my favorite food in the whole entire world. I hadn't had one in months.

"I brought you a chocolate Frosty," Eli inturruped, stepping in front of Dustin as he did so. Dustin pushed him out of the way and went on.

"But..." He said, and my face fell. "It's downstairs in your freezer."

I pouted, as I had also told him that I hated re-frozen Frosty's. Why would he do that?

"I'd say you have about an hour before it gets to the point where it starts to taste nasty."

Now, I was seriously confused. They tell me that I'm fading away, then they take what brought me and put it in a place that will make it taste bad? I mean, honestly, what was the point?

"You can only have it if you eat all of this," He finished, pulling out a Wendy's bag from behind his back. "Six chicken nuggets and a small fry."

Oh, that's where he was going with this.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and I shook my head. I would not eat that. Besides, I wasn't even hungry. Granted, I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning...or dinner last night...

"Okay, then that chocolate Frosty is going to freeze and one of your sisters can have at it," Eli added with a smirk, his hands very obviously fumbling with the slower pace that I required. I'd only been working on this for about a year, after all.

I huffed, still holding to my decision not to eat that food. I didn't want it. I shook my head once again, and Dusin simply shrugged, setting the bag on my dresser. Mom and April had tried to convince me to eat many times before, but I never gave in, and I never ate anything unless I was truly hungry. I just happened to be finding myself hungry less and less often lately.