Don't Save My Life

Chapter 4

(I know the formatting is insane so please excuse that. Also, this is not proofread so i am aware that there are plenty of mistakes. I'll come back and fix them. )

Emmet

 

6. I invented chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter.

I polished off the last cookie before placing my notebook in the smallest compartment of my new backpack. Irene had already taken off her seatbelt. She was now touching up her lipstick in the visor mirror. Frank hadn’t removed his cell phone from his ear since he’d settled himself in the driver’s seat fifteen minutes ago.

Over the course of Saturday and Sunday I’d learned something about my family, or what was left of it anyway. The Walters were people of appearances, but once we were all together and out of public view, communication did not exist.

Irene had made vain attempts to make family life a little more comfortable for my sake. She started conversations and even attempted cooking dinner one night. However, all of this stopped when she saw that I’d acclimated to our lifestyle.

“Emmet Gabriel Walters, I told you not to eat that. For the love of God it’s your first day back at school, now you’re going to smell like peanut butter.”

She glared at me sternly from behind a mask of foundation and Botox. I shrugged in response to this, wiping my fingers off with a napkin.

I’d discovered this old and new obsession a few days ago when I’d woken up with an unexplainable craving. I instinctively opened the cabinet of my bedside table and without thinking about it; I pulled out my emergency stash of Chips Ahoy and a jar of peanut butter.

Since then, I’d been annoying Irene with it every chance I got, which I discovered, was actually kind of entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, she was a great mom and a nice person in general, but every so often I couldn’t fight the urge to test the effectiveness of the injections in her face. Every time she scolded me, she looked like she was smiling. It was creepy and awesome at the same time.

She huffed out a breath before turning to Frank who was in a world of his own. She tugged his shoulder and he turned around to look at her, annoyed. He put a hand over the receiver and gave her a look that said ‘this better be important.’

She pointed a scarlet red finger in my direction.

“We have to take Emmet back home so he can shower and change clothes.”

Frank scrunched his thick eyebrows and looked from me to her.

“Why?”

Her eyes grew wide as if her reasons were the most obvious things in the world. “Because.” She said in a loud whisper; trying not to be heard by the person waiting on the phone. “He just ate peanut butter. He’s going to smell like it now.”

At this, I thought he would laugh, instead he looked at her. He just sat there, staring at her for a long time. Then, he turned around shook his head mumbling under his breath. Before long he was back on his cell phone, trying to persuade someone to let him patent their idea.