Forty-Seven Uses for a Paperclip (Completed)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Dental Hygiene

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Dental Hygiene

Colton emerges from the bathroom ten minutes later, his damp hair sticking to his forehead and his skin smelling faintly of strawberries. He’s wearing jeans and a green t-shirt that brings out his eyes brilliantly. I have to suppress a sigh at seeing him enter my bedroom.

When did I become such a girl?

“You’re dad said Amanda is coming here to hang out for awhile before they go to the museum,” Colton says as he shuts my door until there’s a sliver between the molding and wood; I think Dad would appreciate his actions. “So I can stay until they leave.”

“That’s good.” I smile at him from my seat on my bed, having gotten dressed while he was showering.

He tosses his duffel bag on my desk chair and sits down opposite me, leaning against the end of my bed. “Are you okay?” He asks me, scanning my face.

“I should be asking you that!” I say. “I should be the one worried about you.”

Colton shakes his head, as if my worrying over him is silly.

This guy is seriously too good for me.

“How’s your eye and chest?” I scan over his wounds, one of which is hidden from view so really I only get a good glance at his eye. It looks worse than yesterday and seems to be swelling slightly.

Colton shrugs. “I’ve been better, to be honest.”

I smile faintly and wonder how to broach the question that’s been eating away at me. “Colton, what do you think is, um, going on at home?”

Colton’s silent, a slight darkening of his face the only indication he’s heard my question. “I don’t know.” He finally utters.

“Well, what did your mom do when she saw your dad hit you?”

A deep breath escape from Colton’s lungs. “I didn’t get a good look at her face. I was just trying to get out of there. But from what I saw, she seemed mad.” He rests his elbows on his bent knees and scrubs roughly at his face with his hands. “Cassidy,” his bloodshot eyes snap to mine, “what if Dad hurt Mom? I could never live with myself.”

I’m already shaking my head halfway through his last sentence. “He’s never done anything to your mom in the past, Colton. I highly doubt he’s going to start now just because he went too far with you. I would think he’d be extra nice to your mom, just to try to play the nice guy.”

A little tilt of his lips tells me he’s pleased with what I have to say. “Thanks, Cass. It’s just been…gnawing at me. I’m so worried about Danielle, too, but I know Mom always takes care of her.”

I want to say Hillary should be taking care of Colton, as well. I want to scream at his parents for being so stupid and letting their own son get so broken. But I know that will only make Colton feel worse.