The Walmart Shoot Up - (Sequel To 'Follow You')

Chapter 9 - Healing Hands

Kellin's POV

Saturday

After we had gamed a little to lift our spirits from the morning's events, we went downstairs to get some food. There was a note on the table and I chuckled, wondering what it would read. I picked it up and skimmed my eyes over the words. I shook my head and handed the note to Jinx.

My friend broke his ribs lol. Nicholls and I are in hospital but be back soon. Don't tell your mother, and don't wake her up either; she worked late and she's tired.

Jinx laughed. "Oh wow. Do you get notes like this all the time?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yup." I took the note back and put it in the bin, so as my mother wouldn't see it. I didn't know why she wasn't allowed to know her boyfriend's friend broke their ribs, but he must have a good reason. So it meant I had to cover for him too; but that was easy.

"What do you want to eat?" I asked as I opened the cupboards.

Jinx merely shrugged. "Whatever your having."

"But what if I was having milk?" I said with a mischievous grin.

She rolled her eyes and sidled up next to me, peering into the cupboard. There was a lot of random things in there. Half the cupboard was emergency noodles, there was chocolates everywhere, cereal, and random baking ingredients like flour; although we never baked anything. My family could barely boil water.

"Lets make cupcakes." She said, pointing to a packet of cupcake mix. Sure it was an easy one; as we wouldn't be making it from scratch; but I was still wary.

"I'm really bad at cooking..."

"Dumbass. Luckily we're baking then." Jinx laughed as she grabbed the packet mix.

"I'm not a dumbass." I whined.

"Yes, you are." Jinx mused as she busied herself looking around the kitchen for the things she needed. She pulled out a dusty cupcake tin and grimaced as she claimed it off.

"Can I at least be an adorable dumbass?" I said.

"Course you can." She said quietly. She coughed, having realised the tone of her voice. "You can when you grow a moustache and put a top hat on."

I sprinted from the kitchen and burst into my mom and dad's room, before realising my mother was still asleep. I tiptoed across the room to the closet, where my dad had a top hat he wore as a joke for a show once. I quickly pulled it out and put it on my head.

Going back into the kitchen I smirked. Then I took a pen from the counter and drew a moustache on my face, looking at my reflection in the fridge. "There."

"Great. Now, since your the one dressed up, it's your cooking show."

"Baking show." I corrected her cheekily.

We put the mix into a bowl, but I had to stir it because Jinx kept trying to eat it. I sent her to put the oven on preheat to distract her, as I took some of the mix for myself, quickly licking my finger off before she turned around. When we poured the mix into the steel cupcake tray, they were all unevenly poured.

We looked at each other and shrugged, before putting it into the oven anyway. What was the worst that could happen?

Almost giddily, we sat down on the floor in front of the oven and watched the cupcakes cook slowly. I felt the time passing much quicker when I was talking to her.

When they were almost done, there was a yawn, and my mother walked into the kitchen. She saw us sitting on the floor and got the fright of her life. She knew Jinx was coming over but she had forgotten.

"Oh, hey!" She said. "I forgot we had a guest!"

"Hello." Jinx replied. She sounded shy.

Through observation, and what she had told me, she always seemed so shy around girls and so not-shy around guys. Maybe that was because she'd been brought up around more men than women.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked as she peered at me with a questioning expression on her face.

"Making cupcakes." I replied.

I could almost see the word cute, sliding up her throats and bursting to come out of her lips, but somehow she refrained from saying it. I sighed inwardly with relief.

"Cool. Where's my second child?" She joked, referring to my dad.

"Band practice." I said.

"I need my man." She groaned. "He better be back soon!"

We didn't talk for much longer, my mom deciding to go out and see her friends for a coffee date. She winked at me when she left. I blushed, knowing what she was implying; Here's a big empty house for a few hours with the girl you like. Make use of the time.

"They're done!" I exclaimed as I jumped up at the sound of the ping from the oven. My top hat fell off. I picked it up and put it on Jinx instead.

I opened the oven excitedly and forgot all about how hot the tray would be. "Kellin you idiot don't–" Jinx started. But she was to late.

Gasping as I pulled it out of the oven, I dropped the tray and shook my hand frantically with pain. It burned. A lot. Jinx looked up to the ceiling as if she were asking 'God' why he had made me so stupid. But when she looked at my hand, for the first time ever, I saw worry spread across her features.

Seeing that only caused a smile to come to mine. She was worried about me.

"Put it under the cold water." She ordered sternly. I did as she said, feeling instant relief.

She started to pick up the few cupcakes that had fallen from the tray. Then she took an oven mitten and picked the tray up, setting it down on the bench. The cupcakes were unharmed.

"That's gonna hurt like a bitch for the rest of the day if you don't have any burn cream." Jinx said.

I sighed. "I'm not sure if we do. There's a first aid kit in the bathroom under the sink, though."

Jinx went to get it, and came back triumphantly with a small red container in her hand. "I found some cream." She said. "Give me your hand."

"Alright, pass me a knife and I'll chop it off for you." I joked.

She chuckled. I took my hand out from under the water and winced. She grabbed my hand and spread the cream over my fingers softly. My chest felt like it was about to burst open with all the feelings I was having. In the end it felt like her touching my hand helped more than the burn cream.

When she was done, her eyes flickered up to mine. She was still holding my hand gently.

She blinked and then dropped my hand, as if waking from a trance. She stepped back and turned around, going toward the cupcakes.

That stare she had given me left me in wonder. It was so intense. What had she been thinking behind those eyes?

__________

This whole chapter is based on a true story. Just the other day, I was at my crush's house, and the same thing happened... Yeah, I'm stupid enough to get a burning oven tray out with my hands. xD And yeah... My crush did put cream on my hand for me. <3 <3 <3