Numbers

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them? Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn’t be filled?"

-Jodi Picoult

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22 days

I woke to the sound of pounding. I groaned and rolled over, my hair sticking on my face. I tried to spit it out and wipe the slobber off of my cheek. I swear slobber is like glue to my hair. I attempted to smooth out my tangle of dark hair, trying to smooth out the fly aways and knots. The pounding got more persistent, slicing right into my head, causing a migraine to split through my skull. 

“Shut up!” I yelled, pressing a hand to my forehead. 

The door tumbled open, a very emotionless Justin trailing into my cell. He crossed his arms and looked over at me, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I sighed and put my head in my hands, my mess of hair falling into my face.

“They said you didn’t eat last night,” he said, “Why?”

I scoffed, “I was tired.”

He eyed me, moving up and down my body. He nodded and kept standing there. I motioned to the open door, but he didn’t take the hint. Suddenly someone else came strolling through the door. I saw Caleb with a guarded expression on his face, eyeing Justin warily. He brought a tray of food over to my bed and sat it down on my lap. I poked the mush of scrambled eggs, feeling any trace of appetite leaving my body. The eggs weren’t fully cooked and the slop they call grits was a strange brown color.

“Well,” Justin said, “Eat.”

“I’m good,” I answered, pushing the tray away.

However, I did grab the plastic cup of water and downed it in three big gulps. There was an even smaller cup on the dark green tray and after sniffing the contents, I confirmed that it was orange juice. I brought it to my lips and drank slowly, trying to savor every taste. It’s not everyday that they let us have juice, it’s usually once or twice a week. Most people get to drink this stuff everyday, but here it’s a privilege that we look forward to. At least we have something to look forward to.

I looked up and noticed that Caleb was still in the room, watching the way Justin was looking at me. I gulped the last of my juice, the pulp burning as it creeped down my throat. Caleb slid his eyes back to me and then over to my untouched plate. He scowled at the plate, clearly unhappy with my lack of appetite. I would eat, but I’m not entirely sure if that stuff is food.

“Come on,” Caleb said, holding his hand out to me.

I got out of the sheets, noting I had kicked of my jeans in the middle of the night. I made a sound that sounded like a squeak and pulled the cover over my bare legs and underwear. Both boys seemed to turn an interesting shade of red. Justin scratched his neck, his eyes darting nervously around the room and Caleb’s eyes just widened as he awkwardly stood there, his hand mid reach. 

“Boys, out,” I ordered, trying to keep my embarrassment at bay.

They didn’t waste one second, they were out of the door in half a second, the bang still ringing around the room. It was almost comical. Almost. I sighed, letting a light blush cover my cheeks. I got out of bed quickly and walked over to the plastic bins they let us keep in our rooms for our clothes. I pulled out a pare of black skinny jeans and a Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers shirt. I smiled as the very vague memory of my dad came into my mind. 

The sun was shining through the car window, creating a halo of light around my dad. He turned the stereo up in his old pick up truck, the static clearer than the music itself. He popped in a CD and waited patiently for the music to load and begin to play. We drove the back streets in the middle of nowhere, rows of produce spanned as far as the eye could see. I could imagine strawberries and blueberries growing, waiting to be plucked and eaten.