For Rylie

Chapter 12

I woke up some time in the afternoon with the sun streaming through the crack in between my curtains. 

I no longer had a sore throat but my nose was blocked. I leaned over to my bedside table and got another tissue from the box there, blowing my nose then throwing it in the plastic bag next to my bed. 

I sat up and crossed my legs, contemplating what to do. 

The clock beside my bed read 12:42pm and I distinctly remember my father saying on Tuesday that he was going fishing, and Kye would be at soccer all day.

Walking down the hall I saw Charlie at the kitchen bench with her drawing book on the table, leant on an angle as always. She was frowning at it with her pencil hesitantly hovering above her page. 

"What are you drawing?" I asked, putting the kettle on and sitting on Dad's stool opposite Charlie. 

She looked up at me, the frown still creasing her face. 

"I'm trying to draw a face that we have to do for class and I just can't seem to get the mouth right. I hate drawing the bottom half of faces," she groaned, putting her pencil down on the table then resting her head in her hands. 

"Well I'm the opposite, hold on."

I quickly retrieved my sketch book from my room and brought it back, flipping through the pages until I reached the one I had drawn of Heath Ledger's smile. 

"Here," I dropped it onto the counter and went to pour a cup of caffeine-free tea. 

I sat back down and Charlie smiled. "This is really good. Where do I start with it, though?"

I ended up putting marks for the corners of the smile on the face she had already drawn - which was absolutely amazing - and then she started copying mine down. 

We talked while she drew. She asked how Max was doing and for the first time I didn't roll my eyes or say that we weren't friends, I simply said: "He's doing good."

She smiled and started to rant about what a nice guy he is and I smiled and listened, nodding in agreement. 

Yeah, I definetly like him a little....

"Ooh how's it going with the guy from Uni?" I asked her. 

Her pencil wavered from the original line and made a new line from the mouth to the chin. 

I laughed. 

"Oh my God I forgot to tell you! He asked me out!" Charlie exclaimed, her hazel eyes lighting with excitement. 

"That's so good!" I exclaimed, sipping on my tea with slight annoyance. Caffeine-free didn't taste anywhere near as good as normal tea. 

Charlie rambled on about this guy, Adam, as she drew. She was content so I sat and listened like a good sister.

As she was talking I was struck by similarities between us that I hadn't noticed before. Not in the colour of our hair or eyes, but in the shape of our faces. 

Hmmm... Interesting. 

After another half an hour Charlie was finished. It was flipping amazing and she thanked me for helping her before going up to her room to do something or other. 

I contemplated drawing as well, but I decided to refill my tea and take it to the done up shed in the corner of our backyard. 

I walked there - still in pyjamas with my phone in one hand and my tea in the other - and enjoyed the feeling of outside.