✓ | ESCAPE ROOM ( WYATT OLEFF )

xxii. but i fell

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.
[ xxii. but i fell ]
/ IRL /

CARTER KEPT BRUSHING through her matted hair that she hadn't washed for five days due to her being too upset to even think about it. She sat at her vanity that was recently trashed with clothes she had no motivation to put up in their desired place and with cans of soda. She stared at herself, still shocked because she looked like a different person. She gritted her teeth with rage, brushing through her hair harshly; not even caring about the amount of hair she was ripping out of her scalp nor the pain.

Her eyes were so sunken in she looked like a real life zombie. Her face was pale, paler than normal. She had been in the same pajamas for four days, her mother made her change at least once. She sat her brush down, picking up the can of dry shampoo in its place. Staring directly into the mirror with a dead face, she pressed down on the nozzle and soon felt the product on her hair.

She didn't look like herself and she knew that. From her stepfather reminding her daily to looking in the mirror and seeing how she looked, Carter definitely knew. However, she didn't blame her appearance nor her actions on herself. "You did this, Wyatt," she sneered quietly, lifting her pressure off the nozzle. Carter felt tears sting her eyes in remembrance of the boy, but shoved them off as she combed through her hair with her fingers.

Carter's eyes trailed over to the makeup that was in her small shelf sitting on her vanity. She sighed, never liking makeup and never once understood why girls and boys used it. She bit her bottom lip that felt like a desert and sighed. She looked back at herself, seeing how horrendous she looked. "Fuck me . . ."

***

Quinn ended up picking Maryland, Jayden, Cordelia, and Carter all up individually to take them all rollerblading like they had planned. The group all noticed Carter's appearance, but it wasn't as bad since she forced herself to put makeup on and do her hair in her signature ponytail. She was very distant, more distant than she used to be. She rarely said a word during the car ride, but chose to stare out the window the whole time.

They all walked in and they heard Maryland let out an excited squeal. "I'll get us a table!" The smaller girl exclaimed over the loud noises. She grabbed Cordelia's hand unexpectedly and they both ran off to find an empty table. Carter folded her arms, hugging her leather jacket close.

"You okay?" Jayden asked as he looked over at the girl. Carter looked back up at him with sad eyes.

When have I ever been okay? She thought silently to herself. Carter decided to nod, stifling a sigh. "Yeah, let's just get this over with." She started to walk past him and Quinn, following after Maryland and Cordelia who ran off moments before. She glanced over at a couple who was sharing a milkshake, staring into each other's eyes. Carter silently cringed and continued walking, seeing more couples hold hands, hug, eat each other's face; you name it.

Carter swallowed the emotional lump in her throat as she tried to ignore the people around her. She searched for the two girls and immediately saw them at a table with rollerblades already. "I got your shoes!" Cordelia smiled as she sat in a by the table.

"Thanks," Carter croaked out, hearing Maryland gasp. The ginger looked up and saw the girls' shocked expressions. "What?"