The warm water feels amazing on my skin. I can feel my strained muscles loosen and I feel as if I can finally relax. I scrub my skin hard, praying that somehow I can wash my ethnicity off. I take a bit longer in the shower than I intended to, but I think I deserve it after all I've been through in the past week.
When I decide that I have been in for long enough, I shut the water off and step out. Unexpected cool air whips my body from every corner and goosebumps cover my bare body. I wrap a towel around myself and take my time drying off. Just as I go to hang the towel up to dry, I hear a knock on the door.
"Farrah?" Karen's voice sounds and I sigh. "Yeah." I answer and wrap the towel around my body once again. "Hey, I have some clothes. Are you done?" she asks and I walk over and open the door.
"Okay." she says and hands me the stack of clothes in her hands. As I grab them, Jexton appears behind her wearing only a towel around his waist. I notice that he is a bit more built than I had expected. He combs his damp hair and smiles at me. Within seconds, I'm slamming the door in Karen's face with embarrassment on mine.
I hear Jexton's laugh and Karen says a few words that I cannot fully make out. She knocks on the door again and I wait for her to speak. "I made alfredo and bread sticks if you're hungry." she says and I nod, though I know she can't see me.
I sit on the toilet and look at the clothes Karen gave me. The shirt is dark blue with a rose imprinted on the front. The pants are dark denim skinny jeans with a hole in the left knee. I wondered about where her daughter was and why she wasn't here. I wondered how old she was and how she'd feel about a random girl borrowing her clothes. I know I wouldn't like it if my mom did it.
After I am fully dressed, I look around in the drawers of the shower/bath room for a hair brush. I find a broken one with chipped orange paint and strands of hair left between the bristles. I cringe in disgust, but there is nothing else to use, so I clean it as best I can and brush my knotted hair.
When I'm done in the shower room, I open the door and look around. Nobody is in the hallway, but I can smell the food. I step out into the hallway and look around. I follow the smell all the way to an enclosed room. I open the double doors and find Jexton sitting with Karen.
"Hey, looks who finally decided to join us for dinner!" Jexton jokes as if he doesn't know I'm still angry with him. I look at Karen and she smiles. "I made you a plate," she says and I look at the empty seat across from Jexton. "there's no way you're not hungry." I nod and thank her, quickly taking my seat.
Jexton takes a drink from his cup which is filled with a red liquid. "Oh, it's just wine," Karen says and shakes her head. "it won't hurtcha." I look between her and Jexton and watch as she pours me a small amount. I take the glass from her hand and smell the drink, circling it around before taking a small sip. It isn't too bad.
As the three of us eat, there is surprisingly no silence. The room is filled with our voices and we pay no mind to how loud we're being. I actually loosen up a bit talking to Karen and Jexton as if nothing bad ever happened between us. I asked Karen about Jexton and she confirmed that she is his mother.
"He told me that the disease killed you." I say in a monotone voice and Jexton nearly spits out his bread stick. "Jexton! Is that true?" Karen stares at her son sternly. "Did you really tell her that?" she asks and he nods. She opens her mouth to speak again, but I change the subject. Jexton lying to me about his mother is the least of our worries.
"Why are you guys by yourselves?" Karen asks and Jexton and I look at each other. "My dad died before I could walk and my mom was killed. . ." Jexton's eyes widen and I know I cannot tell his mother that he was the one that killed her. Karen's mouth is covered by her hand and I can't help but notice the large diamond ring on her finger.
"I'm so sorry, honey." she apologizes softly.
"It happened right out here, actually." I say and instantly regret it. "What?" she asks and Jexton gives me a hard look. "Did you not hear all the gunshots the other day? There was a lot of chaos, and..." I say and look down at the table. "a lot happened that day. A lot has happened since that day." I say and memories fill my head again but I push them away before I can get too emotional again.
"Yes," Karen says quietly. "I did." the table is silent for a few moments before she speaks again. "I did because. . .it was my idea."
YOU ARE READING
Us Against The World
Adventure" We stand there for a few more minutes just pointing our guns and staring at each other. My arms begin to hurt, but I know that I cannot let my guard down. I know that eventually I will die; but I don't want it to be like this. If anything, Jexton...
