Theories of Global Warming

~Arum~

Daryl and his family were over for dinner with us. It was something we enjoyed doing with each other once in awhile. Not only did it give the adults good conversation and time to catch up with one another, but it also calmed my mind down for a change.

"Carter, would you like to lead the prayer?" my grandmother asked Daryl's father. He smiled and nodded in agreement. Silence was prominent throughout the table as we gripped each other's hands. I took Daryl's and my cousin, Anne's

Daryl rolled his eyes before closing them. I could tell he was still sketched out by his dad.

My grandmother, uncle, and cousin lived with my mom, dad, and I for some odd reason that no one had ever told me. Now that I think about it, no one ever really tells me much, besides my friends.

I could feel my heart start to beat faster, and my hands sweat in frustration. Before it got the chance to escalate, Daryl comforted me by suddenly squeezing my hand. He somehow knew the best times to do the best things to make everything seem alright.

I opened one of my eyes and allowed myself to peek at him for a moment. His short, brown girlish styled hair was brushed in front of his farmer tanned face. I glared at him, wanting him to look at me back. This was a game that the children commonly would play with each other at the dinner table during the prayer. Getting Daryl to play along was always a challenge, and I like challenges. I lightly kicked him from underneath the table. When he didn't look up, I did it again, except this time in his 'sensitive shin'.

Daryl jumped and ripped open his eyelids revealing his hazel eyes eyes and sent me a dirty look that I've never seen come from him. I felt a smirk form at my lips, but I wouldn't allow a laugh to come out. If I did, my grandmother would murder me later.

As you've probably guessed, I am surrounded by a lot of religious figures at home. We pray before every meal, and we go to church every Sunday. My friends on the other hand, are extremely non-religious. They all side with Science. Me, I'm not sure where I stand. I feel like I'm getting pulled in two different directions. Most days, I don't believe in anything. Daryl was my only friend who believed in god. He also likes toothpaste, so that's good. Friends who like toothpaste are always good.

Before closing his eyes again, he sent me a half smile that pulled at his tinted freckles that cornered his mouth. I felt a shiver run up my body. That was the feeling of victory.

"Amen," Carter concluded.

I quickly closed my eyes as the rest of us murmured it in response. Afterwards, all I could think about was dessert, but we of course had to finish the actual meal first. However, the broccoli and mashed potatoes that coated my plate did not look appetizing.

My eyes wandered to Daryl's plate. He had the same food as me, except he had white bread with butter on it. I wasn't allowed to have white bread with butter. Like many other things, I have never been told why.

As he ate a piece of it, he met my gaze, "What? Do you want some?" he held it out for me. I went to grab it, but he pulled it away. "Mmm-mmm," he shook his head, holding it to my face. I tried to bite out of it, but I couldn't due to the amount of laughter escaping out of myself. My hands went over my mouth to try to lessen it before my mom saw what was happening. He pulled at my wrist to try to uncover it, as if he wanted me to get in trouble. I wasn't sure why, but this was ridiculously funny to me.

"Daryl," I heaved, about ready to fall on the table.

For once I wasn't thinking of the intense heat or worried about a house being burned down. This was why these types of events seemed to calm me. It usually made it even better when Daryl was there. He knew how to get me to laugh.

When the adult's conversation came to a pause, my mom looked over to me and asked with an entertained expression on her face, "What's so funny, Arum?"

I waved it away, taking deep breaths before speaking, "Nothing, mom."

Anne, on the other side of me, who could barely reach her plate spoke up, "Daryl was trying to feed her bread like some sort of baby!" she tattled. Her caramel hair had been tied up for the evening so that she wouldn't get milk stained in it like last time. I broke again and collapsed over my food. My mom's light demeanor got replaced with a stern one.

"Arum knows she's not allowed to have white bread," she stated, shooting Daryl and I warning looks. I frowned in response. An awkward silence fell onto the table. In the corner of my eye, Daryl was shifting in his seat, glancing at me. He furrowed his eyebrows in obvious confusion. I just shook my head, feeling the blood rush to it.

After dinner finished, us kids went down to the basement to play around for awhile.

Daryl grabbed a hold of the pole that connected the pole to the ceiling and started spinning around it in his hole covered blood stained socks. Anne ran off to the opposite side of the basement where the old doll house was.

He stopped spinning for a moment and called out, "How's your friends doing?" Sometimes he would ask that question since he never communicated with them much. The last time they talked was when his dad was in jail for a bit, and he hung out with us at the park.

I shrugged and rolled my eyes, "They still won't let me swallow toothpaste. Mostly Provence and Terry though. Lee taught me the good and bad one's to swallow, but I don't think he really cares," I stated matter-of-factly. Daryl just laughed, swinging himself on the pole again, his hair flopping everywhere.

"Do you know what's for dessert?" I shouted my question so that Anne could hear me as well. Chocolate cake sounded good, but my mom would probably oppose because it would cause me to become energetic. Pudding sounds good too... Vanilla pudding... Yeah, yummy.

"My mom brought rice cakes, I believe," Daryl piped up, not stopping what he was doing. I stuck my tongue out. He seemed to find that funny. "Just kidding. We brought pudding."

"What kind?!" I jumped up and down on the hard cement floor, causing my feet

numb.

"Strawberry," he looked me dead in the eyes and kept a straight face. I froze, and my face dropped. The straight face broke and he smirked.

I grumbled and plopped my butt on the couch next to the pole, stretching my back on the arm, flipping myself upside down. The sensational numbness entered my head.

Daryl was an interesting person. Interesting like a blueberry on a telescope. Yeah, that's interesting. He's quiet and shy, but once you start becoming friends with him, he can be a real pain in the blueberry, but also a fun time. Especially when we sometimes go to his house and he pulls out his telescope. That was always a good time. We would try to find planets, although we were never successful.

"Daryl!" Anne screached, scrambling over to him. He turned to her. "I found a barbie doll that looks just like you. Come on." She grabbed his hand and forcibly pulled him over to the dollhouse.

"Huh, okay," Daryl went along with it. After a few moments of them talking about how she cut the hair to make it look like him, he spoke up again, "Anne... That's a girl barbie doll... I'm a boy."

"Wait, what? I thought you were a girl," she responded. I started to laugh uncontrollably. Daryl did in fact appear like a female. Not only his hair, but his body shape also resembled one because of how scrawny and somewhat curvy he was. That's why he usually wore an oversized sweater, even through the heat. His face was also smooth and was an oval, feminine shape.

My stomach started to ache, and I could barely feel my head. With all of this happening, I didn't even notice Daryl grabbing my hands and dragging me off onto the floor.

"Ow!" I moaned, still cackling. I clutched my stomach, laying on the floor, Daryl standing over top of me. Usually, not even my own personal friends could make me laugh this much. He let go of my hands and walked away.