Like Buttons On A Shirt

Chapter 11

A few hours had passed since the fight between Gerard and me had happened and I still felt more than horrible.
And i didn't even know why.
I mean... yes I did go too far and said things i shouldn't have but i sure shouldn't feel this bad.

At first I thought I felt bad because I had told on Melanie but soon I realised that I felt anything but bad for her.
She had lied to me to make herself look better and now I really hoped that what I had said would have consequences for her.
But the way Gerard had reacted to the whole thing told me, that I wasn't the first one Melanie had told these lies to.
Maybe that's the story she would tell all people that started working here.
And I was so stupid to believe it without questioning it.

No, I didn't feel bad for Melanie.
But I did feel more that guilty for what I had done to Gerard.
I could tell that I had hurt him by just believing Melanie like that.
And I really wanted him to know that I was sorry but I was sure that it wouldn't be that easy.

I was sitting in my own room that was right next to Gerards and just started at my phone. I was hungry but I didn't want to have dinner with all of the others. I didn't want to have to explain what happened today and I sure as hell didnt want to see Melanie. I don't know if I could keep my cool right now.
As I was laying on my bed I heard a knocking at my door.

"Just a second", I calle out and got up from my bed which was harder than expected. The mattress was so nice and soft to lay on but I would also sink into it quite a bit.
I went up to my door and opened it.

Patrick gave me a reassuring smile and said: "Hey Frank!"

I was very surprised to see him here and was about to ask him what he was doing here when I noticed that he was carrying a tray very similar to the one I used this morning to bring Gerard his breakfast.

"I brought you some food. I figured you'd be a bit hungry..."

I smiled at him and opened the door a little more, gesturing for him to come inside. He did and put the tray on my desk. The smell of meat and potatoes filled the room, making my stomach growl.
Patrick and I laughed at the sound of my stomach.

"I heard screaming from Mr. Ways room today.", Patrick started.
I was surprised that he got to the point right away. I had taken him to be the guy to slowly approach a topic but he was more than bold.
"And you dont have to tell me or any of the other was happened, of course, but if you want to talk... we're all here for you. I know Gerard can be really mean sometimes but-..."

"No, Patrick, I think you got the wrong idea here. What happened was my fault and Gerard only reacted to what I had said. And his reaction was right. So please dont think that he was mean to me or something."

"Oh...", Patrick seemed very surprised, "Well then... the offer still stands. You can always talk to us if you'd like. The others were asking about you and why you're not with us at dinner. What should I tell them?"

"Just... just tell them I'm tired. It's my first day after all and I have to day that I really am tired."

"A lot to take in, huh?", Patrick smiled and tilted his head.
After Melanie I didn't know if I could trust anyone here but I had the feeling that Patrick really was the nice person he seemed to be.
He had very kind eyes.

"That's for sure", I sighed.

My stomach growled again.
"Looks like somebody is hungry. I dont want to bother you any more so... enjoy your food and if you change your mind... we'll be in the dining room for a bit! See ya, Frank!"

I told Patrick that I would think about it, knowing that I had a already made my decision not to leave my room for the rest of the day.
Even though I enjoyed Patrick's company, I was very glad when he was gone because I was really really hungry and having this tray of food on my desk without being able to eat was torture!

I sat down and looked at the food in front of me.
Patrivk had given me a huge piece of chicken breast with some mashed potatoes and a little salad in an extra bowl on the side.
He also gave me a bowl of wat seemed like vanilla pudding for dessert.
I whispered another "thank you" to Patrick and started eating.

~

I decided to leave the tray in my room. I would bring it back to the kitchen in the morning. I didn't want to accidentally walk into Melanie or any of the other servants today.

My stomach was full and I was tired. It really had been a long day and Gerard wasn't the only one that had his energy drained.
I decided to take a quick shower and go to sleep.

When I entered the bathroom I firstly admired all the marvel I could see. I almost smiled at the cliche of marbel walls and furniture in rich people's bathrooms.

My door was right next to a giant bathtub that looked more like a jacuzzi than anything else.
The shower in the corner was almost as big as the king-sized bed in my bedroom and all the faucets in the room had what looked like a chrome finish. I've never seen such a beautiful design before.

On the other side of the room there was another door. I remembered that Mrs. Way had told me that Gerards and my room were both connected to the bathroom. she also said that he never used this bathroom. I really hoped this was true. Just to be safe I locked both doors before getting undressed and stepping into the shower.

Maybe it was all in my head but even the water coming out of the shower head seemed to be expensive.
I felt very weird using my cheap dollar-store shampoo in a bathroom like this.
Weird, right?

Even though I only wanted it to be a quick shower, I spent more than half an hour letting the water run down my body. And yes, I did feel bad for practically wasting water afterwards. But to be honest it felt great not to be worried about how much water to use because of the bills.

I only put on a pair of boxers and an old shirt before leaving the bathroom and slipping under my own covers. It had gotten pretty late and I couldn't wait to finally be able to rest.

But my mind just didn't want to shut up.
I was still feeling guilty because of Gerard and I was also anxious about my second day.
I knew I still had to do my work, walking up Gerard in the morning and at least try to get him to eat something but after what happened today I didnt feel like I could do any of that.

And as I was laying in the dark, listening to my own thoughts and the blood rushing through my veins I heard the sound of muffled cries somewhere.
At first I thought I had just imagined all of it so I held my breath to be able to hear better.
And there it was again and it was definitely someone crying.

I didnt even have to check to know that it was coming from Gerards room.